The Buckeyes' Top Prospects for the Class of 2009
Pre-Season Edition
Pre-Season Edition
With twenty-four prospects already committed, this edition of our Top Prospects article is more focused on who went elsewhere than on who pledged for Ohio State. In fact, since our last edition was published eight weeks ago, the Buckeyes have picked up just one verbal commitment, Bellbrook offensive lineman Sam Longo. Although Ohio State's class is already nearly full, the Buckeye staff is still pursuing a handful of recruits, namely running back Jaamal Berry (Miami Palmetto), defensive back Vladimir Emilien (Lauderhill, Florida, Plantation), offensive lineman Marcus Hall (Cleveland Glenville), offensive lineman John Martinez (Salt Lake City Cottonwood), defensive lineman Corey Adams (Scottsdale, Arizona, Saguaro), tight end Dion Sims (Orchard Lake, Michigan, St. Mary's), and tight end Ra'Shede Hageman (Minneapolis Washburn).
Speed
1. Andre Debose, Sanford (Florida) Seminole (6' 0", 170 lbs, 4.43 forty). Andre is still talking about a visit to Ohio State ... we'll see. Look for Debose to stay well south of the Mason-Dixon line (Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, and LSU being the leading contenders) and to make a late announcement, neither of which bodes well for Ohio State. Update 08/26 - Andre is planning to take official visits to Florida, Miami, and LSU. Ohio State is still technically in the picture, but barring some sort of epiphany on an as-yet-unscheduled official visit to Columbus, you can count the Buckeyes out of this race.
2. Jaamal Berry, Miami Palmetto (5' 11", 184 lbs, 4.31 forty). The Buckeyes (visit 11/22, vs. Michigan) are still the clear leader, but Jaamal will also take some other official visits, including Southern Cal (09/13, vs. Ohio State), LSU (10/25, vs. Georgia), Ole Miss (11/01, vs. Auburn), and possibly Michigan; Florida (no visit scheduled) is currently in second place. Berry is also supposed to make a second unofficial visit to Columbus later this month, but don't expect a formal commitment until after his official visits. Update 08/26 - Jaamal was unable to visit Ohio State this summer ... but don't worry - the Buckeyes still lead by a large margin. Academic issues have always been lurking in the background, and some question whether Berry can make the grade.
3. Vladimir Emilien, Lauderhill (Florida) Plantation (6' 2", 188 lbs). How do you go from "stone-cold lock" to "frozen out" in one short week? Try playing the recruiting game with a coaching staff that is intent on closing out its recruiting class before the start of fall practice.... With former leader Ohio State all but out of the picture now, Vlad will look at a host of southern schools later this month (Florida, Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina, and Tennessee); South Florida has been doing an excellent job in-state this year (Victor Marc, James Green, Ricardo Dixon, Adaris Bellamy), so the Bulls might be a serious player as well. Update 08/26 - Well, Ohio State is now back in the picture, along with Florida, South Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Stanford. Emilien will sit out his senior season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in July, but the injury has not scared off any programs as of yet. Vlad plans to announce his college selection on his birthday, November 23rd ... which also happens to be the day after The Game. Might Emilien be in Columbus for an official visit on that date?
4. Brandon McGee, Lauderhill (Florida) Plantation (6' 0", 169 lbs, 4.38 forty). Some people think that McGee is a "must get" player ... but the Buckeye staff will take their chances with the ten "speed" prospects who are already on board (plus Jaamal Berry, who is waiting in the wings), and they won't wait until Signing Day for a kid who wants to play the recruiting game. Now, if Brandon changes his tune and wants to end the process early, then of course the Buckeyes would still be interested.... Update 08/11 - Brandon claimed that his final three schools were Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State ... and then he promptly committed to Miami. Despite early "love" for Ohio State, McGee was pretty much a Hurricane "lock" from day one, but like many Miami recruits, Brandon wanted to "play" the media so that his selection of the hometown school would be "news". That's just the way they do things at "The U"....
5. Shaquelle Evans, Inglewood, California (6' 2", 190 lbs, 4.45 forty). Evans claims that he wants to leave the state of California and that Ohio State is a serious contender ... but we've heard similar claims from other recruits in the past, so we'll take his comments with a grain of salt, at least until he arrives in Columbus on an official visit this fall. Shaquelle is one of the top wide receiver prospects in the country, and he would seem to be a perfect fit for the renowned passing attack of Southern Cal or a re-vamped UCLA under new offensive coordinator Norm Chow (both offered). Notre Dame (visit 09/13, vs. Michigan), Michigan, LSU, Tennessee, and Colorado (all offered) will also get a look-see. Update 08/26 - If Shaquelle leaves Los Angeles county, then South Bend, Indiana, would be his probable destination. Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, and LSU are still hoping to get official visits, and thus should be considered long shots.
6. E.J. Banks, McKees Rocks (Pennsylvania) Montour (6' 1", 180 lbs). At one point early in the process, E.J. seemed like a definite Ohio State "lock" - he is a self-professed Buckeye fan, his family are all Buckeye fans, and he is related to Buckeye legend Joey Galloway. But somewhere along the line, Banks became very interested in Notre Dame ... or the Buckeye staff lost interest in Banks ... or a little bit of both. In any event, Banks still claims an Ohio State offer - and the Bucks might still have a "speed" scholarship open - but we think that E.J. will eventually end up in South Bend. Update 08/08 - No surprise here - Banks committed to Notre Dame.
7. Jheranie Boyd, Gastonia (North Carolina) Ashbrook (6' 2", 184 lbs, 4.45 forty, 10.45 100m). Although fifteen schools are still technically in the running, Boyd is looking more and more like a Clemson "lock" every day. In any event, the Buckeyes have little to no chance with Boyd ... and they would probably rather target some other prospects (Debose, Evans) anyway. Update 08/26 - Boyd has officially eliminated the Buckeyes. His current finalists are North Carolina, North Carolina State, Auburn, Florida, and Clemson, with the Tigers (the CU version) and the Gators being the leaders. Apparently, Illinois no longer has a shot....
8. Marlon Brown, Memphis Harding Academy (6' 5", 205 lbs). Outside of a few passing mentions of Ohio State ealry in the process, the Buckeyes have never really been in this race. Now that Ohio State's class is nearly full - including three top wide receivers (Carter, Jackson, Fields) and three other "speed" prospects who could play wide out (Green, Brown, Hall) - it looks like the staff will move in a different direction. Tennessee is the favorite, but Southern Cal will also get a visit. Update 08/26 - Brown is still talking about taking an official visit to Columbus, but let's be real - Ohio State has no chance here.
9. Stephon Gilmore, Rock Hill (South Carolina) South Point (6' 1", 180 lbs, 4.4 forty). For some reason, Ohio State is still in the mix here, even though Tennessee and Clemson are the clear favorites, and the rest of Stephon's finalists (South Carolina, Alabama, Florida State) are well to the south of Columbus. A "long shot" in any year ... but a "no chance" in a year when the Buckeye staff already has their "speed" class essentially filled. Update 08/26 - Gilmore's current leaders are South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida State. The Buckeyes were never really in this race, and now they are officially out of it.
10. Kraig Appleton, East St. Louis, Illinois (6' 3", 190 lbs, 4.50 forty). Appleton keeps saying that Ohio State and Louisiana State are his leaders, but neither school seems to be reciprocating the "love", despite the fact that Kraig claims an offer from each of them. We think that Appleton eventually ends up staying a lot closer to home, like Illinois perhaps. A top athlete and track star who for some reason isn't generating as much attention as one would expect from a national "Top 100" prospect. Update 08/15 - Kraig committed to Illinois ... and then almost immediately retracted the commitment, stating that he wanted to take all of his official visits before making a final decision. Appleton will almost certainly end up at Illinois unless one of the big boys gets involved (OSU, LSU, ND) ... which almost certainly will not happen.
11. D.J. Hunter, Middletown High (6' 0", 196 lbs, 4.4 forty). Hunter has been doing everything possible to obtain an Ohio State offer, but it has never materialized ... and with the Buckeyes' class already full-to-overflowing with talented commitments, it looks like D.J. will have to move on to his second choice. Update 07/09 - When Ohio State failed to offer, we felt that D.J. would stay somewhere in the Big Ten region, probably Indiana. However, in a somewhat surprising move, Hunter headed down to Tennessee, a school that for some reason seems to recruit well in the SW corner of the state (Peerless Price, Mike Munoz, Adam Myers-White, Ben Martin).
Power
1. Marcus Hall, Cleveland Glenville (6' 5", 285 lbs). From everything that we have heard, Ohio State is still the strong leader for Marcus Hall. However, Marcus did not commit at camp, and it appears that he wants to take some official visits this fall (LSU, Florida, USC, and Illinois are all possible destinations). Hall might be the best overall prospect in Ohio this year ... and the best offensive lineman nationally ... so the Buckeye staff will certainly wait on him to make his decision. Update 08/26 - LSU and USC are Hall's current "dream schools" ... but "reality" still says Ohio State. This one's not over by any means, but the Buckeyes are in good shape.
2. Chris Watt, Glen Ellyn (Illinois) Glenbard West (6' 4", 270 lbs). At the present time, Watt seems to be torn between Ohio State and Notre Dame, with Michigan also remaining in the hunt. A few weeks ago, we would have pencilled Chris "in" the Buckeyes' class of 2009, but the staff has been checking out several other linemen recently (John Martinez, Sam Longo, John Prior, et al.), so maybe we should keep the dancing bananas on the sidelines for the time being. Expect a July decision. Update 07/13 - Notre Dame made a late push ... and Ohio State "discovered" a comparable in-state lineman (Sam Longo) at summer camp ... so Watt went to the Irish, and Longo went to the Buckeyes, and everyone is happy in the end.
3. Corey Adams, Scottsdale (Arizona) Saguaro (6' 4", 272 lbs, 4.85 forty). Like Marcus Hall, the staff will hold a spot open for Corey Adams ... if they think that he has any serious intentions toward Ohio State. If we had to call a leader, we'd say Southern Cal, based primarily on location. However, Corey has family ties to Ohio, and he grew up an Ohio State fan, so the Buckeyes still have a chance ... if Adams can actually make it to Columbus before committing somewhere else. Update 08/26 - Corey's finalists are USC, OSU, and ASU, and all three schools seem to have a legitimate chance. Adams will likely announce his decision at the Under Armour All-American game on January 4, 2009.
4. Ra'Shede Hageman, Minneapolis Washburn (6' 5", 233 lbs). Hageman's top four are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Florida. Although Ra'Shede enjoyed his camp visit to Ohio State, we believe that this top tight end prospect will end up staying a bit closer to home. Travis Beckum has obviously had great success at Wisconsin ... and that has not gone unnoticed by Hageman. Update 08/26 - Hageman's top four are still Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, and Ohio State, but he not scheduled any official visits yet. Too early to call a leader.
5. Dion Sims, Orchard Lake (Michigan) St. Mary's (6' 5", 230 lbs); Ohio State leads Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan, and Michigan State. Sims is an athletic tight end prospect from a Buckeye-friendly school (Taurian Washington, Aaron Gant) located behind enemy lines, and as of today, Ohio State is his leader. Dion is also a top-flight basketball player, and he is still undecided as to which sport he will play in college; however, all of his best offers have been for football, so expect to see Sims on the gridiron rather than the hardwood. This recruitment could still go a number of different directions, but the Buckeyes are in a good position right now.
6. Sam Longo, Bellbrook, Ohio (6' 5", 250 lbs, 4.94 forty). We've been saying for a while that Sam Longo earned a scholarship offer from Ohio State based on his camp performance last month, although this has not been confirmed by any of the conventional recruiting sources. With or without a Buckeye offer, Ohio State is the clear emotional leader ... but would Sam prefer to attend a school that can promise him a better chance for early playing time? Update 07/07 - Shortly after receiving his offer, Sam committed to Ohio State!
7. John Martinez, Salt Lake City Cottonwood (6' 3", 270 lbs). Martinez came all the way from Utah on his own dime to try to earn a Buckeye offer, but to date that hasn't happened ... and with Hall, Watt, and Longo still higher up the Buckeyes' "board", it looks like John will have to "settle" for either USC (visit 09/13, vs. Ohio State), LSU (visit 10/25, vs. Georgia), or UCLA. However, Martinez still has an official visit scheduled to Ohio State (11/22, vs. Michigan), and if a scholarship opens up by that date, then Ohio State should have a very good shot. Update 08/26 - John continues to speak very highly of Ohio State ... and to wait for the Buckeyes to offer. If Marcus Hall should choose to go elsewhere, then it looks like Martinez would be the next in line for a scholarship. In the mean time, USC and UCLA appear to be the leaders ... but an offer might vault Ohio State into the lead.
8. Pat Muldoon, Cincinnati St. Xavier (6' 4", 250 lbs, 4.81 forty, 4.41 shuttle). For some reason, Muldoon and Ohio State just aren't "happening" right now. Although Pat supposedly grew up a fan of the Buckeyes, and is a Buckeye legacy, he has been sitting on his Ohio State offer since early April ... not a good sign in any year, and an especially bad sign in a year when 90% of the class is already full and the few remaining spots are being saved for "special" prospects. Update 08/26 - For a while it seemed that Notre Dame was Muldoon's school of choice, but Pat recently named Virginia, Boston College, Wisconsin, and Cincinnati as his finalists.
9. Tyron Ezell, Homestead (Pennsylvania) Steel Valley (6' 4", 248 lbs, 4.75 forty). If nothing else, Tyron Ezell is a great interview - he doesn't engage in boring old recruit-speak, and he's certainly not afraid to tell it like it is ... even if "like it is" isn't exactly flattering. Tyron likes Ohio State - he really does - but he's also aware that the Buckeyes have a lot of talent already on campus, and a lot more in the pipeline. Pitt is a bit closer to home ... and a lot less competitive. You do the math.... Update 08/09 - Location + depth chart + early playing time = Pitt verbal.
10. John Prior, Portsmouth, Ohio (6' 6", 280 lbs). Initial reports had John Prior putting on an impressive showing at Ohio State's senior advanced camp ... but those reports apparently were inaccurate. Although Prior did have a good camp, fellow in-state prospect Sam Longo was clearly the star performer, and national offensive line prospect John Martinez was invited to make an official visit for the Michigan game. Although opinions vary widely on Prior's ability and upside (he has an offer from Florida State ... but many local "experts" think that he is a MAC-level talent), it seems virtually certain that John won't end up at Ohio State. Update 07/21 - John became the second Ohio prep lineman to commit to Florida State in the past two years. 2008 prospect Zebrie Sanders is slated to start for the Seminoles as a true freshman this season, and Prior is hoping to find similar success for a program that has a desperate need along the offensive line.
:osu: The Ohio State Buckeyes' Recruiting Class of 2009 :osu:
C.J. Barnett, Clayton Northmont (6' 1", 171 lbs, 4.4 forty); committed to Ohio State on February 10, 2008Dorian Bell, Pittsburgh Gateway (6' 2", 220 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on April 23, 2008
Adam Bellamy, Aurora High School (6' 4", 280 lbs, 4.8 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 10, 2008
Justin Boren, University of Michigan (6' 4", 305 lbs); announced transfer to Ohio State on April 23, 2008
Zach Boren, Pickerington Central (6' 0", 250 lbs, 4.65 forty); committed to Ohio State on April 30, 2008
Corey Brown, Monroeville (Pennsylvania) Gateway (6' 1", 179 lbs, 4.58 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 23, 2008
Duron Carter, Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (6' 3", 180 lbs); committed to Ohio State on June 20, 2008
Dominic Clarke, Frederick (Maryland) Tuscarora (5' 10", 178 lbs, 4.41 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 8, 2008
Melvin Fellows, Garfield Heights High School (6' 5", 265 lbs); committed to Ohio State on April 24, 2008
Chris Fields, Painesville Harvey (6' 1", 181 lbs, 4.39 forty, 38" vertical); committed to Ohio State on February 21, 2008
Reid Fragel, Grosse Pointe (Michigan) South (6' 8", 251 lbs, 4.88 forty); committed to Ohio State on May 27, 2008
Justin Green, Louisville Male (5' 10", 170, 4.4 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 22, 2008
Jordan Hall, Jeannette (Pennsylvania) High School (5' 9", 185 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on April 23, 2008
Adam Homan, Coldwater, Ohio (6' 2", 230 lbs); committed to Ohio State on December 29, 2007
Carlos Hyde, Naples (Florida) Naples (6' 1", 230 lbs, 4.55 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 22, 2008
James Jackson, Grand Ledge, Michigan (6' 0", 175 lbs, 4.31 forty); committed to Ohio State on May 12, 2008
Storm Klein, Newark Licking Valley (6' 2", 210 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on October 14, 2007
Corey Linsley, Boardman High School (6' 4", 285 lbs); committed to Ohio State on April 28, 2008
Sam Longo, Bellbrook, Ohio (6' 5", 250 lbs, 4.94 forty); committed to Ohio State on July 7, 2008
Brad McDougald, Dublin Scioto (6' 1", 188 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on June 23, 2008
Jack Mewhort, Toledo St. John's (6' 6", 283 lbs); committed to Ohio State on December 28, 2007
Jonathan Newsome, Cleveland Glenville (6' 3", 215 lbs); committed to Ohio State on June 24, 2008
John Simon, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (6' 4", 265 lbs, 4.7 forty); committed to Ohio State on December 26, 2007
Jordan Whiting, Louisville (Kentucky) Trinity (6' 1", 226 lbs, 4.61 forty); committed to Ohio State on September 1, 2007
Jamie Wood, Pickerington Central (6' 1", 185 lbs, 4.5 forty); committed to Ohio State on February 24, 2008
Prospects of Note Who Are Going Elsewhere
Justin Turner, Massillon Washington (6' 2", 185 lbs); committed to Michigan on March 29, 2008
Darrell Givens, Indian Head (Maryland) Lackey (5' 11", 178 lbs, 4.46 forty); committed to Penn State on May 10, 2008
Eric Shrive, Scranton (Pennsylvania) West (6' 7", 280 lbs); committed to Penn State on May 15, 2008
Patrick White, Pickerington Central (6' 1", 175 lbs); committed to Michigan State on June 8, 2008
Steve Hull, Cincinnati Sycamore (6' 2", 175 lbs); committed to Illinois on June 29, 2008
Kraig Appleton, East St. Louis, Illinois (6' 3", 190 lbs, 4.50 forty); soft verbal to Illinois on August 11, 2008
Chris Watt, Glen Ellyn (Illinois) Glenbard West (6' 4", 270 lbs); committed to Notre Dame on July 13, 2008
E.J. Banks, McKees Rocks (Pennsylvania) Montour (6' 1", 180 lbs); committed to Notre Dame on August 8, 2008
Mike Marrow, Toledo Central Catholic (6' 2", 235 lbs, 4.7 forty); committed to Alabama on June 20, 2008
Russell Sheppard, Houston Cypress Ridge (6' 2", 183 lbs, 4.4 forty); committed to LSU on March 3, 2008
D.J. Hunter, Middletown High (6' 0", 196 lbs, 4.4 forty); committed to Tennessee on July 9, 2008
Ryan Cheek, Lancaster, Ohio (6' 1", 235 lbs, 4.51 forty); committed to North Carolina State on May 23, 2008
John Prior, Portsmouth, Ohio (6' 6", 280 lbs); committed to Florida State on July 21, 2008
Brandon McGee, Lauderhill (Florida) Plantation (6' 0", 169 lbs, 4.38 forty); committed to Miami on August 11, 2008
Chris Snook, Medina Highlands (6' 2", 212 lbs, 4.6 forty); committed to West Virginia on April 22, 2008
Ricardo Dixon, Hallandale, Florida (5' 10", 160 lbs, 4.42 forty); committed to South Florida on June 21, 2008
James Green, Tallahassee Leon (6' 2", 184 lbs, 4.61 forty); committed to South Florida on June 21, 2008
Victor Marc, Hallandale, Florida (5' 11", 208 lbs, 4.59 forty); committed to South Florida on June 21, 2008
Tyron Ezell, Homestead (Pennsylvania) Steel Valley (6' 4", 248 lbs, 4.75 forty); committed to Pitt on August 9, 2008
Ricky Harris, Westerville South (6' 2", 305 lbs); committed to Cincinnati on June 25, 2008
