OSU Post-Camp Notes

The Good News...

*We've officially reached that point where Buckeye fans will be heartbroken if Terrelle Pryor ends up any place but Ohio State. Pryor showed up at camp, saying all the right things and looking every bit the #1 player in the land. Pryor had an opportunity to hang out with Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, who hopefully chatted about his great experience as OSU's quarterback. Pryor also met with basketball coach Thad Matta, as he plans to play both sports in college. Should Pryor eventually commit, a huge assist will go to Mike Brewster, who is apparently the most active recruiter in the country. Brewster, Shugarts and Adams spent a great deal of time trying to convince Pryor that no line in the country will better protect him.

*D.J. Woods, dubbed "Man on Fire" by Scout.com, came up with another great camp showing. He's a smooth athlete with great speed and leaping ability, and it sounds like the long-awaited Buckeye offer will soon be coming. He battled in one session with top 5 WR DeVier Posey, which had coaches drooling over the two. Woods will need to add weight at the next level, but could be a steal for whoever gets him. Penn State reportedly just offered him as well, so the Buckeyes better make a decision quickly. Should they offer soon, I think there's a 70% we see Woods in Scarlet and Gray.

*With all of the 5-star talent OSU has collected for the '08 class, DE Nathan Williams has been flying under the radar. He certainly made an impression on Friday, perhaps wanting to show he belongs in this special class. Showing off some mammoth arms, Williams dominated most of the lineman in drills. No one should underestimate the potential of this Rivals250 member.

*TE Kevin Koger arrived with his father and spent a great deal of time talking to coach Tressel. Big time offers outside of Michigan and Ohio State have somehow escaped the chiseled Koger, who claims that the Wolverines and Buckeyes are even as his leaders. I have previously given a slight edge to Michigan, but Koger's camp experience may put this in a true coin toss situation. Koger is expected to decide in the next few weeks, and will be a great player for either school.

*WR Michael Floyd (MN) made it to Columbus and was reportedly impressed by his visit. I still think Notre Dame or Florida will ultimately be his school, but OSU has a fighter's chance. His speed alone is enough for me to switch Cordale Scott to linebacker.

The Bad News...

*With Greg Shaw opting to go to Wisconsin at the last minutes, all eyes were on Josh Jenkins. Or would have been on Jenkins, if he made it to camp. His no-show led to a mini-meltdown on the message board, as posters bemoaned the death of Block O. Jenkins later called both OSU coaches and recruiting analysts to say he was still very interested in the Buckeyes, but that his car's transmission died. I'm not creepy enough to start calling West Virginia auto shops, but this sounds suspicious. Like every time I think I'm going out with a girl, they mysteriously have to wash there hair. Now that I think about it, I think a few of them had busted transmissions too.

Seriously though, you can read this either way. I personally think Jenkins is going to stick with West Virginia. And I think going to camp would have been hard, as he's made friends with Brewster, Adams and some of the other commits. So maybe he just didn't want to go up and have them aggressively pitch OSU all weekend.

*Brandon Beachum again had a nice camp but left without a offer. It's seems unbelievable, but the Buckeyes may actually completely whiff on the Cardinal Mooney juggernaut this year. Beachum has plenty of attractive offers, so I don't think he's going to hold out forever. My guess? The coaches aren't planning to take another RB with Devoe Torrence in the fold. And Beachum may be a bit undersized to play linebacker at OSU. With two smaller linebackers in the '07 class (Rolle and Hines) there's just not a place for Beachum. It's disappointing to see a talented, high character Ohio kid go elsewhere, but the chances are very high right now.

*Another Ohio linebacker, Doug Rippy, was impressive on Friday. He might have vaulted himself into consideration for an offer, but he verballed to Nebraska on Saturday. The timing, much like Elliott Mealer, suggests that Rippy was told no offer was coming by OSU. It's a nice pickup by the 'Huskers, as Rippy can play all three linebacker positions. Projected as a MIKE, Rippy had an outstanding junior combine at the Army All-American Game last year.

*Safety Rahim Moore didn't make it out from California, meaning that he and E.J. Woods will likely stay with UCLA. Michigan is stil a player for both, but don't bet on it.

Taking another crack at projecting the 2008 Buckeyes class:

QB (1): Pryor
RB (1): Torrence
WR (3-4): Posey, Stoneburner, Scott, (Floyd/Jarboe)
TE (1): Koger
OL (4): Shugarts, Adams, Brewster, Jenkins
K (1): Buchanan
DL (3): Williams, Goebel, Hale
LB (2): Sweat
DB (1): Woods
ATH (1): Pead

Lots of movement in the past couple weeks. The two big names are still Pryor and Hale, and my confidence is building for the former. I still have Scott listed at WR, but I'm hearing he might ultimately grow into a linebacker. As such, look for OSU to go after one more WR in this class - Floyd, Jarboe, and Fuller are still options.

I really like our chances with Koger and D.J. Woods, though Koger could easily end up at Michigan. Woods should be a Buckeye with an offer. I also still think it's matter of time for Goebel, though it may drag into July for a decision.

Two guys that might be slipping away are Willie Mobley and Josh Jenkins. Mobley has been spending a lot of time out west at camps and visiting, so it's possible he leaves Big Ten country. Jenkins has been over-discussed on this blog, so no need to beat a dead Mountaineer. There are some talented Ohio players who could easily fill this slot, but qualifying for OSU admission could be an issue. Stay tuned.

Doug Rippy is going to Nebraska, Hill is reportedly no longer in the picture, and Gardiner is apparently not getting an offer. OSU might just be done at linebacker.

Isaiah Pead and Johnny Adams might be on the outside looking in given the scholarship limitations. I think Pead has a better shot because he's a backdoor option at RB. Adams might to have show explosiveness and consistency as a senior, but he may not be willing to wait that long. I really wish both of these kids were seniors in a year OSU had the full complement.

(photo by Rivals.com)

Buckeye Senior Camp Preview

Ohio State held their fist camp on June 8, but there were very few developments. That likely won't be the case tomorrow, when some of the Buckeyes top recruits and targets will be in town for a one day senior camp. Here's a quick preview by position, including the players who are confirmed. Others could show, and we'll update accordingly.

QB: The Buckeyes expect the #1 player in the nation, Terrelle Pryor, to attend. No word yet if he will work out. His recruitment will go the distance, but it doesn't hurt to have him in town with Brewster and the other commits giving him the hard sell. Don't expect another QB to get an offer unless the staff gets a bad vibe from Pryor.

RB: Current Buckeye commit Devoe Torrence will be there, and he may the only true running back the Buckeyes take. Richard Watson (FL) was scheduled to attend, but appraently isn't going to make it. At one point OSU was his leader, and he may try to come to Columbus later this summer. But I'd bet against him coming to OSU. Fresh off his blaing performance at Michigan's camp, I don't expect Jonas Gray to show up as he originally discussed.

WR: Top 100 WR's DeVier Posey and Jake Stoneburner will be in attendence, hoping working the uncommitted targets. Two of the top remaining receivers, Fred Smith and Cordale Scott, may not be there as planned. Smith had a good trip to Ann Arbor, so the door may closing on OSU. Most consider Scott a Buckeye lock at this point, so an appearance is optional.

TE: Kevin Koger will be in Columbus and this will likely be OSU's best shot to sway him. Koger is a chisled athlete that could play either TE or DE, though he prefers offense. Living in Toledo, Koger actually grew up a Michigan fan and his sister graduated from TSUN. Most recruiting observes give Michigan a slight edge here, but Posey and some of the other incoming Buckeyes are pushing hard to change that. Since he didn't commit at Michigan and they already have TE Brandon Moore in the fold, OSU is hopeful. A decision for Koger will reportedly come in July...I still have him ticketed for Ann Arbor, but hope he's blown away this weekend by the star-studded class OSU is assembling.

OL: Bad news and worse news. Josh Jenkins, the soft verbal to West Virginia, will be in camp. However, the news from the Jenkins camp has not been very positive lately; a number of newspaper articles have been published that re-affirmed his commitment. I've been saying for a few weeks that this is Anthony Davis redux. If Jenkins is a Buckeye, I'll believe it on signing day with the LOI is faxed in.

I'd been banking on Greg Shaw, a top 100 lineman from Florida, coming to camp and getting an OSU offer. But breaking news has Shaw going to Wisconsin this weekend instead, possibly at the behest of his mother. Why in the world would you want to go a middle tier Big Ten school in freezing, boring Wisconsin with a bunch of hippies? Connecting the dots, no camp means no offer means no Shaw at OSU.

I'm sure there will be a nice group of Ohio lineman at camp, and maybe one of them - Chandler Burden? Marc Stevens? Blaec Walker? - will impress enough to get an offer. Or at least get on the radar, since there's not a huge rush to lock up the last lineman. Since the best backup options have committed elsewhere (Mealer - Michigan, Current - Wisconsin) or were deemed too soft by the coaches (that's you, Zebrie) I guess it's time for Tressel to unearth another diamond in the rough. We're too spoiled with Adams, Shugarts and Brewster anyway!

DL: DE commit Nate Williams will be at the camp. I don't think Shayne Hale will be there, which is unfortunate but not really indicative of a problem. Garrett Goebel was just in Columbus and Ann Arbor, so another trip isn't necessary. Buckeyes coaches are hoping for a commit from the top 5 DT very soon. None of the other big defensive linemen on the board, Keith Wells, Justin Thompson, or Willie Mobley, will be there.

LB: I don't think Andrew Sweat will be in town, but a great group of in-state kids will be there hoping to impress. Brandon Beachum leads the pack, which also includes Mike Spooner and Justin Staples. There is probably still one scholarship available at linebacker, so it will be interesting to see if anyone can take the lead.

DB: Here's where the main action will occur. Ohio State's top two saefty prospects, Dan McCarthy and Rahim Moore, will be be in attendence. McCarthy has an offer but seems like Notre Dame might be his choice. Moore is a soft UCLA commit still looking around, and could pull the trigger to OSU or Michigan.

D.J. Woods, who has been outstanding on the camp circuit will be there hoping to get an offer. He's part of the ever-confusing trio of Woods, Johnny Adams and Isaiah Pead. I'd be shocked if at least one didn't end up at OSU, but the "leader" for a scholarship offer seems to change on a weekly basis.

We'll have much more on how the camp went this weekend...

Michigan 2008 Football Recruiting- Targets Update

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL - 2008 RECRUITING

For an in-depth explanation of how this list created, please refer to my previous recruiting overview. I expect UM to sign between 20 and 25 recruits this year.

Top 12 Remaining Targeted positions
as of June 20, 2007

Already Wolverines:

CB- B. Cissoko (Det., MI)
OT- D. O’Neil (MI)
OT/OG- E. Mealer (OH)
OG- K. Wermers (IND)
TE- B. Moore (OH)
LB- M. Witherspoon (NJ)
DT- M. Martin (MI)

* Bolded are the guys to really watch

12. DT- Might take one more (a one-gapper) - C. Henderson (PA) – Has UM in top 2. L. Guy (NV) – Had UM in top 3 recently. R. Ellis (DC) - Would be higher on this list but there is not a great chance of a commit. A. Woods (Det., MI) & S. Barnett (IND) (another Warren Central kid- I think we are backing off that school for now b/c of Finch) are also out there. Not a very high priority.

11. HB- C. Wilson (PA)/LB – Lots of mutual interest here.

10. TE- H. Graham (PA) – Will be a UM camper…again. K. Koger (OH)/DE – A little better than 50% chance of being a wolverine. T. Edwards (LA) & B. Ayles (CA) are not likely to be wolverines but are very good and have been offered and have some interest. C. Pantale (NJ) – He is coming on, has interest, and I like him.

9. FS/CB- R. Blanton (NC) – Probably Notre Dame 1 and UM 2. J. Slaughter (Ga) – Not sure we can get him. Again, see Notre Dame. J. Holley (PA) – Not feeling confident with him. Loves the movie Rudy. R. Moore (CA) – He is a soft UCLA commit and he is being recruited as a CB/S for UM and he was offered after the UCLA commit and Ron English is recruiting him (See Donovan Warren) and he has a summer official to UM. M. Anthony (AZ) – Great camp performance got him his offer. I actually like him. B. Barnes (NC)/RB is not coming to UM because he wants to play RB. A. Bushell (TX) – Probably visiting. Soon could move up this list. R. Green (LA) – Visiting. Soon could move up this list too. L. Green (PA) – Haven’t heard much from him in a while. R. Butler (TX) – Ditto. May take two in this category.

8. QB- Important since Forcier has transferred. M. Glennon (VA) is best overall and grew up a huge UM fan. A recent Rivals article said all the right things but will this Elite 11 four-star really commit? B. Kay (MI) - Best in MI? A. Mifsud (MI), S. Krauss (MI), N. Kearney (PA), C. Lum (MI), & A. Follett (MI), etc. are other backup plans.

7. OG- Z. Schlink (AZ) (probably a 40/60 chance at best) - V. Dotsy (CA) - Needs to get in better shape. He’s from ’07 recruit M. Williams’s school which is also ’08 recruit D. Scott’s new school. K. Page (SC) - Longshot. G. Goebel (ILL)/DT - Would be much higher, especially as a DT, but there seems to be a lack of mutual interest and he doesn’t want to play OG. Will take at least 1 if not 2 more.

6. OT- Looking to take another tackle from the following list: Z. Sanders (OH) – UM’s #1 OT tackle left on the board. A LT prospect. G. Pocic (ILL)/OG – From D. Molk’s school. Love him at guard but like him at tackle. L. Nix - (PA)/DT is second best (to Sanders) in UM’s eyes but is unlikely to commit. He also would prefer to play DT in college. R. Khoury (MI)/OG got the camp offer. D. Pannell (MI) – probably the camp’s second best not offered lineman. M. Lipski (OR) - A fat guy I don’t like. J. Bennett (DC) is a backup plan for Sanders.

5. WR- D. Stonum (TX) – Wants UM. From Herron and Woolfolk’s school. May announce the same day as McGuffie. He’s a home run guy. J. Baldwin (PA) – Rivals referred to him as the next Calvin Johnson. F. Smith (Det., MI) – catching fire as of late. V. Carraway (PA) -The ’07 Z. Babb who is being recruited as an athlete. Maybe losing mutual interest (a WR vs. DB thing). D. Walker (VA) & M. Floyd (MN) – They are top talents who are unlikely to be wolverines but they’ve been offered and are moderately interested. J. Fuller (TX), S. Johnson (TX) & D. Jordan (AZ)/TE are both moderate to top talents with moderate interest. Will take at least two here.

4. WSDE - S. Hale (PA) - Camp performances indicates DE is the most likely future for him. He is gaining interest in UM and we offered best pal (and cousin) Saddler. E. Johnson (OR)/SSDE – L. Woodley-type… will he really commit? He camped for a whole week and has lots of family around Ann Arbor and Detroit. K. Middleton (WA)/SSDE/TE - Very tough to get him off the west coast but he really likes UM and so does his HS coach. I’m worried about whether he is truly a WSDE. N.Price (Det., MI) - I like him a lot but he’s not going to automatically commit to UM and is more of a “B” option guy. G. Foster (Ill) - The Nick Price of Illinois. T. Hoover (MI)/SSDE/TE (If not OT or DT) – Love him as a TE but not so much as a DE. D. Heyman (KEN.) & K. Lewis-Moore (TX) - Both former high targets without new news or any real buzz for a while. J. Jarrett (CA)/SSDE – Another name to know. May take two DEs here.

3. SS- W. Hill (NJ) – Superstar who would be handed the keys to UM’s strong safety position. Who knows with him? May want warm weather. S. Adams (NC) – A little less than 50% chance at this athletic freak show. B. Smith (NJ) – Michigan looking good for this top 100 player. K. Staley (OK) - A stud but when does UM get OK studs? D. McCarthy (OH) – Probably won’t be a Wolverine. K. Cooper (TX) - 33% chance at best for this solid player. B. Leslie (CA) – Haven’t heard anything about him in a while. E. Biakabatuka (CAN) – See Leslie comments. May very well take two here.

2. LB- S. Filer (ILL) - Could be a SAM or a MIKE. Both are badly needed. I’d say he’s a 50% chance get at best. His dad is great friends with B. Graham’s dad. J.B. Fitzgerald (NJ) - Same as Filer but probably more likely to be a wolverine. Filer is a bit higher rated nationally. J. Major (CO) - A bit short (6’4” numbers are wrong & exaggerated) but will probably be a great college MIKE and maybe a SAM. A. Brown (KAN) – Tremendous but likely not to be a wolverine. M. Dowtin (VA)/ATH – Four- star who had a huge camp. May come down to UM vs. Georgia. B. Beachum (OH) – Witherspoon’s commit basically kills UM/Beachum relations? K. Demens (Det., MI) – Now that Michigan’s offered Gray will they finally offer his (short) 4-star teammate? J. Meyers (CONN) - See Beachum comments. L. Murray (NY- M. Hart’s school) – Possibly will get an offer. Could possibly play SAM. G. Winston (Det., MI) – A Mike Martin-type. Great athlete who can earn a camp scholarship. Will take at least two more LBs.

1. RB- Sam McGuffie (TX) - This year’s Ryan Mallett in UM’s eyes. D. Scott (CA) - The best RB in the county is taking an official visit to UM. Jonas Grey (Det., MI) – Rivals loves him while Scout does not care much due to McGuffie love. 4.37 40-time got him his offer. C. Deboskie (AZ) - I like him and he can possibly go UM’s way but its becoming less likely each day. UM would prefer McGuffie and/or Gray commits before Deboskie gets close to deciding and puts them in a bind. M. Shaw (OH) - (RB/ATH). He’s another 4-star to look out for. R. Polk (AZ)/ATH – Recipient of a recent offer is a between the tackles type meant to complement McGuffie. C. Saddler (PA)/ATH - Third down back who was offered to lure S. Hale. Might take two here.

* Guys like Anthony Hollis (MI) and D.J. Woods (OH) are all over the map here and are not on the list because big uncertainty of offer + no idea of interest level. They come from many states not just Michigan and Ohio. One other name to watch is J. Kearse (WA) (ATH/WR). He loves UM and is from Middleton’s school and will help in Middleton’s recruitment.

Photo of Jonas Gray by Rivals.com…he earned it.

Monday Night Quick Hitters

What a boring time in sports...cruising toward the baseball All-Star break, post-spring practice for college football, and still weeks away from NFL training camp. It kind of makes you wish for one of the dreadful Broncos at Raiders Monday night games. At least there's something to fall doze off to. Anyway, a few newsworthy items for Buckeye fans:

*Incoming freshman cornerback Devon Torrence signed with the Astros after being drafted in the 16th round. But Torrence plans to try and play pro baseball and college football, though his efforts may cause him to fail in both. Apparently he's worked out a deal with the Astros to play baseball in the summer, football in the fall, and there's some complicated deal which allows him to participate in both next spring.

On face, this doesn't much impact the Buckeyes. Torrence still has a chance to play on special teams this season, and I highly doubt the staff will worry about burning his redshirt. Though he comes in as a highly touted athlete, Torrence is likely behind both James Scott and Donnie Evege in terms of '07 cornerbacks. And as long as Torrence remains a part of the team, there can be no unintended consequences with his brother Devoe. Still, it seems like it will be hard for Torrence to become elite at either without focusing on one. But Torrence apparently got a good deal, as most 16th rounders don't typically rake in the cash. That's the funny thing about the baseball draft - your slot sometimes has virtually no bearing on your contract. Torrence was quoted as saying he might buy an Escalade with his bonus.

*Defensive End Walter Dublin is apparently leaving the team and will likely transfer to another Division I school. Dublin, from Sarasota, Florida, was a raw 3-star from the 2006 class. He redshirted last year but would not have made the regular line rotation this fall. Coaches believe he has tremendous upside because of his speed, and we wish him well at his next school. Perhaps Dublin's career as a Buckeye was never meant to be, as his favorite Big Ten team growing up was Michigan. He reportedly leaves the program in good academic standing. There have been reports than two other players may transfer in the coming weeks, opening up some additional scholarships for the '08 class.

*A few future Buckeyes finished their high school careers at last weekend North-South All-Star game. One that made plenty of noise was DE Soloman Thomas, who was virtually unblockable all week in practice. Buckeye fans are buzzing about his potential once he adds some weight to his frame. Thomas reportedly played a role in the defection of Ben Martin to Tennessee, as the two play the same position. OSU hopes that once again the coaching staff got it right with the less heralded player. Two other players that left there mark were safeties Nate Oliver and Rocco Pentello. Oliver is constantly knocked for his lack of speed at combines. But he's a tremendous leader and can flat-out bring the lumber - he looks the part of a young Mike Doss. Pentello's commitment was panned by many Buckeyes fans, including this blogger. But now fully recovered from his broken leg, Rocco is hoping the coaches have found another Anderson Russell. He displayed good cover instincts and laid a vicious hit on Oliver during a punt return. It wouldn't be the first time Jim Tressel made the peanut gallery eat crow.

*One name that has always interested Buckeye fans is E.J. Woods. Woods is a safety from California and is a "soft" verbal to UCLA. He has always expressed interest in getting an OSU offer, as he spent time as a kid in Cleveland and rooted for the Buckeyes. Woods flew himself out to Columbus for the first camp and did impress the coaching staff. But it sounds as if the staff prefers some of the in-state defensive backs like Isaiah Pead. This is always a tough spot for recruiting "fans". It's always exciting to get out-of-state players. It's doubly exciting if they have an offer from big time programs like UCLA, Michigan and Penn State. And it's bets case scenario when the players are highly rated - Woods is a member of the Rivals100. So how to reconcile offer lists and rating's versus your coaching staff's judgement? A column on this subject is coming soon.

*A bit of bad news for once: four-star power forward Luke Babbitt recently de-committed from the '08 class. Babbitt immediately committed to Nevada and claims his recruitment is over. He was weened on stories from his grandparents, who live in Ohio and a re lifelong Buckeye fans. But apparently the distance was too great, and Babbitt wanted to play near his parents in his current state of Nevada. It's an unfortunate blow to the class, as Babbitt is a sweet shooting forward that would have fit in perfectly with Matta's system. But spoiled Buckeye fans can hardly complain with all of the top 100 players committed. A bitter fan might say Babbitt would rather be a big fish in a little pond; but I prefer to think that he just wants to stay close to Vegas...who could blame him then?

*Lastly, the NBA draft is fast approaching. Greg Oden was always going to be the #1 or #2 pick, but increasingly sounds like a lock for Portand. PG Michael Conley could go as high as #3 to the Hawks, but may fall to the middle of the top 10. I'll be pulling for the Bucks to take him so he can team with former OSU baller Michael Redd. As for Daequan Cook, he had an up-and-down time in Orlando. The best case scenario is that a team see him as a first round value that can be had in the mid-to-late 20's. The Knicks are the team most often mentioned. Worst case scenario: he falls well into the second round and out of any sort of guaranteed contract. We'll be cheering for all next Thursday, and getting ready for another round of jersey purchases.