Joe also contributed to this post.
With the excitement of fall camp and the start of the season, recruiting has been on the back burner for weeks.
Since my last update, Ohio State received the commitment of local Columbus running back Warren Ball and Cleveland offensive lineman Kyle Kalis, the second and third commitments in the 2012 class.
With those two commitments and the recent addition of several new in-state offers (one of which was Kalis), the 2012 class is starting to gain some momentum.
As far as the 2011 class is concerned, outside of Doran Grant, Aundrey Walker, and Shane Wynn eventually becoming Buckeyes, everything else is up in the air.
The area of most confusion in 2011 is at linebacker. Ohio State clearly would like to take at least one linebacker in the class… the problem is figuring out who that will be.
Join me after the jump for a look at how the 2011 class might wind down and an early look at the extremely talented 2012 class.
2011
Ohio State already has an outstanding haul in the 2011 class. They loaded up on offensive and defensive linemen and got their quarterback of the future in Braxton Miller.
As mentioned, the area with the most interesting action at the moment is linebacker. Following Trey DePriest’s commitment to Alabama, several new linebackers have emerged or re-emerged on the recruiting scene for the Buckeyes.
The most interesting story is Texas stand-out LB Anthony Wallace, who apparently initiated contact with the Ohio State staff and will be taking an official visit during the weekend of the Michigan game.
Other linebackers still in the picture include Conner Crowell, Curtis Grant, and Ejuan Price.
Between those four linebackers, it seems likely that Ohio State ends up with at least one with the slight possibility of two.
With 17 commitments already in the fold, Ohio State has room for anywhere from 5 to 6 additional players.
Aundrey Walker, Doran Grant, Shane Wynn (barring a major surprise), and one or two of the linebackers bring the number of available scholarships in 2011 down to nothing or next to nothing.
There may be a spot or two left for Cardale Jones or Andre Sturdivant, or an out of state guy like Jabari Gorman, or the staff may bank any remaining scholarships for 2012.
Outside of which linebacker or two end up in the class, there shouldn’t be many surprises or fireworks left in 2011.
2012
The excitement in the 2012 class, on the other hand, is just getting started.
With Josh Perry, Warren Ball, and Kyle Kalis, the class is off to a great start. With plenty more outstanding in-state players out there that heavily favor the Buckeyes, the class should continue to get better, and quickly.
Ohio has outstanding players across the board in the 2012 class, but the position that is the most impressive is defensive end.
Chris Wormley, Greg McMullen, Adolphus Washington, LaTroy Lewis, and Sa’Von Pittman are all from Ohio and they all have early interest from Ohio State.
It is doubtful (but still possible if the staff feels some of the DEs can move to DT) that Ohio State would take all of the above considering the scholarship numbers for the class, but everyone outside of Wormley are likely candidates to commit early, meaning that there might not be enough scholarships to go around.
It might turn into a first come, first serve situation for scholarships at DE.
Outside of the extremely strong DE class in Ohio, there are also several other early offers for in-state players.
The two most recent being Canton running back Brionte Dunn and Cleveland offensive lineman Kyle Kalis.
Kalis ended his recruitment almost as soon as it started and committed to Ohio State late Friday night. Dunn might not take much longer.
Brionte has absolutely blown up early this season and has a chance to win Mr. Football in Ohio. Many are comparing his size and running style to Beanie Wells.
The other Ohio players with an early interest is Trotwood safety George “Bam” Bradley.
Bradley has been hampered early in the year with a knee injury, but he should return to the field soon to showcase the skills that earned him an early offer.
Outside of the players that already have verbal offers, there are many more quality prospects that have a good chance to earn offers in the future.
At safety, Southview’s Allen Gant and Canton’s DeShawn Hall are both players that are receiving plenty of interest from Ohio State.
Glenville defensive back De’Van Bogard will also garner some recruiting attention before everything is said and done in the 2012 class.
At linebacker, Ohio State appears to be looking mostly out of state for now. The two primary LB’s garnering early attention are Pennsylvania’s Deaysean Rippy and Michigan’s James Ross.
Rippy has received a verbal offer and visited for the Miami game. He has Ohio State as one of his early favorites.
Ross camped at Ohio State this summer but it is unlikely that he will make an early decision, which could possibly open the door for some in-state LBs.
In Ohio the top prospects at linebacker are Dayton’s Kaleb Ringer and the already committed Josh Perry.
How things go at LB in 2011 will have an impact on 2012 and it will be interesting to see how many Ohio State ends up with in each class…
Offensive line should be another interesting position to watch.
With Kalis already on board, other top in-state guys to watch are Taylor Decker, Ryan Anderson, and Anthony Stanko.
Ohio State needs to look for tackle prospects in 2012 after loading up on interior players in 2011.
WR should be a relatively quiet position in 2012. Ohio State may only target one considering the number of scholarships available.
The top WR in-state right now is Akron’s Corey Smith, but the staff would like to see grades before they offer.
Overall, the 2012 class is talented and deep, and it should be another great recruiting class for the Buckeyes.
And like most years, if Ohio State can nab an out-of-stater or two, things will be looking even better.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
