February 1st is fast approaching and I think most people in Buckeye Nation can already feel that the last couple weeks of recruiting will be totally different under Meyer than Tressel. Not because we didn’t recruit well previously but because there will be more movement in January under Meyer. Tressel got most of the recruiting done by all-star game time.
Just in the past week there has been a lot of movement in the 2012 class. We will cover each player in the 2012 class in depth after signing day with film breakdowns and recaps of their seasons and all-star games, but for now it will be a daily grind just keeping up with everything going on with the last few spots in this class.
On top of everything else, the floodgates on an outstanding 2013 class are about to burst open as well, so we can all look forward to that. Stay tuned to tBBC for coverage of all that and more, but for now let’s focus on the 2012 class.
We will ignore the scholarship numbers for the most part and just focus on what we are seeing.
Offensive line and linebacker recruiting are both really heating up and there is plenty of chatter about an athlete or two for good measure.
Offensive Line
We have thought that Dodson would be in this class for awhile and nothing has changed that.
Diamond will be a signing day decision that will come down to the wire.
O’Connor visits this weekend if he is offered he will be part of the class.
With the hiring of Tim Hinton and Ed Warinner from Notre Dame there were rumors swirling that Decker may be looking around. Those drumbeats slowed down after the initial buzz.
Only get excited if we see a visit scheduled.
Linebacker
Just like OL we need some depth here. Names are coming in faster than we can cross off the list.
Williams will be visiting Columbus sometime this month with both parents and I expect a commitment to Ohio State shortly afterwards. He could be bringing his teammate with him- more on that later.
I am not real sure what to think here. He has been said to want to play RB but we need him as a LB.
He is scheduled for a visit to Columbus this weekend so we will know more after that.
This is a name that popped up at the UA game. He is a true Mike (middle) backer. He is committed to Tennessee but is taking visits.
He will be in Columbus on 1/27. Stay tuned.
Marcus is still my favorite LB recruit but things seem to be slipping for the Buckeyes here.
He has one visit left and it is between us and Florida. Look for him to stay South.
Plan b it seems. Tentative visit scheduled for 1/28.
Athletes
Meyer wants game changers and he is casting a net. The numbers will depend on who wants in.
I am still waiting to see the scheduled visit. Then I might get somewhat excited.
I think many are starting to get excited about Neal after losing out on Diggs and Jones. He looked good in the UA game.
He visits Columbus this weekend which should tell us where we stand.
This is Camren Williams’ teammate that I alluded to earlier. He is a top cornerback and was also a PSU commit. Reeves is visiting Michigan this weekend and maybe Ohio State next weekend (with Williams). If he does then watch out.
Still an OSU / Pitt battle. I see this one favoring the Buckeyes- although Bradley did hold off on his all-star game commit to visit Pitt’s new coaching staff.
Another big time athlete, Harris hails from Texas and recently de-committed from Oklahoma. He received an offer from the Buckeyes along with other premiere programs-the official visits will tell the tale.
No, not shoeless.
Jackson is a LB/S prospect that was committed to coach Withers at UNC. He is taking visits which makes him a soft UNC commit. Ohio State offered…we will see if it takes off.
Jackson may visit Columbus on Jan. 20th.
He is probably a plan b guy but he is a burner. Moore is currently committed to LSU for track but his senior football film is making the rounds.
He could visit Columbus on 1/27 which would obviously be noteworthy.
It is hard to say a kid this talented is on the back burner but it appears that way. I still see a big time safety here. He did hold off on his commit that was supposed to happen last weekend which indicates he might be waiting to see what happens number-wise at Ohio State.
This one will still likely come down to Ohio State/Virginia Tech.
Best Guess
I am not sure there is anyone else on the board right now but I expect ten more names to pop up between now and signing day. As I said at the top, welcome to a whole different world of recruiting under Meyer.
Right now my best guess is:
OL – Kyle Dodson
OL – Joey O’Conner
LB – Camren Williams
LB – Joseph Jackson
S/LB – Bam Bradley
ATH – Davonte Neal
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