The Buckeyes' Top Prospects for 2008
Holiday Edition
With Shawntel Rowell's recent pledge, Ohio State now has sixteen verbal commitments for the class of 2008. However, Shaq's Glenville teammate, Cordale Scott, became the first Tarblooder to reject a Buckeye offer during the Tressel era, as he gave his verbal to Illinois. There are a few new names on our list (Brandon Harris, Steve Gardiner, Aundre Dean, and Tommy Streeter), and several who have dropped off, apprently for good (Kenny Tate, Greg Scruggs, Nick Truesdell, Ben Jones, and the aforementioned Cordale Scott). Look for the Buckeyes to take three or four more players in this class.
In this edition of our blog, we focus on those prospects who are still left on the Buckeyes' recruiting board. We have listed all of the current commitments at the end of the article.
Speed
1. Brandon Harris, Miami Booker T. Washington (5' 10", 180 lbs, 4.45 forty); Ohio State (offered) in top 4 (Miami, Florida, LSU, all offered). Harris is one of the top cornerback prospects in the country, and in his team's opener this year he basically shut down blue chip wide out prospect A.J. Green (Summerville, SC). Brandon has already made official visits to Florida and LSU, and he also wants to visit Miami and Ohio State before deciding. The Florida Division of the Brew Crew have been in contact with Harris.
2. Aundre Dean, Katy, Texas (6' 1", 200 lbs, 4.48 forty); UCLA soft verbal. Although Dean originally issued a verbal commitment to UCLA way back in April, he recently re-opened his reecruitment after Bruins' head coach Karl Dorrell was fired. As a senior, Aundre rushed for over 2,500 yards as he led his team to a perfect 16-0 record and a state championship. Dean claims to have an official offer from the Buckeyes, and he plans to make an official visit to Ohio State on January 20th; he is also considering Louisville (visit 01/11), Alabama (01/13), Arizona State (01/18), LSU (01/26), and possibly UCLA (no visit scheduled).
3. Steve Gardiner, Dublin Coffman (6' 1", 205 lbs, 4.52 forty); Ohio State (offered) in top 4 (Northwestern, West Virginia, Pitt, all offered). Although Dublin Coffman was known for its offense this season (Mike Adams, Jake Stoneburner, Zach Stoudt, Trey Fairchild), Gardiner was the star of the Shamrocks' defense as he racked up 170 tackles on the year, including 18 in a playoff loss to eventual state champion St. Xavier. Some have pegged Gardiner as a "tweener" - too small for linebacker, and too slow for safety - but the kid has the right attitude and good football instincts, so he should succeed on the next level. The Buckeyes have offered Steve as a "grey shirt", meaning that he would enroll at Ohio State in January of 2009 and be part of next year's recruiting class. Gardiner would love to be a Buckeye, but the "grey shirt" offer might be the sticking point.
4. Orhian Johnson, Gulfport (Florida) Boca Ciega (6' 4", 184 lbs, 4.57 forty); Ohio State (offered?) in the mix (South Florida, Florida International, Indiana, Cincinnati, UConn, Kansas, Tennessee, all offered). Johnson plays quarterback in high school, but he will likely switch positions at the next level, with some posibilities being wide receiver or safety. Johnson claims to have an offer from the Buckeyes, and he did make an unofficial visit to Ohio State during the season (10/20), but at the moment he appears to be a "plan B" recruit. But then again, so were Brian Robiskie and Donald Washington a few years ago.... Update 12/28 - Orhian made an official visit to Indiana (12/08), and he would also like to visit Ohio State (01/11), Tennessee (01/18), and South Florida.
5. Martin Bayless, Chula Vista (California) Castle Park (6' 3", 190 lbs, 4.53 forty); Ohio State (offered) in the mix (Cal, Southern Cal, UCLA, Stanford, Texas, Texas A+M, Florida, Michigan, none offered). Martin's father (also named Martin) has been involved with the NFL for the past 23 years (14 seasons as a defensive back, 3 in the front office, 6 as a coach). So far, the younger Bayless is following in his father's footsteps, as he has had a successful high school career as a safety, wide receiver, and special teams performer. This summer, the Bayless family are moving from California to Texas, but Martin's father also has strong ties to Ohio (grew up in Dayton, attended Bowling Green). Right now, Martin's recruitment is just starting to take off, but expect Ohio State to be in the mix for a while. Update 12/28 - Bayless is still interested in Ohio State, but the Buckeyes probably won't have any room for him in this class.
Big Speed
1. Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette, Pennsylvania (6' 6", 220 lbs, 4.4 forty); Ohio State (offered) in top 6 (West Virginia, Penn State, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, all offered). Pryor, a dual-threat quarterback, is one of the top recruits in the country, regardless of position. As a senior, Terrelle has led his high school team to a perfect 14-0 record, and the Jeannette Jayhawks are currently battling for a state championship. On the season, Pryor has once again posted several monster performances, and he already has amassed 4,024 yards passing and 3,883 yards rushing for his career; as a team, the Jayhawks have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 770 to 110, and they have scored at least 35 points in every game this season. Pryor continues to favor Ohio State (official visit 11/03), but he is also strongly considering West Virginia, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, and perhaps a few other schools (no official visits scheduled). Update 12/28 - When Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia for Michigan, Terrelle immediately dropped the Mountaineers and added the Wolverines to his list. Michigan is scheduled to get an official visit on January 11th, and the Buckeyes are now in a real battle with that school up north, and the bad guys are gaining momentum; Florida, Oregon, Penn State and perhaps a few other schools are also still in the mix.
2. Keith Wells, Gainesville, Georgia (6' 5", 225 lbs, 4.8 forty); Ohio State (offered) trails Florida State (soft verbal). Wells is an active, athletic DE/OLB prospect who made a pre-season commitment to Florida State. While Keith never seemed completely satisfied with his early decision, he did not formally re-open his recruitment until a few days ago, when he called the Ohio State coaching staff and asked to schedule an official visit for this weekend. The day after that call, coaches Heacock and Haynes met with Wells for an in-home visit. Keith is also considering Auburn, Tennessee, and North Carolina along with Florida State (no official visits scheduled). Apparently, Wells is looking for a winning program with a stable coaching staff, which explains his increasing interest in Ohio State, and his decreasing interest in Florida State (56-31 record since 2001; head coach Bobby Bowden is now 78 years old and on a one-year contract). Update 12/28 - Wells had great visits to Ohio State (12/08) and Auburn (12/15), and he is still planning on travelling to Florida State, Tennessee, and either Clemson or Notre Dame. The Buckeyes are still very much in the mix, but climate and location may hurt Ohio State's chances in the long run.
3. Shayne Hale, Pittsburgh Gateway (6' 4", 218 lbs, 4.5 forty); Ohio State (offered) in top 4 (Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, all offered). Although Hale is one of the top overall prospects in the nation, his recruitment has been rather subdued. While Shayne hasn't formally ruled out the Buckeyes, he also hasn't scheduled an official visit to Ohio State ... and Ohio State hasn't been calling him lately. Hale has made official visits to Virginia (11/03) and West Virginia (12/01), and those two schools should be considered his current leaders. Whether the Buckeyes can get back into the game - or if they even want to - remains to be seen.... Update 12/28 - Hale finished his senior season with 114 tackles, 25 TFL's, 9 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and 3 forced fumbles. His two finalists are Pitt and Ohio State; his high school teammate, cousin, and best friend Cameron Saddler has already verballed to Pitt, so the Panthers would seem to be the logical choice here.
4. Tommy Streeter, Miami Northwestern (6' 6", 200 lbs); Ohio State (not offered) in the mix (Oregon, Boston College, South Florida, South Carolina, all offered). Streeter is a rangy wide receiver prospect on a loaded Miami Northwestern squad that was ranked the number one high school team in the country in the final USAToday poll. Tommy has already made official visits to Oregon and Boston College, and he is also scheduled to visit South Florida (01/11) and South Carolina (01/18). The Buckeyes only entered the mix after losing out on Cordale Scott, so the staff has a lot of ground to make up if they want to make a serious run at Streeter.
Power
1. Josh Jenkins, Parkersburg (West Virginia) Vienna (6' 3", 282 lbs, 4.62 shuttle); Ohio State (offered) leads West Virginia (soft verbal). Jenkins is a three-time all state selection, and he led his team to a state championship as a senior; he was also named to the Army All-American team and was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in West Virginia. Josh has already made an official visit to Florida (11/03), and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Ohio State this weekend (12/08); he is also considering Florida State, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia (no visits set). Jenkins made an early verbal to West Virginia shortly after receiving an official offer from the Mountaineers, but he has been leaning toward Ohio State for the past few months. It looks like a two-team race with the Buckeyes in the lead, but this one might come down to the wire. Update 12/28 - Jenkins officially de-committed from West Virginia; his finalists are Ohio State, Florida State, and West Wirginia, with the Buckeyes leading the pack.
2. Brandon Thompson, Thomasville, Georgia (6' 2", 291 lbs, 4.69 shuttle); Ohio State (offered) trails Clemson, LSU, Georgia Tech (all offered). Simply put, Thompson is a beast - he is big, strong, agile, and nasty with an extremely explosive first step that routinely lands him in the opponent's backfield. Brandon is both a disruptive force and a solid tackler - a good combination in an interior lineman. Brandon has long been considered to be a Clemson lock, but with Tommy Bowden constantly being on thin ice, Thompson had been checking out some other schools. Brandon made official visits to LSU (09/07), Georgia Tech (09/29), and Ohio State (11/03), and he is scheduled to visit Clemson next month (although the latest word is that he might move his visit up to this weekend). Coaching turmoil at Thompson's other three favorites had kept Ohio State in the mix for a while, but Clemson just renegotiated and extended Tommy Bowden's contract, so the Tigers are once again the strong favorite. A long shot, but worth shooting for.... Update 12/28 - The conventional wisdom said that Brandon would commit to Clemson on his official visit (12/08), but that did not happen, and now he has scheduled his fifth and final official visit for Tennessee (01/11). Coach Tressel visited Brandon earlier this month, and the Buckeyes are still in the mix despite having commitments from four potential defensive lineman candidates (Williams, Goebel, Mobley, and Rowell).
3. Cory Liuget, Hialeah (Florida) Hialeah (6' 3", 260 lbs, 4.8 forty); Ohio State (offered) trails Illinois (soft verbal) and Florida State (offered). Liuget committed on his official visit to Illinois (10/20), but then quickly backed off of that commitment after taking a subsequent official visit to Florida State (11/16). Apparently, Cory has also scheduled an official visit to Ohio State for some time in December. With two schools solidly out in front, the Buckeyes will have a tough time making up ground with this long shot. Update 12/28 - Liuget will likely make an official visit to Ohio State some time in January, and he may also visit Miami. The Brew Crew have made Cory a top priority for the class of 2008.
4. Moses McCray, Tampa Middleton (6' 4", 275 lbs); Ohio State (offered) trails Florida State (soft verbal). Although he committed to Florida State back in early May, McCray has re-opened his recruitment to some extent, and he may even schedule an official visit to Ohio State. Like current Buckeye Dexter Larimore and future Buckeye Garrett Goebel, Moses also excels at wrestling (he finished 6th in the state of Florida as a junior). Another developing situation to watch closely.... Update 12/28 - Nothing new to report here. The Buckeye staff seems to be targeting fellow Floridian Cory Liuget at the moment.
Mike Adams, OL, Dublin Coffman (6' 7", 308 lbs); committed to Ohio State on March 10th
DeVier Posey, WR, Cincinnati Lasalle (6' 3", 190 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on March 13th
Devoe Torrence, RB, Massillon Washington (6' 2", 220 lbs, 4.4 forty); committed to Ohio State on March 20th
Jake Stoneburner, WR, Dublin Coffman (6' 6", 223 lbs, 4.54 forty); committed to Ohio State on March 26th
Michael Brewster, OL, Orlando Edgewater (6' 6", 305 lbs, 4.63 shuttle); committed to Ohio State on April 23rd
J.B. Shugarts, OL, Klein, TX (6' 7", 299 lbs, 4.69 shuttle); committed to Ohio State on April 24th
Nathan Williams, DL, Washington Court House Miami Trace (6' 5", 245 lbs, 4.67 forty); committed to Ohio State on April 24th
Andrew Sweat, LB, Washington (Pennsylvania) Trinity (6' 2", 225 lbs, 4.55 forty); committed to Ohio State on May 31st
Garrett Goebel, DL, Lombard (IL) Montini Catholic (6' 5", 270 lbs); committed to Ohio State on July 27th
Nic DiLillo, TE, Madison, Ohio (6' 5", 225 lbs, 4.6 forty); committed to Ohio State on July 30th
Lamaar Thomas, WR, Fort Washington (MD) Friendly (5' 10", 166 lbs, 4.36 forty); committed to Ohio State on October 18th
Travis Howard, CB, Miami Dr. Krop (6' 1", 185 lbs, 4.43 forty); committed to Ohio State on October 26th
Etienne Sabino, LB, Miami Dr. Krop (6' 3", 228 lbs, 4.74 forty); committed to Ohio State on November 8th
Willie Mobley, DL, Eden Prairie, MN (6' 2", 264 lbs); committed to Ohio State on November 30th
Shawntel Rowell, DL, Cleveland Glenville (6' 4", 325 lbs); committed to Ohio State on December 17th
Storm Klein, LB, Newark Licking Valley (6' 2", 210 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on October 14th
John Simon, DL, Youngstown Mooney (6' 4", 265 lbs, 4.7 forty); committed to Ohio State on December 26th
Jack Mewhort, OL, Toledo St. John's (6' 6", 283 lbs); committed to Ohio State on December 28th
Adam Homan, LB, Coldwater (6' 2", 230 lbs); committed to Ohio State on December 29th
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