It seems that new offers from Ohio State  have slowed down just a bit, but with Junior day wrapping up and the spring game approaching, there is still plenty to talk about when it comes to 2012 recruiting.

As mentioned, last weekend was Junior day at Ohio State, which is traditionally a big deal in recruiting.  There were at least 10 recruits spotted at the basketball game on Sunday.  This weekend could be just as important.  Bam Bradley, Kyle Kalis, Sam Grant and several other prospects will be in town to take in the biggest basketball game of the season against Wisconsin.

As always, make sure to check out our 2012 Recruiting Big Board for all of Ohio State’s commitments, targets, links to detailed player pages, and a continuously updated list of verbally offered players.

Read on for a recap of the latest offers and general recruiting buzz.

New Offers

Tom Strobel (DL)

Highlights

6’6″ 240 lbs.

Mentor (OH) HS

Yet another elite defensive lineman from Ohio, Strobel has a great frame and outstanding athleticism for a big man.

At this point, the staff won’t be able to take all of the prospects they have offered on the d-line. It wouldn’t be surprising if they are letting players know that if they wait too long they may lose their place in the class. I’d expect to see some action from at least a few of the d-lineman between now and the spring game.

Terry Richardson (DB)

Highlights

5’9″ 160 lbs.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech

A little undersized, but obviously the coaching staff has seen enough to warrant an offer despite that concern. Taking Richardson and James Ross from that state up north would be fantastic.

Richardson has said he would like to take all of his visits and announce at the Under Armour Game, so this one will go on for a while.

Jaquay Williams (WR)

Highlights

6’4″ 191 lbs.

Franklin (GA) Heard County HS

A big, athletic receiver who is outstanding at going up and catching passes at their highest point. Jaquay would be a great addition to this class, but like most out-of-staters, we will have to wait and see if the interest is mutual. He did grow up an Ohio State fan and lists the Buckeyes in his top 4, so that is a good start.

Buzz

QB
There is still not much interest in QBs this year thanks to Cardale Jones grey shirting.

RB
Ball and Dunn make for a great haul already.  They could be the best pair of RB’s Ohio State has ever landed in the same class.  Russell Shell is a name that will continue to get thrown around. You find room if he wants in, but I don’t look for Ohio State to push the issue.

TE
Do we need one?  I’m not sure but the staff has thrown out several early offers. CA TE Taylor McNamara and FL TE Laith Harlow seem to be the primary early targets. Sam Grant is an in-state player getting attention and will be in attendance at the basketball game this Sunday.

WR
Ohio WR Dwayne Stanford is a top 100 player with an offer.  There are also early offers out to big time out-of-state guys which leads me to believe Ohio State would like to take Stanford and one OOS guy in the class.

OL
With Kalis and Boren already in the fold, I look for Ohio State to take at least 2 more OT’s.

An Ohio lineman that I really like is Benny McGowan. He is another Centerville player (along with Ifeadi Odenigbo) that was at the basketball game last Sunday.  He is one of my favorite players in this class with great size and strength for an interior lineman.  Hopefully he comes to camp this summer and wows the coaches enough to earn an offer.

Even though we aren’t hurting on the interior line thanks to the 2011 class, and we have Boren already in 2012, McGowan is impressive. We could take 3 Ts and 2 Gs (Boren and McGowan) which would be a nice haul to stack on top of last year’s offensive line class.

I look for OH OT Kyle Dodson to see an offer before too long as well.  I also expect the Buckeyes to make a strong push for one of the OOS guys we have offered.

DL
We now have offers out to Tom Strobel, Greg McMullen, Latroy Lewis, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Sevon Pittman, Aldophius Washington, Tommy Schutt, and Chris Wormley, all but one being Ohio guys.

With the recent offers to Strobel and Odenigbo, I would say the coaches are trying to force the hands of a couple of the defensive lineman.  I think you hold a spot for McMullen and Washington.  The other 6 fight it out for the final 3 spots.  There is too much talent to only take 4 in 2012.

LB
With Perry already in the class, the Buckeyes will probably be looking to take only 1 more given the scholarship numbers.  The top three candidates right now seem to be OH LB Kalen Ringer, PA LB Deaysean Rippy and MI LB James Ross.  They are all great players and will be 4 stars ranked in the top 250 nationally.  Ross was in town last Sunday, and Rippy will most likely wait until the very end of the recruiting season before he makes his decision.

Look for the recruitment of Kaleb Ringer to pick up soon.  It seemed as though Luke Fickell was paying quite a bit of attention to him along with Ifeadi and Strobel at the basketball game.  Two of them already have offers, and Ringer could have one soon.

I’m not sure what to make of the comments about how Ohio State has been disrespectful, but it is recruiting, and if he goes elsewhere we will move on.  Ohio State will never get on their knees to recruit a player.

DB
I still don’t have a clue here.  We have offers out to multiple players OOS, and plenty of guys in-state that are top players who would love offers from OSU.  I’m not even sure on the number here, so this position may still take a little while to get sorted out.

The only player that I feel comfortable about right now is Glenville DB Devan Bogard, who was in town last weekend.  Jordan Diggs is another guy getting a lot of love from the staff.

Ohio State also just offered MI DB Terry Richardson as mentioned above, but I don’t see him leavig the state.

Recruiting Guesses
The number that keeps getting thrown around is 20.  But right now it is hard to sort out where they are going to fit all of those players at.  Do they really take 5 OL and 5 DL?  Do they take 2 WRs?  2 LBs?  Only 1 DB?  There are lots of questions that still need to be hashed out.
All the in-state talent has allowed the coaches to throw some early offers to OOS players to gauge interest.  Between now and the Spring Game this class could be close to being filled.

Here is my best guess for the class right now:
1.  QB – Cardale Jones
2.  RB – Brionte Dunn
3.  RB – Warren Ball
4.  TE – Sam Grant
5.  WR – Dwayne Stanford
6.  WR – OOS stud
7.  OL – Kyle Kalis
8.  OL – Jacoby Boren
9.  OL – Kyle Dodson
10. OL – OOS State stud Tackle
11. OL – Benny McGowan
12. DL – Tom Strobel
13. DL – Aldophius Washington
14. DL – Ifeadi Odenigbo
16. DL – Sevon Pittman
17. DL – Greg McMullen
18. LB – Josh Perry
19. LB – Kaleb Ringer
20. DB – Devan Bogard

Jim’s best guess:
1.  QB – Cardale Jones
2.  RB – Brionte Dunn
3.  RB – Warren Ball
4.  WR – Dwayne Stanford
5.  OL – Kyle Kalis
6.  OL – Jacoby Boren
7.  OL – Kyle Dodson
8.  OL – Jonah Pirsig
9.  DL – Tom Strobel
10. DL – LaTroy Lewis
11. DL – Greg McMullen
12. DL – Tommy Schutt
13. DL – Sevon Pittman
14. DL/LB – Adolphus Washington
16. DL/LB – Ifeadi Odenigbo
17. LB /TE- Josh Perry
18. LB – Deaysean Rippy
19. LB – James Ross
20. DB – Devan Bogard

Jim’s note: I know that is a lot of defensive lineman, and there will likely be a cut-off at some point, but until we find out where that cut-off is, I am going to put them all in the class.

The good news is that where ever the in-state d-lineman get cut off at, that opens up several spots for some outstanding out-of-state players at other positions.