A Look at Ohio State's 2008 Recruiting

[LordJeffBuck]

Ohio State Buckeyes

Excellent. Superb. Outstanding. What more needs to be said about Ohio State's recruiting effort for 2008? Although the Buckeyes have only nine commitments lined up so far, each of the current verbals is a special player, and the Ohio State staff has already addressed some major needs. Let's start with the offensive line, which is an area of weakness for the Buckeyes, who have only eleven scholarship O-linemen on the roster (and one of them is former walk-on Josh Kerr). With Ohio State losing at least one and possibly both of their offensive tackles after the 2007 season, the staff really needed to reload along the the line, especially at the critical tackle position. So what did Tressel and Bollman do to solve this problem? Only locked up three five-star OL commitments before the end of April: offensive tackle Mike Adams (Dublin (Ohio) Coffman; Scout, #2 OT, #11 overall); offensive tackle J.B. Shugarts (Klein, Texas; Scout #6 OT, #37 overall); and center Michael Brewster (Orlando Edgewater; Scout #1 OC, #21 overall). In addition, the Buckeyes are still very much in the hunt for yet another five-star lineman, offensive guard Josh Jenkins (Parkersburg, West Virginia; Scout #2 OG, #33 overall). Although Jenkins originally committed to the home-state Mountaineers, it is a fairly open secret that he is seriously looking around, most specifically in the direction of Columbus, where he plans to visit at least twice this summer (he already made it in for the Buckeyes' Spring Game in April). Jenkins would be the final piece of the renowned "Block O", which would certainly be the greatest O-line recruiting haul in Ohio State's history (and possibly in all of college football). If Josh sticks with his commitment to West Virginia, then the Buckeye staff will still have over six months during which to find another top OL prospect to fill out this recruiting class.

Besides shoring up the offensive line, the Buckeyes have also bolstered their receiving corps with an impressive group of recruits. Headlining the receivers is 6-foot-5, 225-pound "flex-TE" Jake Stoneburner (Dublin (Ohio) Coffman; Scout 4*, #4 TE, #72 overall); at his size and with his 4.46 speed, Stoney will pose some serious mismatches for opposing defenses. In addition, to Stoneburner, the Buckeyes have also locked up the best "pure" wide receiver in Ohio, DeVier Posey (Cincinnati LaSalle; Scout 4*, #9 WR, #52 overall), and seem virtually assured of receiving a pledge from yet another athletic Glenville Tarblooder, Cordale Scott (Cleveland Glenville; Scout 4*, #27 WR), who is generally regarded as the second-best WR prospect in the state. Even with some major talent already in the bag, Ohio State is still pursuing several other wide receiver targets, including speed merchant Lamaar Thomas (Fort Washington (Maryland) Friendly; Scout 4*, #23 RB), who has posted a 10.55 time in the 100-meter dash; lanky Texan Jeffrey Fuller (McKinney (Texas) Boyd; Scout 4*, #36 WR), who is the son of former San Francisco 49'er great Jeff Fuller; and super blue chipper Michael Floyd (St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall; Scout 5*, #4 WR, #30 overall), who some consider the most polished receiver prospect in the country. With top tight Ohio end prospects Kyle Rudolph (Cincinnati Elder; Scout 5*, #1 TE) and Kevin Koger (Toledo Whitmer; Scout 4*, #7 TE), heading to arch rivals Notre Dame and Michigan respectively, the Buckeyes will have to look farther afield for a TE prospect; Californian Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran; Rivals 4*, #3 TE) has an offer, but it will be difficult for the Buckeye staff to convince him to leave the west coast.

The remainder of the Buckeye class shows excellent balance so far. Running back Devoe Torrence (Massillon (Ohio) Washington; Scout 4*, #4 RB, #50 overall) has a rare combination of power and speed, and should be the heir apparent to current starter Beanie Wells. Linebacker Andrew Sweat (Washington (Pennsylvania) Trinity; Scout 4*, #5 MLB, #55 overall) has the size to man the middle and the speed to play on the outside. At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, defensive lineman Nathan Williams (Washington Court House (Ohio) Miami Trace; Scout 4*, #28 DE) boasts enough speed to play outside (4.67 forty), but has the frame to grow into an interior lineman. Finally, the Buckeyes have locked up one of the top kickers in the nation, Ben Buchanan (Westerville (Ohio) Central; Scout 3*, #4 PK), who could punt or place kick (or both) at Ohio State. Although kickers don't give a team a lot of recruiting "star power", they do win football games, and Buchanan will likely have many chances to do just that for the Buckeyes.

If Ohio State has had a recruiting weakness recently, it has been along the defensive line. Over the past three recruiting classes, the Buckeyes have signed only nine defensive linemen, and two of those signees have already left the program. Last season, Ohio State signed just one DE (Solomon Thomas) and one DT (Cameron Heyward), but lost out late for several highly-touted D-linemen, including Ben Martin (Tennessee), Devon Still (Penn State), Joseph Barksdale (LSU), Martez Wilson (Illinois), and Josh Brent (Illinois). This year, however, the Buckeye staff has made the defensive line a top priority, and OSU has already netted a verbal from Nathan Williams (see above) and is in good position with at least a half-dozen other top DL recruits. At the top of the Buckeyes' wish list is defensive tackle Garrett Goebel (Lombard (Illinois) Montini; Scout 4*, #3 DT, #63 overall). Garrett, who is also a state champion wrestler, had for a long time favored Ohio State over Michigan. However, he made an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor last Friday, and now claims that the two schools are tied at the top of his list; expect a decision in the very near future. Even if Goebel ultimately commits to Ohio State, the Buckeye staff would like to get at least one more DT recruit for the class of 2008, and the leading candidates are Willie Mobley (Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Scout 4*, #14 DT) and Justin Thompson (El Camino CC; Scout 5* JUCO).

Ohio State also needs help at defensive end, and the prime target at that position is blue chip prospect Shayne Hale (Pittsburgh Gateway; Scout 5*, #1 DE, #8 overall). At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds with 4.5 speed, Hale is best described as a "freak" athlete. Depending on whom you listen to, Shayne is either an Ohio State lean at this point, or he has eliminated the Buckeyes in favor of his other three finalists - Michigan, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Buckeyes have also made offers to southern stars Quinton Coples (Kinston, North Carolina; Scout 4*, #16 DE) and Keith Wells (Gainesville, Georgia; Scout 4*, #21 DE). While Wells will likely stay south (Florida State and Florida currently lead, with Ohio State a close third), Coples seems to have some serious interest in the Buckeyes, but academic concerns (2.3 core GPA, no test score) might keep him away from Columbus.

Other targets of interest for the Buckeyes include superstar quarterback Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette, Pennsylvania), who is generally regarded as one of the top overall players in the country (Rivals #1 overall, Scout #2 overall) as well as being a five-star hoops prospect; blue chip linebacker Steven Filer (Chicago Mount Carmel; Scout 5*, #4 MLB, #28 overall), who currently has Notre Dame and Ohio State at the top of his list; and speedy (4.35 forty) cornerback D.J. Woods (Strongsville, Ohio; Scout 3*, #54 WR), a strong Buckeye lean who recently received an offer from Ohio State.

With nine verbals in place, Ohio State is about half-way to filling its 2008 recruiting class, which should number between 18 and 20 signees. Already, Ohio State has earned a top ten recruiting class, but the Buckeyes could possibly move into the #1 spot if they can land most of their "wish list" prospects such as Pryor, Hale, Goebel, Scott, Jenkins, Woods, Fuller, and Thomas, and fill in a few remaining gaps on the defensive line with solid prospects. The only potential weaknesses for this class are at defensive line, where Ohio State needs three additional commitments. Besides Nathan Williams, who has already issued his verbal, there are few if any in-state targets worth pursusing, so the Buckeye staff will have to hit a high percentage of their out-of-state targets, which is always a risky proposition. Adding a tight end to the mix is more of a luxury than a necessity, and it is unlikely that the Buckeye staff will put much more effort into that position now that Rudolph and Koger have committed elsewhere.

Overall, the Buckeyes' class of 2008 is going to be a great one, but if a few breaks go OSU's way, then it will be one for the ages.

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