Wonder Twin Powers...Activate! Form of...Lame Party!

Looks like the pathetic students at Michigan have taken time out of their diversity seminars and latte-sipping to throw a party in honor of Terrelle Pryor. He's making his official visit this weekend, and will catch UM's stellar basketball team in action against Iowa. There's no need to watch the game because the Wolverines are horrendous. So they'll entertain themselves by chanting Pryor's name as much as possible. Pryor will contemplate how sad it is that he could start for their hoops team right now.

Anyway, some UM kids are trying to use their "mobilization skills" (no doubt learned from a stint at a John Kerry rally) to get students to the game and a block party. There's even a Facebook group. When we checked in, one enterprising fan gave some good suggestions on the Wall. Unfortunately, they were deleted.

National Lampoon's Presents: Senior Class Reunion

After years of watching top flight talent leave early, Ohio State received some good news when 5 of their top eligible players decided to return for their senior seasons. After another disappointing finish, only redshirt junior Vernon Gholston decided to try his hand at the NFL.

The biggest surprise was LB Jim Laurinaitis, who some projected as a top 10 pick. But his decision may have been swayed by CB Malcolm Jenkins and OT Alex Boone, who announced they were staying in Columbus first. They were joined by LB Marcus Freeman and WR Brian Robiskie, giving the Buckeyes a solid core of leaders heading into 2008.

But there will be no excuses now, including the Buckeyes much anticipated trip to play USC in September. OSU will return starters at ever position but RT, FB, DE and SLB. The tackle position could be filled by any number of players, including redshirt sophomore-to-be Conner Smith and Josh Kerr. Newly minted top 5 player Mike Adams will also get a shot as a true freshman. The Buckeyes pride themselves on line versatility, so there's no telling who will slide into what spot. Only Jim Cordle at center and Boone at left tackle seem like sure things.

The fullback position is used regularly, and redshirt freshman Aram Olson is the only one currently on the roster. A converted linebacker could see time, or a freshman such as Jermil Martin might have a shot. The Buckeyes are more likely to be 2 TE (Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard) or 3 WR (Ray Small or Dane Sanzenbacher), so besides Barton the whole offense will be back.

On defense, Vernon Gholston's dominating presence off the edge will be missed. But because of the injury to Lawrence Wilson at the beginning of the 2007 season, the Buckeyes will have him back to fill the void. Also expected to play a major role will be then-junior Robert Rose, who was severely limited this season because of rotator cuff issues. He'll have to battle with Cameron Heyward, who emerged as a force in just his first year.

At linebacker, the Buckeyes have a number of options to deal with the loss of Larry Grant. Curtis Terry, who was expected to split time with Grant this season, was granted a medical redshirt. He's joined by passing rushing specialist Thaddeus Gibson, who certainly make a push this offseason. With Austin Spitler, Ross Homan, and Brian Rolle, the Buckeyes have a solid second team of linebackers chomping at the bit.

Though Laurinaitis is the star, Malcolm Jenkins' return might be the most important. He's a vocal leader and plays at a position where the Buckeyes lack experienced backups. Heading into the season with just Donald Washington, Chimdi Chekwa and Andre Amos would have been somewhat questionable. This will allow the younger players like James Scott to slowly adjust, rather than being thrust into the spotlight.

A 2-Star Parade

Ohio State hosted a number of prospects this weekend, including some of their top uncommitted targets. Though no definitive news is expected from guests like Brandon Harris and Ohrian Johnson, the Buckeyes did add a pair of Ohio natives to the 2008 class. Jermil Martin and Zach Domicone bring the current class total to 18, with just a few remaining spots still open. So where did these guys come from?

Domicone is listed as an athlete on Rivals, though his initial position sounds like safety. At 6'3" he has the frame to grow into a linebacker, exactly the type of players Jim Tressel likes to have on his roster. Domicone had somewhat of a whirlwind recruiting experience, one of the fast-rising players that pop up at this time of year. He had an offer from Nebraska, but was offered by powers Oklahoma and Ohio State in a 24-hour period.

Martin was somewhat more on the radar, being a product of Ted Ginn's Glenville program. He initially chose Iowa over offers from West Virginia and Wisconsin. Though listed as a defensive end, Martin was recruited as a fullback at Ohio State. With three players at that position graduating, there's certainly room on the depth chart.

Obviously these two become the two lowest rated players in the class. That leads to two questions: first, was this bad move offering them, and second, does it mean bad news on other fronts? The answer to the first question is likely not. Martin fills a clear need at fullback, and the worst case scenario for Domicone is a special teams demon with the versatility to fill in at multiple positions. Coach Tressel has a great track record of identifying sleepers and turning them into productive players, so there's no reason to doubt these two. Not every class can be comprised entirely of 5-star players, lest you end up with attrition and too many prima donnas.

Whether it means OSU is missing on someone else...not sure yet. We're still waiting for the final damage on juniors leaving and transfers. It seems reasonable that this class could number 20, especially if of our current verbals isn't on the final list. Pryor and Wells are the keys to the finish, with Jenkins running a close third. I'm not optimistic about the latter, but our offensive line situation is very stable at this point. I don't personally think either Harris, Johnson or Dean will Buckeyes, though there is a shot with Bayless.