2013 Recruiting Board Update

The search continues for a receiver in the 2013 Recruiting Class as indicated by the  new offers that have been reported over the last few days.

This might be a sign that the visits over the weekend didn’t go so well.

Bill Greene did report yesterday on local Columbus radio that things are looking good for JUCO WR Corey Smith, so there was some positive news from the receivers over the weekend.

Greene is one of the best in the business so I’m going to assume that Smith will be a part of the class at this point based on his positive report.

So what about the remaining two spots and the apparent search for another receiver?

It seems clear that  the staff is re-gearing for their final push before signing day.

Here is my guess on the strategy over the final weeks:

The staff is going to continue pushing hard for another offensive tackle (right now that looks like CA OL Cameron Hunt or CO OL Dan Skipper) and the absolute best they can get for the assumed final spot- whether that be GA S Vonn Bell or another offensive skill player.

I am not sure how the staff feels about their chances with Bell, but in my opinion, the new offers are insurance against him staying south.

Also worth noting is that current Buckeye commit MD WR Taivon Jacobs is considering taking an official visit to Maryland.

With those factors in mind, here are some of the new players on the radar.

First, I have finally put TX ATH Dontre Wilson on the board after weeks of speculation from Ohio State fans that he is a target.

I am still highly skeptical about the possibility of him being a Buckeye, but the staff doesn’t appear to be giving up and this could be why other potential commitments (Gibson?) are seemingly being held up.

At the same time, a new offer has gone out to FL WR James Clark.

Although Clark is only rated a 3-star prospect by rivals, his highlights are some of the most impressive I’ve seen this year and his offers indicate that he is an elite player.

We will see if he makes it on campus before signing day, but you can’t say that the staff isn’t swinging for the fences here between Wilson and Clark.

An offer has also reportedly gone out to GA WR Kyrin Priester but there is not much news to report on him at the moment.

As with Clark and basically anyone else this late in the game, we will see if he decides to visit campus in the coming weeks.

Of course, OH WR Shelton Gibson and TN ATH Cornelius Elder are still on the board as well. They were both in for their official visits over the weekend but did not commit.

While not much positive news to report and new offers immediately afterwards isn’t really the best sign following an official visit, the staff may have made their ‘swinging for the fences” strategy clear to both while they were on campus.

The possibility still exists that there could be a spot for either once the dust settles on signing day, and it might not be a coincidence that Gibson is waiting until then to announce his decision.

It is always hard to tell exactly what is going on in the recruiting world, and Urban Meyer certainly doesn’t simplify things with his hyper-active recruiting strategy.

One thing for certain is that things will continue to be interesting for Ohio State fans as signing day approaches.

Here’s my best guess as of right now:

WR – Corey Smith

OL – Cameron Hunt/Dan Skipper

Surprise – Vonn Bell/James Clark/Dontre Wilson/Shelton Gibson/Cornelius Elder