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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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Drew Thurman (9:40 pm)

Signing Day has been a relatively boring affair over the last decade for Buckeye fans. Outside of perusing a few pictures of Buckeye commitments signing their NLOI, guys that had already been committed for months, it typically has been pretty anti-climatic. Well, Buckeye fans were treated to quite a break from the norm as the Buckeyes were in the center of a lot of drama today. Let's take a look at the storylines from an eventful day...

Storyline #1 - Marcus and Dodson Choose OSU
Despite finding out WR Joel Caleb and S Bam Bradley had picked other schools early in the morning, Buckeye fans had no time to be disappointed as LB Jamal Marcus selected the Buckeyes around 10:30 a.m. Marcus was down to East Carolina and Ohio State, and most believed he would stay close to home and pick ECU to please his mom. Instead, Buckeye Nation got a surprise from one of the most underrated prospects in the country.

Marcus is in fact rated as a three star prospect my multiple recruiting services, though his offer list suggests a much better player than that rating. At 6-2 230 pounds he already his great size and runs a 4.6 forty, and his film shows that speed in a very impressive fashion. Speaking of that film, Meyer referenced it multiple times today in his press conference, calling it "ridiculous." He mentioned Marcus in the same breath as the top tier talent in this class, and encouraged everyone to go YouTube his highlights. Considering Meyer is one of the best evaluators of talent in the country, his hyperbole should be taken seriously. He will definitely help fill a position of big need at outside linebacker, and joins Josh Perry, Luke Roberts, David Perkins and Camren Williams at linebacker in this class.
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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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Score another big one for Meyer!
Dave Thurman (7:26 pm)

Jalin Marshall, rated the top Ohio prospect in the class of 2013, verballed to Ohio State today, becoming the second member of what promises to be a special group of athletes.  Marshall hails from Middletown (Ohio) High School, which has given the Buckeyes such legends as Jerry Lucas in hoops, and Cris Carter in football.  Although Jalin intended to wait until tomorrow and verbal on his father's birthday word leaked out of his eventual destination so he went ahead and made it offical this afternoon.

The 6'1", 190 pound quarterback is ranked by 247 Sports as the number 5 overall prospect in the class of '13, and the top rated athlete.  Although some expect him to eventually move to receiver or even become a defensive back, he will begin his OSU career as a quarterback, his postion of preference.  As a junior, Marshall rushed for 1,972 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he also passed for 781 yards and six more scores. He is reported to have run a 4.42 40 yard dash, and one look at his video shows his blazing speed.  When I look at him I see visions of Tedd Ginn Jr. and wonder if he won't eventually return kicks and punts in Columbus.  Wherever he plays, Marshall is a special athlete who brings speed and a competitive spirit to the gridiron. 

Combined with last week's verbal from corner Cameron Burrows, Ohio State has already scored the top two rated players in state for next year's class.  And Urban and company are only getting started.

Welcome aboard Jalin.  We can't wait to see you in scarlet and gray. 

Check out his highlights after the jump.
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Reeves picked Ohio State over Michigan.
_Drew Thurman (9:39  pm)

Tonight the Buckeyes grabbed their 24th commitment in the 2012 class as cornerback Armani Reeves picked the Buckeyes. He joins his high school teammate and friend, Camren Williams, who committed to Ohio State just over a week ago.

Reeves, like Williams (and Joey O'Connor and Tommy Schutt), was originally committed to Penn State before narrowing things down to Ohio State and Michigan recently. After taking visits to both schools over the last couple of weekends and hosting both coaching staffs, Reeves was reportedly very torn on where to go. In the end, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes emerged victorious.

The commitment of Reeves fills a huge and unexpected need. With DerJuan Gambrell and Dominic Clarke being dismissed from the team, the depth chart is very thin at corner. There was not another true cornerback in this class, so Reeves could be fighting for some playing time right away. This is also a big commitment for the staff because of Reeves' potential. He is ranked as a four star prospects across the board by all the major recruiting services, and is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the country. It's nice the staff could navigate him away from two rival schools.

Highlights after the break.
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Will Roger Lewis end up being in the 2012 class?
Drew Thurman (4:33 pm)

One of the biggest concerns over the last week, as Urban Meyer has been banking in recruits, is the scholarship count. Not only are the Buckeyes limited to 25 commitments per class, but they also only have 82 total scholarships to play with after the sanctions.

A quick look at the current numbers shows the Buckeyes are in danger of being over both of those counts. There are currently 23 commitments in the 2012 class and 62 returning players on the roster. That would mean the Buckeyes are already three over their total limit and two away from the class limit, and yet the staff are still after a handful of prospects to finish out this class. So, what gives? How are Urban and company going to pull off adding more players and still get the numbers to equate. Well, it all comes down to bookkeeping and attrition.

Tim May over at the The Dispatch already did a great job breaking down both of those in detail, especially that 25 number. The staff has very little concern about that number thanks to the six early enrollees. They actually count towards last year's numbers.

"So, 23 minus six equals 17. That means that, at the moment, the Buckeyes still are eight short of the maximum of 25 players who can be signed to any one recruiting class. And there might be a member or two already committed who could be weeded out because of academic concerns or could change his mind before signing day."
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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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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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