Who would have guessed that the most recent action in the 2012 class would come at tight end.
After signing two TE prospects in the 2011 class and with limited space in 2012, it would have been a surprise to see one tight end taken in 2012.
After several recent offers, however, there are now four tight ends with verbal offers (check the big board), with one being very likely to become a Buckeye within the next week or two (more on that later).
The Buckeyes also offered another DB from the south (although the chances of signing him, like always, are slim), which seems to further emphasize that the Buckeyes are looking primarily out-of-state despite having several prospects in state (I have a post in the hopper on that, so look for it in the near future).
Finally, there were several surprising commits to other schools from players on Ohio State’s radar.
First, CA QB Shane Dillon committed to Colorado, which significantly reduces the probability of Ohio State signing a QB in 2012.
Secondly, FL LB Noor Davis committed to Stanford without evening making it to their campus ahead of time. This recruiting game is a funny thing sometimes.
Read on for a more detailed look at Ohio State’s newest offers and the complete list of players dropped from the big board.
Oh, one additional note, the very first verbal offers from the 2013 class have been handed out, and our 2013 big board has been launched accordingly. It is still much too early to have much of an idea what the class will look like, but it doesn’t hurt to get an early start.
New Offers
Highlights: Video #1
Offers: Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, Arkansas, Boston College, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, NC State, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, UCF
6’5″ 215 lbs.
Land O’Lakes (FL) HS
Kent Taylor is one of the top TE prospects in the country with an offer sheet to prove it. It is somewhat surprising that Ohio State waited this long to offer him, particularly given the limited space and need for a TE in 2012. He has family connections to Ohio State, so we will see what happens.
Highlights: Video #1
Offers: Ohio State, Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Clemson, Illinois, Louisville, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, NC State, Purdue, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt
6’2″ 172 lbs.
College Park (GA) Banneker HS
Chaz Elder is another southern defensive back that the Buckeyes have little to no chance of signing unless information comes out that he is even thinking about visiting Columbus. Until then, it is best to put him with most of the southern DBs as probably not happening.
Highlights: Video #1
Offers: Ohio State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Virginia, Louisville, Toledo, Ohio, Bowling Green, Akron, Indiana
6’4″ 240 lbs.
Westlake (OH) St. Ignatius HS
Blake Thomas is an interesting offer for the Buckeyes. He was considering committing to Boston College within the next week or two, but will now decide between Ohio State and BC. It seems highly likely that he will choose the Buckeyes, giving Ohio State a TE in the 2012 class.
Thomas could be used as a flex player (similarly to Stan White Jr. if anyone remembers him) in a FB/TE hybrid roll. Despite this versatility, his offer sheet is not nearly as impressive as some of the other targets in the class, making the offer somewhat perplexing.
If he does end up in the 2012 class, it will be a case of trusting the coaches and hoping for the best. He does come from perennial Ohio HS powerhouse St. Ignatius, so it is always nice to keep those pipelines open.
Dropped
CA QB Shane Dillon committed to Colorado.
OH WR Corey Smith committed to Tennessee (no Ohio State offer).
FL LB Noor Davis committed to Stanford.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
