Jamal Marcus is a Buckeye!

The incredible infusion of talent into the Silver Bullet defense continues today with the verbal commitment of NC LB Jamal Marcus.

Within days of each other, linebackers David Perkins, Camren Williams and now Jamal Marcus have chosen to be Buckeyes. It can’t by emphasized enough how exciting that is for the future of the defense.

The pitch to the recent 2012 recruits is a chance for early playing time after a very down year in 2011. That message has hit home with Jamal Marcus and the other LBs, who are poised to make a major impact right out of the gate (similar to what Ryan Shazier did as a true freshman in 2011).

It wouldn’t be surprising to see all three get on the field next season- although a redshirt year for at least one of them is likely.

The competition will be intense to see who gets on the field, and that will lead to improved play from the group.

Many observers went into this weekend with a healthy amount of skepticism regarding Marcus’ recruitment. There were rumors of grade issues and it was assumed that he would stay close to home by choosing a school in the south.

However, Urban Meyer worked his magic once again, proving that if he can get a kid to visit Columbus, anything can happen.

Out of all the linebackers in the 2012 class, Jamal Marcus has some of the most impressive highlights.

He shows great explosion at the line of scrimmage, but he also plays under control, breaks down, and makes the tackle.

Of the classic trio of factors that you look for- read, run, react- Marcus’ react and run are off the charts.

How well he reads a defense might be ‘to be determined’- right now he breaks into the backfield on almost every single play without making a read first.

On the plus side, when he gets into the backfield his read and react (on options, for instance) is very good.

Marcus is currently rated as a three-star prospect. In my opinion, this is a great example of why recruiting services should not be relied upon to determine if a player will excel at the next level or not.

With good coaching in the right system, there is no doubt that Marcus has the skills to be a game changer at Ohio State.

Here are some highlights.

Welcome to the Ohio State family, Jamal!