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Keep an eye on DeVeon Smith.
Michael Chung (10:02 am)

National Signing Day has come and gone leaving Ohio State with a top 5 recruiting class.  Soon, all the talk of the 2012 recruits will end and a new conversation will begin.  25 players signed their LOI and there maybe room for one more, but Urban Meyer is already hot on the trail for 2013.  The next class could be even better. 

The Buckeyes already have early commitments from two of the top prospects in Ohio: Cameron Burrows and Jalin Marshall.  This could be the start of a loaded class.  When ESPN asked Meyer how 2013 recruiting was going, Meyer responded, “Oh, we're killing it. We're all over it.” 

It is likely that the class will be around 20 give or take a few. With Marshall and Burrows already in the 2013 fold, who will follow their lead and fill out the 2013 class?  I will try to have an early prediction here. Schools in Ohio will only list the name, out-of-state prospects will list the name of their school, city and state.

1. LB Ben Gedeon, Hudson, 6-2, 220 - One of three prospects to receive an offer on Junior day and could be the third commit of the 2013 class.  Though OSU recruited five linebackers in 2012, Meyer will want more depth.

2. LB Courtney Love, Youngstown Mooney, 6-1, 222 - Love already has an offer with Gedeon and will likely be part of the 2013 class unless he feels there is too much depth at LB.

3. RB DeVeon Smith, Warren Howland, 6-0, 215 - Jordan Hall will be gone and an extra back would be nice.  Has an offer from OSU and will likely be part of the 2013 class.

4. ATH Caleb Day, Hilliard Darby, 6-1, 185 - Though he could play offense, Day will likely be asked to play DB, either corner or safety.  Has an OSU offer but is also considering Notre Dame and Florida as well as Cincinnati.

5. WR Shelton Gibson, Cleveland Heights, 5-11, 175 - Seems to be favoring Auburn but has an OSU offer.  If current receivers Spencer, Smith and Fields develop and OSU lands Stefon Diggs or Davonte Neal, look for Gibson to go elsewhere unless Urban really needs him or can convince him to play DB.
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Drew Thurman (2:55 pm)

War is not a civilized endeavor.

Dust off your history books and look back at the American Revolution. I can promise if you do you'll find a section entitled "Guerrilla Warfare." One of the great stories of the war was that the American militia men used hit-and-run tactics (aka Guerrilla Warfare) against the British forces, hiding behind trees, fences and rocks in dark clothing to gain an advantage. The British on the other hand were "gentleman" and viewed war as such. They wore red coats and marched in straight lines, and followed a civilized style of warfare. In fact, they viewed the guerrilla warfare tactics as ruthless.

One of the largest thorns in the British's side was Francis Marion, who would gain the name the "Swamp Fox." He mastered the art of the surprise hit-and-run tactic, and the British hated and feared him. In fact, they still do. When The Patriot came out in 2000 honoring his character (and exaggerating it too), the London Evening Standard made their disdain for the film well known. They described Marion as "a thoroughly unpleasant dude, who was, basically a terrorist." I'm sorry, but I'm chuckling as I type that quote out.

Flash ahead to 2012. In the battle on recruiting in the B1G, it appears the other powers in the conference also want a gentleman's war. Whether overtly stated or not, several coaches made it abundantly clear that they expect other coaches to not talk to or steal their recruits, to fight nice, and to be ethical. The latter is rather ambiguous, but more on that in a minute. Apparently Meyer, like the Swamp Fox, isn't playing by those rules and is winning the war, so much like the British they have resolved to complaining. 

Michigan State assistant Pat Narduzzi was the first to speak up, or should I say cry. Early in the week, he complained about Urban Meyer not being nice to Dantiono like Jim Tressel because Meyer flipped Se'Von Pittman.

"The only thing I said is guys like Jim Tressel and Mark Dantonio never would've done that to each other," Narduzzi said. "When I have best friends out there that someday if I were the head coach, I won't take their guys. That's just part of how it goes."
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Washington picked the right "O"
Dave and Drew Thurman (4:04 pm)

The holiday known as National Signing Day was an absolute whirlwind for Buckeye Nation, and most of us are still recovering from yesterday. With signings, commitments and drama, most of us are still wrapping our minds around this very solid 2012 class. To give some perspective, we have joined with a group of Buckeye Blogs to take a closer look at how this class will play out in the future and the impact they could have. You can check out opinions on the same questions from The Buckeye Battle Cry, The Buckeye Blog, Buckeye House Call, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, and Our Honor Defend.

Anyway, here are our thoughts:

Who are you most excited to see in scarlet and gray?

Dave: Adolphus Washington.  Even though Noah Spence was more highly rated I think Washington is going to be special.  More than that he was the top-ranked Ohio prospect according to many experts and hails from Cincinnati, which has been an area where Ohio State has found little success in recent years.  I was overjoyed to get this pass rush specialist.  Even with the return of Nathan Williams, I look for a couple of the freshmen ends to play, and help beef up the anemic Buckeye pass rush.

Drew: The easy answer here is one of the defensive lineman or running backs, who have tons of hype coming in. I'm going have to go with Jamal Marcus though. Urban Meyer praised the kid more than about any other prospect yesterday, and considering his track record with evaluating talent, I'm sold. His film is incredibly impressive, and his athleticism is through the roof. With the depth at linebacker currently, especially at outside linebacker, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can provide. I am little biased because of my ongoing enjoyment of solid linebacker play, and with this year's horrendous unit (sans Ryan Shazier), I'm ready to see Linebacker U re-emerge.
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Where will Kyle Dodson end up? (Photo PD)
Drew Thurman (5:54 pm)

We are less than 24 hours away from National Signing Day, and there is still some drama to play out for the Buckeyes. While the 2012 class is very loaded, the staff is still looking at a handful of prospects to fill needs. Ideally, they would close things out by grabbing one more offensive tackle and wide receiver/playmaker. Any other commitments on top of those two positions would just be icing on the cake.

Currently the '12 class has 23 total commitments, as Roger Lewis will not sign with Ohio State tomorrow due to academic issues. The Buckeyes sit right on the 82 scholarship line, and further attrition will have to happen with several more players expected to jump on board when the dust settles.

So who will those players be? Well let's take a look at who's left and where I expect them to announce. My last set of predictions were spot on, and I guess we'll see if I keep batting a high percentage in the prediction game.

OL Kyle Dodson -  The Cleveland Heights offensive tackle is scheduled to announce his decision tomorrow. He was originally committed to Wisconsin, but began wavering in that commitment back in November and has been looking around. Things are down to Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and USC.

There has been lots of rumblings that the Trojans might come out of nowhere and steal Dodson at the last second, much like they did with Aundrey Walker from Glenville High School last year. Still, it's hard to bet against the Buckeyes. Dodson was on campus this last weekend for an official visit, which has to be a good sign several days before his announcement. I also envision him wanting to stay closer to home in the end. Prediction: Ohio State
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Ken Kohl (3:59 pm)

I woke up in an opinionated mood this morning, and now this it what you have to deal with.

This is my first and last article on Joe Paterno and the Penn State milieu. Regardless of your thoughts and opinions on his involvement in the Sandusky scandal, in the end JoePa was made up of good and bad decisions, just like everyone else. Once we acknowledge JoePa's humanness, the rest is just detail. The interesting reading this morning were the accounts of his funeral. Particularly Phil Knight's involvement, Jay Paterno's odd comment, and the presence of Billy Baldwin.

Look, Phil Knight's Money Machine has thrown a lot of cash to a lot of universities. I get it. But, do his stipends to PSU garner him a position as a speaker of honor at the funeral service? That was an underhanded bit of marketing there, Phil, but considering the raging masses, very effective; well done. 
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A young A.J. Hawk at Centerville HS.
Michael Chung (8:09 am)

We are all enamored with the “star” quality of recruits, especially the four and five star ones.  The science of recruiting has improved and ratings are more and more accurate as each year passes, but Ohio State has taken a number of three star athletes who later became ‘stars.’  We will look at some previous Buckeye players who were not as highly rated out of high school but ended up starring at Ohio State and went on to play in the NFL.  This proves that four and five star athletes, though great for overall recruiting rankings, do not always translate into football greatness.  Then we will try to predict which three star athletes from this class couldl become stars.  

Looking at the current Rivals recruiting rankings, schools that averaged 3 stars per player were ranked between 25-35 in the team recruiting class rankings. Clearly, the 10 players below who have played or are playing in the NFL have superseded expectations.

10. Chimidi Chekwa
This 3-star cornerback came to Ohio State via Florida.  He had an interception during his freshman year at USC that was the beginning of a solid four-year OSU career.  He suffered a wrist injury during the Sugar Bowl but he saw time in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.  

9. Jay Richardson
Jay Richardson was part of the 2002 recruiting class that had other star-studded 3-star players.  Richardson often went under the radar due to names like A.J. Hawk, Troy Smith and others that were stars on the team.  But anyone who watches OSU football knows that Richardson was a solid D-lineman and was drafted into the NFL.   He saw action with Oakland and Seattle but is currently not on an NFL roster.
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Michael Chung (4:38 pm)

Reports are surfacing that the Indianapolis Colts are interested in hiring Jim Tressel as head coach. Owner Jim Irsay has already invested two interviews.

Sources have cited that Tony Dungy believes Jim Tressel will get the head-coaching job while other sources are stating that Tressel will definitely not be the next head coach.  It is clear that the Buckeye’s former headman has his supporters and detractors.

Already, the same criticisms thrown at Tressel when he became Ohio State’s head coach are again resurfacing: the jump is too great and Tressel would be overmatched.  This was the same thinking when Tressel left Youngstown State to replace John Cooper.  What happened next?  Tressel’s ten year run is unarguably one of the best ten year periods in Ohio State football.

Bob Hunter also believes Tressel can succeed.  He writes in the Dispatch: “Although Tressel has no NFL experience, he is sharp and has had a lot of on-the-field success, in part because he is highly organized and good at managing details, coaching coaches and seeing the big picture, which is what head coaches do.”

He goes on to write regarding Tressel’s lack of NFL experience, “That doesn’t automatically mean that he would be successful in the NFL, but it does make you wonder why people would think that a guy who effectively ran the multimillion-dollar corporation we know as Ohio State football couldn’t run an NFL team in Indianapolis.”

But not only should Tressel get a head coaching job, I will argue that the Colts and the NFL need him.  Here is why:
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Armani Reeves is down to OSU and Michigan.
Drew Thurman (9:35 am)

No more January blues indeed! Earlier this month I talked about how Meyer had proven himself as a closer and an elite recruiter late in the process, and he has definitely not disappointed. Last week alone the Buckeyes reeled in five commitments in OL Taylor Decker, OL Joey O'Connor, LB David Perkins, DB Cameron Burrows ('13), and LB Camren Williams.

With those commitments the Buckeyes have now soared to the top of the national recruiting rankings. Rivals, Scout, and 247Sports all have this class ranked at No. 3 overall. ESPN recruiting, who places a much higher value on southern recruits, lists the Buckeyes at No. 8. ESPN is the only service to rank Michigan's class ahead of Ohio State.

What about the rest of the Big Ten? Well, it isn't very pretty. Outside of the Buckeyes and Wolverines, there isn't another Top 25 class. Scout, for instance, ranks Penn State as the next highest rated class at No. 37. Wisconsin ranks No. 41, Michigan State at No. 43, Iowa No. 46, and Nebraska No. 59. The other services aren't far off from those rankings. Those are supposed to be the perennial powers in the conference, and they aren't getting it done on the recruiting trail. It's especially amazing the the Badgers and Spartans haven't been able to capitalize on what has been two great seasons for both programs. They better be ready to take things to the next level because the hiring of Urban Meyer has drastically changed the recruiting game in the Midwest in the B1G.

Anyway, let's take a look at where things stand for the Buckeyes as signing day quickly approaches. 
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Offensive line commits from 2002-2010 (Via Rivals)
Ken Kohl (5:27 pm)

[Ed. Note] This is the second part of Ken's inside look at Jim Bollman and the offensive line issues at Ohio State. The first part can be read here.

“It was the best of lines, it was the worst of lines..”
- my sincerest apologies to Charles Dickens. 

In this case, the two cities are not London nor Paris, but Columbus and Iowa City. This is a follow up, as suggested by reader TexasBuckeye comparing the development of offensive linemen at Ohio State and the University of Iowa. I’d like to acknowledge data for the “inputs” from Rivals.com and for the “outputs” from The Football Cube. These were the sources for college recruit rankings and NFL draft rounds.

For the college recruiting years of 2002 - 2010, Ohio State recruited 22 linemen while Iowa recruited 24 linemen. Obviously, the schools had additional linemen on their rosters (walk-ons) but these numbers represent the higher profile recruits. You know, where coaches actually identify a need. Above is a table that shows the Rivals ranking and number of recruits for each school during this period. As expected, Ohio State has been bringing in higher quality linemen, according to Rivals. 

What did the NFL think of all this?  For the NFL portion, I used the drafts of 2007-2011 since they closely aligned with the 2002 - 2010 recruiting classes. OSU had 4 draftees and they averaged being drafted in the “4th and a half round”. Iowa’s five draftees averaged being drafted in the 4th round, so they fared slightly better
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Decker's new look. (H/T Alex from 11W)
Drew Thurman (7:10 am)

It seems you can't click the refresh button quick enough these days, as Buckeye football news is just pouring in. Again yesterday, we got major news pertaining to what this team will look like in 2012 and beyond, both good and bad. Buckeye Nation not only can welcome some new faces, but also has to say it's goodbyes to several players and coaches. Let's take a look at the additions and the unfortunate attrition.

Addition - Taylor Decker

There arguably isn't a bigger need left in the 2012 recruiting class than offensive tackle. That void got smaller as Vandalia Butler offensive tackle Taylor Decker committed to Buckeyes yesterday.

Decker originally committed to Notre Dame back in March, and seemed to have little interest in Ohio State in the midst of all of the turmoil. Meyer's hiring in November seemed to peak Decker's interest and at least made him evaluate his options again. Then when Notre Dame coaches Tim Hinton and Ed Warriner joined Meyer's staff, Decker's public shock made most believe the switch was imminent. His visit this weekend sealed the deal.

Decker is the 20th member of the 2012 class and the third offensive lineman with Jacoby Boren and Pat Elflein. He's listed at 6-8 315 pounds, and is ranked as a four star prospect by all the major recruiting services. Between Kyle Dodson, Jordan Diamond, and Joey O'Connor the staff will be looking to add at least one more offensive lineman in this class. O'Connor was the only one of the three without an offer, but he finally got that offer extended this weekend on his visit to Columbus.

Attrition - Jeremy Cash, Dominic Clarke, and Derjuan Gambrell

The Buckeyes have lost a lot of depth in the defensive backfield in the last 48 hours. First news was released that safety Jeremy Cash is seeking a transfer. Cash played in five games last year as a freshman, and it appeared he had a bright future. While no reason has been given as to his motivation to transfer, the combination of a new coaching staff and the entire defensive backfield returning next season would seem to be likely explanations. No schools have been named as his possible destination. 
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