Yesterday we covered the big news that Taylor Decker was visiting Columbus this weekend– which bodes extremely well for adding a much needed offensive tackle to the 2012 class sooner rather than later.
The other news we covered yesterday was teammates Camren Williams (LB) and Armani Reeves (CB) both visiting Ohio State on January 18th with their families.
Those three players are currently trending very much Ohio State’s way, which would make for a very solid foundation to a great finish.
There is plenty more going on this weekend including more visits, but first…
In more negative news, safety Jeremy Cash will be leaving Ohio State ($) and 2012 DB Devan Bogard will be visiting USC ($).
The situation with Bogard will likely develop more in the coming days and weeks, but being from Glenville, the Aundrey Walker recruitment from last year is hard to ignore.
Either way, for good or bad attrition will be a major part of recruiting for the next few months. The silver lining, of course, is that each player that Ohio State loses will open a spot for someone else in this or a future class.
In other more negative news (or not, depending on how you look at it), PA S Demetrious Cox was apparently asked by Ohio State’s staff to delay his scheduled visit this weekend. While that is bad news for Demetrious, it could be an indication that Meyer and company are getting a positive vibe from other targets.
Players who will be visiting this weekend include OH OL Taylor Decker (as mentioned previously), AZ WR Davonte Neal, IN LB David Perkins, and CO OL Joey O’Connor (2013 prospects Robert Foster, Logan Tuley-Tillman, and E.J. Levenberry will also be making appearances).
There is a very real possibility that Taylor Decker will be a Buckeye within the next few days. Not much more needs to be said on that front.
I have speculated previously that if things go well with Devante Neal this weekend he could become the #1 target to fill the ATH spot in the class. With the staff seemingly cooling on VA ATH Joel Caleb, that might be the case even before the visit.
If Neal isn’t the dynamic offensive weapon Meyer is after for whatever reason, offers have also recently gone out to TN RB Brian Kimbrow and TX ATH De’Vante Harris, although those may just be cases of players too good not to try for- no matter how slim (very) the chances are.
Kimbrow is an absolute burner and one of the fastest players in the country while Harris is a top notch playermaker as well (although he could be looked at primarily as a CB).
It would be a lot simpler if Davonte Neal turned out to be “the man” after this weekend. A commitment would really drive that point home and be even better.
That seems unlikely at the moment, but getting kids on campus is the number one step in a successful recruitment, so we will see what happens.
Speaking of seeing what happens, David Perkins has been relatively difficult to get a read on so far. The speculation that he may want to play RB continues, but he is visiting Ohio State and they are recruiting him exclusively at LB- so there must still be some interest in playing LB on his end.
It will be interesting to see how the weekend plays out for Perkins and if the picture becomes a bit clearer in the coming days.
Finally there is Joey O’Connor, who hasn’t officially been offered by the Buckeyes, although that could change at any moment over the weekend.
Everyone knows that Ohio State is in search of tackles, and the revelation that O’Connor is being looked at as an interior linemen could seriously hurt his chances of being a part of the class.
On the other hand, his video is extremely impressive and if there is room for him (which the previously mentioned attrition makes more likely each day) he would be a much welcomed addition to the offensive line.
Once again, this weekend could tell the tale. In a few days we will know a lot more about his situation.
If the weekend comes and goes with no offer, the chances of O’Connor being in the class would take a major hit- although it wouldn’t completely eliminate the possibility.
That about sums up the latest news on visits (for a few days at least… I hope).
Take it all in, take a deep breath, and make sure to check back soon when the situation is almost sure to be completely different.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
