After a few weeks of mostly negative recruiting news, I am happy to report that Ohio DB Devan Bogard has decided to become the 9th member of the 2012 recruiting class.
Bogard is a Glenville kid who has not taken the typical Glenville route to Ohio State.
First, he was much more open about strongly favoring Ohio State throughout the process than Glenville kids typically are (even though he did throw out the “no favorites, open to all schools” line a few times). Obviously, committing this early also bucks a trend with a lot of Glenville kids who wait until the very end of the recruiting process to officially make a decision.
I’m not sure what motivated Devan to deviate from the typical Glenville path and jump the gun with his commitment to the Buckeyes, but obviously it is a welcome one.
Bogard is one of the top players in Ohio in 2012 who comes from a school that has produced several outstanding defensive backs for the Buckeyes in the past (Donte Whitner, Jermale Hines).
Like Whitner and Hines, Bogard will likely play safety in Columbus.
He combines the speed and explosiveness that you expect from an elite defensive back prospect with a great nose for the football. He is not afraid of contact and is outstanding in run support.
Like all commitments that have been made during this tumultuous time, you really have to appreciate Bogard’s dedication to being a Buckeye. He says Ohio State is “family” and he isn’t affected by the NCAA hearing at all.
It seemed like the 2012 class was on hold or in reverse until the NCAA hearing is complete and Ohio State secures a long term head coach, but this commitment reverses that trend somewhat, which is nice to see.
In the grand scheme of the 2012 class, we will still likely have to wait until much closer to February to really know how things will turn out, but in the meantime, here’s to a bit of good news to start off the week.
Highlights after the jump.
Welcome to Buckeye Nation, Devan!
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