Recruiting Update: NLOID

Recruiting Update: NLOID
Time to give 'em the ol' razzle dazzle!

Aundrey Walker

Joe: Michigan State?  Nope… USC?  Nope… FSU?  Nope…  in articles he may lead us to believe he is looking around, but he is all Buckeye!

Jim: 100% Buckeye. He will announce on national letter of intent day on Fox Sports.

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We have more thoughts on the rest of the recruits after the jump.

Curtis Grant

Joe: I know everyone always feels the love for guys at the end of the class more so than for recruits that commit early. This class has some really solid depth at all positions, but outside of Braxton Miller lacks headliners.

Recruiting Update: NLOID
Curtis Grant would be a great close for Tressel. We'll see about that nasty little reputation he has.

Grant is a headliner that could be a leader on our defense for a couple years.  This makes me really excited. Right now it is between the Bucks and Florida. Thanks to Urban Meyer no longer being at Florida, going into the last week, the good guys hold the lead.

Grant has one more visit to go, and his decision will come down to the very end.

Jim: Everything looks good for the Buckeyes here. After visiting Virginia this past weekend the Cavaliers may have moved into his top two… along with Ohio State. Being a constant throughout a recruitment never hurts.

Florida and North Carolina are also in the mix. Swiping Florida’s recruitment coordinator doesn’t hurt.

He will announce at 1:30 on signing day at his HS.

Ja’Juan Story

Joe: I said it last week, but no one takes a visit to Columbus, Ohio from Florida in mid January unless they are truly excited.  I see Story looking for a reason to get out of his Florida committment and Columbus would be a great landing spot for him!  He also said that he likes Snow!

Jim: I have never thought Ohio State had a good shot at Story, but after his official visit to Columbus he seems truly torn between the Buckeyes and the Gators.

Landing Stan Drayton as the new WR coach can’t hurt Ohio State’s chances in this recruitment.

Darius Jennings

Joe: Wake.  They are saying QB, and the news for OSU really slowed after his visit and the interest in Story.

Jim: He is down to Ohio State, Wake Forrest, and Virginia. The prospect of playing QB will be too much to overcome. I think he ends up in the ACC.

Ejuan Price

Joe: Pitt or Ohio State?  Location is always a factor in recruiting, so always fear the home school. I just don’t see the draw to Pitt being stronger than to Ohio State. Location is not a huge concern; coming to Columbus from Pitt is a very short drive.

If this was Iowa vs Pitt there would be more concern.

Jim: He could be taking an official visit to hometown Pitt this weekend. Tressel encourages these type of visits to ensure that the player is making the right decision.

Color me unconcerned.

Andre Sturdivant

Joe: No visit , no offer, not going to be a Buckeye!

Jim: His official visit to Ohio State is off, effectively eliminating his chances of becoming a Buckeye.

Cardale Jones

Joe: How this one plays out over the next couple months is a wait and see situation.  He could be a gray shirt for Ohio State and if so that would be a huge pick-up.  It would give him 2 years of seperation from Braxton and allow him an extra year to mature and fill out.

Jim: Rumors are that a gray shirt might be in Jones’ future regardless of where he goes to school. I’m not sure what this means for his chances at Ohio State, other than the likelihood of him being part of the 2011 class are almost non-existent at this point.

Keith Wells

Joe: Could he start opposite of Nate Williams next year at DE?  I think we see him back officially sometime in the near future.

Jim: Wells is on track to be back with the team by fall… I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the two deep at DE by the start of the season.

Duron Carter

Joe: This comes down to a little bit of complication.  If he is able to finish his associates degree it would give him forgiveness for his grades from his first stint at tOSU. That makes the grades dynamic a little bit different.

That is one item in play, the other being how soon he would like to make a decision.  He has been to Miami and Oregon.  If he wants to make a decision soon, it will probably not be Ohio State.  If he waits, you have to feel good about this situation.  I still think his heart is with Ohio State.

Jim: Long since written off by most fans, apparently there is still a chance, albeit small, that Carter could find his way back to Columbus. Fingers crossed on that one.

Predictions

Joe: At this point I am going to go with Walker, Grant, and Story on signing day.  The resignation of Urban Meyer could really help us land 3 top 100 UA/Army All-Americans in Shazier, Grant, and Story.

Jones, Wells, and Carter probably depend on if the coaches can find room. Either way we won’t know by signing day.  I would love to have all 6.

Let’s see how good I am at throwing darts with a blindfold on!

Jim: Aundrey Walker is a Buckeye. After that, things get a little more interesting.

In the end, I think the addition of Drayton to the coaching staff will seal the deal for Curtis Grant and Ja’Juan Story. I will stick with my optimistic style and go with Walker, Grant and Story to close out this class.

An important note about numbers is that early enrollments don’t count towards the total for 2011, which means that Braxton Miller, Jeremy Cash, Ryan Shazier, and Jeff Heuerman can be rolled back to the 2010 class.

That obviously isn’t a long term solution, but it will allow Ohio State to fit in a few more commitments in 2011 and sort out the scholarships later.

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