2013 Recruiting Board Update

We’re back again with another 2013 recruiting board update thanks to Urban Meyer’s mile-a-minute recruiting style.

First things first, it seems like the staff is preparing for the worst; GA S Vonn Bell staying south.

It also seems like JUCO WR Corey Smith may not be as close to a sure thing as I assumed earlier in the week based on reports following his official visit.

That would open up two, or potentially even three spots in the class.

The third would be available if things fall through with an offensive lineman.

The offers to receivers are certainly going out right now like the staff is preparing to fill at least two additional spots in the class.

First priority for one of those spots is reserved for TX ATH Dontre Wilson.

Chip Kelly’s move to the Philadelphia Eagles bumped this recruitment from ‘wishful thinking’ to ‘very real possibility’ almost instantly.

The staff has been putting the full court press on and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Columbus next weekend starting on the 25th.

Fingers crossed here. Wilson would be a huge addition to the class and a perfect fit in Meyer’s offense.

Going back a bit, from the last round of offers that went out, FL WR James Clark is visiting Clemson this weekend. He will decide between visiting Florida or Ohio State next weekend.

If Clark doesn’t visit Ohio State he is out of the picture. I think he will likely be out of the picture.

On the other hand, GA WR Kyrin Priester has set up an official visit and is scheduled to be in Columbus (along with Wilson) starting on the 25th.

That brings us to the new players.

The latest offer that just went out was to TX WR Devin Lauderdale. He is scheduled to be in Columbus this weekend for an official visit.

Other very recent offers have gone out to twins CA ATH Tyree Robinson and CA ATH Tyrell Robinson. Similarly to Dontre Wilson, they are on the table thanks to Chip Kelly leaving Oregon.

These guys are wildcards to say the least.

Tyree could play safety or wide receiver. The staff might be looking at him as an alternative to Vonn Bell at safety.

Listed at 6’4″ and pushing 200, he also could be the physical boundary (not slot) WR that this class is currently missing.

Tyrell, on the other hand, is listed as an outside linebacker. That would make his role in the class less clear given the current expectations for how it will finish. You have to assume that he has a similar skill set as his twin, however, and could contribute to the team in a number of ways.

Whatever the staff is thinking here, both brothers are scheduled to be in Columbus for official visits starting on the 25th.

Clearly January 25th is turning into yet another big recruiting weekend at Ohio State and the staff clearly seems to be targeting at least two more offensive skill position players in the class.

The other major focus is along the offensive line.

CO OL Dan Skipper is scheduled for an official visit this weekend. We will see if anything new comes to light during his visit.

The other major player at OL is CA OL Cameron Hunt.

He briefly visited Columbus following his official visit to Michigan (who informed him that they are done with OL for the class) last weekend.

He is another recruit that Chip Kelly’s departure might impact as Oregon is a major player in his recruitment.

It will be interesting to see if he makes it back to Columbus for an official visit. If he does, that would obviously be a positive sign.

*deep breath*

Are you still with me?

The bottom line is that the staff is still targeting an offensive lineman and they probably haven’t given up on Vonn Bell yet.

That said, it looks like they are prepared to sign as many offensive skill players as possible (likely from 1-3) just in case.

So, here’s where we are at (as of this second, it will likely change in a few minutes) for the final three spots.

WR/RB – Dontre Wilson

The staff has been putting in a ton of work here and Kelly’s departure gives them the opening they need to close the deal. The fact that he scheduled an official visit to Columbus so quickly is a very good sign in my opinion and I am optimistic.

OL – Cameron Hunt/Dan Skipper

There have been various reports concerning which offensive linemen the staff would prefer to add in this class, but regardless of their preference it is very clear that they are serious about adding someone here. We will see what happens during Skipper’s official this weekend. If there is nothing new to report, getting Hunt back on campus for an official visit would be the next big thing to look for.

WR – Corey Smith/Devin Lauderdale/Kyrin Priester/Tyree Robinson/Cornelius Elder

It seems clear that the staff wants to add two players on offense and any of these players (possibly any two pending Wilson’s decision, possibly three if no OL) are factors.

The Robinson twins are the real wildcards as the staff could be looking at either on offense or defense. You have to assume that they would want to be a package deal as well. I don’t think it is a coincidence that they will be visiting on the same weekend as Wilson- if he chooses to be a Buckeye I don’t think there would be room in the class for the twins… but maybe there would be if we whiff along the OL.

*another deep breath*

We will see what happens…