Drew Thurman (1:02 pm)

The Buckeyes started the 2010 class off strong with four quick commitments, but the recent recruiting news has seemed pretty scarce. There are limited scholarships in this class, making the staff much more picky than in years past, which has helped with this dead period in recruiting news. With that said, the Buckeyes don't seem to have as many guys putting them high on the list, particularly out-of-state.

Obviously there is no reason to be anything but optimistic at this point, and this week was a perfect illustration of that. The Buckeyes found out they are very high on the list for two out-of-state prospects, running back Roderick Smith and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz. Either of these young men would be a big pick up for the Buckeyes (ranked 4*), so let's take a look at both of them:

Roderick Smith:

Smith (pictured above) hails from Paul Harding High School in Ft Wayne, Indiana, and is one of the top prospects in the whole state. It is interesting that the Buckeyes have an increase interest in Indiana, a state that didn't produce enough quality talent for the Buckeye to offer scholarships ten years ago. Anyways, at 6'3'' 220 pounds, Smith offers both speed and size, and has showed them off the last two seasons rushing for over 1,000 yards in each. What is truly remarkable is how quick his feet are, and how well he cuts to avoid defenders.

Smith looks like an Ohio State type running back, and is actually pretty close to committing as well. As you will see in the video below, he has contemplated committing right now, but has decide to wait a little while longer. It is exciting news that the Buckeyes are clearly the favorite for Smith's services. Check out this interview:

C.J. Fiedorowicz

Unlike Smith, Fiedorowicz is a little bit better known commodity, and holds offers from Arizona, Illinois, LSU, Wisconsin, Iowa, Notre Dame, and of course Ohio State. He is a 6'7'' 240 pound tight end that hails from Johnsburg, Illinois, and brought in a remarkable 63 receptions for 1,072 yards as a junior. This ESPN 150 prospect actually declared Ohio State and Iowa to be his two front runners this last week, which shocked the Irish and Illini nations. The Buckeyes have not brought in a high ranked pass catching tight end prospect since Jake Ballard, so the addition of Fiedorowicz would be sweet. Here is what ESPN has to say about him:

"Fiedorowicz presents a challenge to defenders that don't share his size or do not have excellent vertical's. The tight end prospect is a big target as he has more then ideal height and carries good bulk, with the room to add plenty more. He seems to be used as a main receiving target in high school and can be a weapon at the college level. He has good hands and consistently displays the ability to attack the ball in the air and bring it in to his body."

All in All:

Despite the lack of recruiting news for the last couple of months, this week has provided good news from both Smith and Fiedorowicz. Let's get the 2010 train moving!

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