Buckeyes Nab Maryland Corner for #16

After the disappointment of the Darrell Givens de-commit, the Buckeyes are right back at it in the state of Maryland. They reeled in another verbal Sunday from Dominic Clarke, a 5'10" cornerback from Frederick. Clarke becomes the third defensive back in this class, joining Ohioans C.J. Barnett and Jamie Wood in the 2009 class.

Clarke is an interesting addition to the class, as the timing was somewhat of a surprise to most recruiting experts. His offer list included Boston College, Maryland, Virginia, Stanford and Vanderbilt, but none of the big programs Ohio State is usually competing against. So why the offer to a kid not yet even rated by Rivals or Scout?

In a word, speed. Clarke has a rather impressive record in track, helping his school medal in a variety of events and relays over the past few years. He's run a 4.41 at camps, and the OSU coaching believes that kind of speed can't be taught. Clarke's football resume is not without accomplishment, as he was named MVP at a Virginia combine in 2007 and is one of the top players in the state this season.

However, the commitment still raises some eyebrows. Despite his speed, Clarke will need to bulk up to handle the rigors of the Big Ten. This type of commitment also causes teeth-gnashing over other targets, such as Corey Brown and Brandon McGee. Is their interest fading? Will their spots be taken? Will they go someplace else with less recruits at their position?

The bottom line is that fan reaction is based almost entirely on the ratings of recruiting sites and the other schools pursuing the player. This leads to a rather large dilemma - do you blindly trust that coaches know better than you and high school scouts (which they do)? Or do you openly criticize when your team didn't get the dream recruits you wanted? There's no right answer, but it does seem highly unfair to high school kids to complain unless there's ample evidence pointing to a problem. So for now Buckeyes fans should be excited at the addition of Clarke, who from all reports is a stand-up player and person.