Adventures in Creepiness: Recruiting Update Number Three

The recruitnik's enthusiasm never wanes, even as football approaches

Nothing earth-shattering has gone down since the last update, outside of two commitments:

- Chad Hagan pulled the trigger, after which I quickly urged caution about his guru ratings. Well, apparently Scout has made the trip to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and evaluated Hagan as a 3-star prospect. So that had a happy ending.

- Florida WR James Louis initially committed to the Florida Gators, who promptly told him to buzz off. Louis took his ball and went north, commiting to Ohio State over a bevy of solid SEC offers from Bama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. He did so without ever even visiting Columbus, which only sorta worries me because he's totally infatuated with the staff.

So how's the rest of the class shaping up?

Quarterback: Taylor Graham is in the fold, and no one else has been offered since. Ohio State is presumably saving a spot for Braxton Miller in the '11 class.

Running back/fullback:  Roderick Smith is in the heezy, but Ohio State is still (not quite actively) pursuing Corey Brown (not that Corey Brown), Dontae Williams and Storm Johnson. Spencer Ware, a Cincy kid who Ohio State had also been interested in, opted to join the LSU Tigers. Zach Zwinak is still on the market, but Penn State and Virgnia Tech are pretty decisive leads for him.

Wide Receiver:  At a position Ohio State is already rather stacked at, a few offers, but not many, are out. Christian Green has named a top 4, but Ohio State isn't in it. Kenny Shaw, another Florida kid, boasts an offer. Tyrone Williams is still out there, but hasn't pulled the trigger, long after most thought he was going to. Another name to keep track of: Louisville WR Bobby Swigert is in contact with Jim Bollman but has yet to receive an offer. Expect one to come soon if one of our primary targets commits elsewhere.

Offensive line: Still no genuine news to speak of from Seantrel Henderson, who has made an official visit list that can reasonably be considered his top-5. Chaz Green is probably a Gator-in-waiting, but he also is stopping by for the USC game. Chris Farley doppelganger and St. Xavier product Matt James has named a top-3 of Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati. His being from Cincy makes me nervous, and the St. X in general makes me think he's a Domer lock, but that's just intuition. The Buckeyes are still among Brandon Linder's favorites, and are considered a lock to be one of his officials.

Defensive tackle: The staff is still waiting to see what happens with Michigan product and potential manbear Jonathon Hankins. Hankins isn't quite a must-get for this half, but he can bring to this line something I've said it has lacked for years: a double-team demanding, wide-bodied run stuffing nightmare who can be a fearsome presence on the interior of the defensive line. I think he'd be the sleeper get of this class, given the circumstances.

Defensive end: Jamel Turner, Darryl Baldwin and J.T. Moore basically invalidate any and all needs in this class at this position. Alani Fua is now a BYU Cougar, and I don't blame Fre'Shad Hunter for looking elsewhere.

Linebacker: ZOMG JORDAN HICKS

Hicks is still undecided, but it's coming down to Florida, Georgia, 'Bama, Ohio State, Texas and USC. I'm considering growing a ponytail and making a janktacular youtube video featuring a star-studded cast of me and a cardboard cut-out of Jim Tressel. That'll convince him, right?

Jeff Luc is still listing Ohio State among his favorites, but most think he's SEC-bound, being a Florida kid with offers from every program of note.

Cornerback:  Lamarcus Joyner still can't make a choice between Ohio State and Florida State (ba-wha?!), but Joshua Shaw recently took a trip to Columbus and loved what he saw. Thus, he now has the Buckeyes as a fairly firm leader. Ohio State is also competing with FSU for the services of Terrence Mitchell. Now, allow myself to quote myself, because nothing else has changed since late July:

Christian Bryant's a Glenville kid with offers from SEC schools and Iowa. Tony Grimes is yet another Florida kid with an impressive offer list that belies his three-star rating [...]

Keep an eye on Keion Payne, yet another Florida kid who has OSU in his top 5. Of all these offers, I anticipate both Joyner and Shaw will commit, and soon, as well as Bryant.

Check that: Grimes is now a package deal per Scout, guaranteeing he's going to college with a guy whose offer list registers a thorough "meh".

Safety: Chad Hagan is probably going to end up up playing safety at Ohio State, and the staff seems satisfied with this; no ther safeties have been offered since his commitment.

This class may end up being a bit DB-heavy; I expect as many as four guys to end up committing in a class that shouldn't number more than 20. Expect the lines also to benefit heavly from this class; we already have the DE situation essentially sewn up, but we have to hope everything falls into place on the other side of the ball, particular at the tackle spot, because by the time these kids hit the field next fall, Block O will be entering its junior year. Heck, we might even have the luxury of being able to redshirt a couple of them, which will give them a bit more needed time to learn the ropes.