Rivals.com, one of the top high school football recruiting sources, released their first take on the '08 class position rankings. The lists are littered with Buckeye verbals and targets, and obviously there will be plenty of changes during the season. Here's my initial take:QB: No surprise with Terrelle Pryor at #1, but it was interesting that Marqueis Gray was the #4 dual-threat QB. He looked good at camp, but spent some time at receiver as well. I don't think he's getting an offer. Cincinnati commit Dominick Britt clocked in at #18, just one behind mammoth D.C. Jefferson.
RB: Devoe Torrence is still listed as an "athlete", so no sign of him on this list. Jonas Gray, a Michigan back with no Michigan offer, and Brandon Beachum, an Ohio State back with no Ohio State offer, are both in the top 5. Curious. Isaiah Pead shows up at #34, but he should be a little higher, like top 27-ish.
I'm interested to see where Michael Shaw (currently #12) ends the season. The Rivals folks love the Trotwood back. And if you were wondering where Sam McGuffie landed, it was #1, but on the all-purpose back list. It's also known as the "third down back" list, and may eventually be known as the "actually a slot receiver back" list. It goes without saying that it's a "too small for the Big Ten back" list.
WR: DeVier Posey makes the top 5 in a very deep year. The Buckeyes are serious competing for #8, #10, #14, #18, #21 and maybe #23. That's a lot of elite targets...can you guess who they are? If not, maybe you need to pay more attention to this blog. I think Scott is the best bet, but I really like Jeff Fuller. Pity that he's an Aggie legacy.
TE: Ohio has three of the top six, but of course the Buckeye commit is at the bottom. The OSU coaches swear they like Stoneburner as a WR/H-back better than Moore as a pure TE. Maybe this is a case of two players simply fitting into different offenses. Either way, we'll certainly be following their careers with extra scrutiny. Kevin Koger, who burst onto the recruiting scene and has since disappeared again, is #16. There's no indication that anyone other than Ohio State or Michigan has a legitimate chance. Longshot Blake Ayles is number 3, incidentally.
OT: Mike Brewster is the #1 tackle overall, which is great since he's definitely playing inside. You'll notice I'm skipping Center down below. I won't revisit the great Dann O'Neill debate of 2007; I'll just note that Shugarts (13) and Adams (15) appear MUCH higher on other lists. Possible target Greg Shaw is listed at #12, and an offer may be coming soon.
OG: Four-star Josh Jenkins barely cracks the top ten guards at #9. Conflicting information is flying all over the place on Jenkins, whose recruitment will cause some serious teeth-gnashing before it's all said and done. Blog favorite Jake Current is all the way down at #44. Baah.
WDE: Georgian Keith Wells is #5, and he's approaching man-crush status. Unfortunately, I think a commitment to Florida (weak) may be on the way. Wells is huge and will be a flat-out stud in the SEC. This is the position Shayne Hale projects at, and OSU has no other real targets.
SDE: Nathan Williams makes the four-star grade and #12 at his position, which is better than I was hoping for. Quinton Coples (14) and Willie Mobley (17) are on the OSU radar, with the latter showing strong interest. After the great NIKE camp in Colorado, I thought Mobley might be in for a little bump.
DT: Garrett Goebel clocks in at #5, and there will be some very disappointed Buckeye fans if he doesn't come to Columbus. The only other live targets are both commitment elsewhere: Moses McCray (#16, Florida State) and Justin Thompson (JC transfer, Miami-FL)
ILB: That Shayne Hale fellow pops up at #1, Steven Filer at #2 and Brendan Beal at #3. And oh yeah, Andrew Sweat is *just* #7. The Buckeye coaching staff had him as their #1 MLB target, since Hale isn't actually playing that position. Hale is obviously #2 on the wish list at this point behind Pryor, but I'd hate to see Filer in Ann Arbor. You've got to scroll down to find Mike Zordich at #14. I hope he realizes that Penn State isn't really Linebacker U anymore.
OLB: Mike Yancich, Sweat's teammate, make a surprise appearance at #9. Ohio notables:
Taylor Hill (25), Justin Staples (33), BJ Machem (37), Doug Rippy (48), Fred Craig (51) and Steve Gardiner (57). I think many observers from the state would disagree with these rankings, but there's still a senior season left to find out. I'm still convinced someone on this list will find there way to Columbus.
CB: Brandon Harris is #8 and Johnny Adams is all the way down at #45. I don't see Harris at OSU, or even taking a visit. That's a little low for "Mr. Excitement", who had a strong performance in Akron this past weekend.
S: EJ Woods, a soft UCLA commit, is #3 overall. He grew up a Buckeye fan and is flying out to Columbus for th 6/22 camp. With Dan McCarthy (12) fading out of the picture, the timing is great for an offer. I'd love for Tressel to give him the "you're the only safety we're recruiting" speech. Except for Terrance Parks (22), who I think is actually a cornerback. Ah screw it E.J., do you really want to wear powder blue and play second fiddle to USC? Come to OSU and you'll still get a shot at the Trojans.
ATH: Devoe rocks the house at #4. With a strong RB campaign at Massillon, I think a 5-star upgrade will be in order.
K: The release of the position ranking was met with general indifference, save for at kicker. Buckeyes fans screamed foul when Ben Buchanan was insulted by a #8 in the country ranking. He might have gotten the shaft because he's a kicker/punter, but no matter. The school of Mike Nugent will turn him into a Groza/Guy winner just yet.
(photo by Rivals.com)
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