Bucks Bounce Back With Top Receiver

Just days after the de-commit of CB Darrell Givens, Buckeye fans were treated to a much better surprise: they landed James Jackson, one of the nation's elite receivers. The commitment is all the sweeter because Jackson hails from the state of Michigan and is considered one of the top players in the state.

Jackson, who visited OSU during the spring game, cited his relationship with the coaching staff as a key factor in his decision. He had offers Florida, Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, Wisconsin and a number of other top programs. One his main suitors was Michigan, who lost ground with coaching regime change. He was also influenced by the idea of catching passes from Terrelle Pryor, the Buckeye uber-recruit from last season.

Rivals ranked Jackson as part of their top 250, and he is a 4-star in both Scout and Rivals rankings. Jackson is considered a burner with field stretching ability from the slot, something Ohio State needs. Along with Chris Fields, that gives the Buckeyes two top recruits at WR for the '09 class. Should Duron Carter join the team as a legacy, it is difficult to see the Buckeyes adding a fourth receiver to this class. They would certainly take a player like Marlon Brown, who you can't turn down under any circumstances. But it is unclear whether they would continue to pursue players like Jheraine Boyd, Kraig Appelton or James Green.

(photo by Rivals.com)

Buckeyes Lose 4-Star Corner to Penn State

The Buckeyes have been cruising through the early 2009 recruiting period, pausing only for the Justin Turner speed bump. But in the first real setback, top cornerback Darrell Givens (MD) de-committed and offered his verbal to Penn State at this weekend's NIKE camp. I know this is shocking, since Ohio State and Michigan rarely lose anything to PSU these days.

What to make of this...first, if you didn't have some doubts about Givens staying with OSU, then you're either naive or not paying attention. We flagged the possibility of Givens "wavering" when we initially discussed his commitment, though I wouldn't have guessed it would happen this quickly. Givens was overly positive about every place he visited, and his verbal was a surprise at the spring game. Add it all up, and you have a young player that may have been caught up in the moment.

Ohio State doesn't usually get those kind of "emotional" commitments, which has the upside of far less potential de-commitments. This is also a risk of national recruiting, where players are potentially less loyal and have less ties to your program. Buckeye fans reap the benefits of big out-of-state players like Mike Brewster and Dorian Bell, but they must also be prepared for these kind of disappointments from time to time. And if anyone really wants to complain, keep in mind the Buckeyes have Melvin Fellows, who was a de-commit from Illinois.

What does it mean for the team and the class? Hard to say, but no one should be too crushed. Givens was persuaded by the argument that he could play earlier at Penn State, which is probably the truth. Penn State, in honesty, is not an elite school as far as football talent anymore. And there are plenty of experienced players (Donald Washington, Andre Amos, Chimdi Chekwa) and rising stars (James Scott, Donnie Evege, maybe Devon Torrence) that he would have to compete against. Some top recruits know they're going to have to compete everywhere and welcome the challenge; others look at depth charts and try to pick a place they feel they can make an early impact. I can't really argue with either decision. But it is mildly amusing that another top cornerback prospect, Corey Brown, just called the Nittany Lions out for the their inability to produce NFL-caliber corners (see King, Justin).

Even in this class, the Buckeyes already have C.J. Barnett, a top 100 cornerback rated higher than Givens. They will continue to pursue D.J. Hunter, Brandon McGee and other defensive backs to fill that slot. But it is very unlikely that Ohio State will continue to recruit Givens, who could very well end up somewhere other than Penn State. I'd be shocked if he didn't end up on an official visit to Miami (FL), which made the Centre Daly Times headline so ironic to me.

One positive to take away is that this happened early in the process, and Givens actually called the coaches to let them know, which I respect. Now Ohio State can regroup and replace Givens. Contrast that to last year's Josh Jenkins fiasco, where his half-assed West Virginia commitment and reported silent verbals to OSU paralyzed the offensive line recruiting. No matter though, as the prospects of getting Jack Mewhort, Corey Linsley and transfer Justin Boren on the interior are very exciting. For top programs, every recruiting miss can be turned into something good the next season.

"The Betrayal Is Complete..."

This was the title of a post on Michigan's Rivals.com message board yesterday after Zach Boren announced his commitment to Ohio State. The verbal came just days after brother Justin, a former starter at Michigan, officially transferred to OSU.

From a football standpoint, it seems like a solid, fairly innocuous get. Boren's a great athlete but without a truly defined position. His best spot might be middle linebacker, but the Buckeyes have a number of top underclassmen already at that position. Boren will likely come in as a fullback, competing with another young brother, Adam Homan.

From a rivalry standpoint, the cements one of the strangest turns in UM-OSU history. The Borens, despite living just outside of Columbus in Pickerington, was a seemingly die hard, bleed blue family. Father Mike was a starter for Bo, and it sounds like the entire family's wardrobe is made up of maize and blue. What fans want to know is, how can you just switch cold turkey? The story will certainly get a lot of play among the national media as their careers progress.

Buckeyes Keep Momentum, Add 4-Star Guard

Ohio State has added yet another top prospect to the 2009 class, yesterday gaining the commitment of OG Corey Linsley. Hailing from Youngstown's Boardman High School, Linsley impressed coaches and recruiting experts with an impressive film from his junior year. His fast rise up the boards landed him offers from a number of top schools like Notre Dame, Miami and Illinois. A top student, Linsley also strongly considered Stanford.

Linsley give the Buckeyes two top interior lineman in the 2009 class, joining already committed Jack Mewhort. With the addition of transfer Justin Boren, OSU can replenish the offensive line with three starters graduating after this season. The Buckeyes would certainly like to add Glenville's Marcus Hall to this stellar group, giving them another top line class.

(photo by Rivals.com)

Vern Goes #6, Joins Buckeyes East

Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston became the latest first round pick for the Buckeyes, selected #6 overall by relieved Jets fans. Though sentiment may have favored Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, he was off the board and Jets fans were chanting for Gholston. He joins former teammates K Mike Nugent and C Nick Mangold in New York.

Post-Spring Big Board: Lightening Round Edition (Defense)

We covered the offense earlier this week, and then the Buckeyes 2009 recruiting officially blew up with 3 commitments and transfer in a five day period. Here's how the defensive class is shaping up...

DE (2): Despite adding some quality pass rushers last season, the Buckeyes will need to add a couple of ends next February. Lawrence Wilson will likely go pro next year, Robert Rose has had problems staying healthy, and Cameron Heyward is increasingly looking like a candidate to leave early. The addition of Melvin Fellows on Thursday adds a bona fide star to the class, though it still seems possible he could grow into an inside player.

The Buckeyes are in good shape with Jonathan Newsome, a Glenville product that does not yet hold an offer. The did recently offer New Jersey native Anthony LaLota, who holds a very impressive list of suitors. OSU will likely take their time here, looking to get at least one more commit from a top player.

DT (2): OSU has done a good job of shoring up the defensive tackle position over the past two years. No one is more central to that effort that Cardinal Mooney's John Simon, perhaps the best player in Ohio this year. At this stage, there are no other recruits that might commit soon. At one point the Buckeyes were high on Corey Adams list, but that interest may have waned somewhat. With Simon aboard, a second DT is likely, but not a desperate need.

LB (3): How many linebackers can one team take? The Buckeyes, with three top backers already in the fold, will be very selective for the rest of '09. Dorian Bell, Storm Klein and Jordan Whiting give the Buckeyes a great shot at the top linebacking class in the country. Toss in Adam Homan and Zach Boren, both coming in as fullbacks, and the cupboard is fully stocked. Should he qualify academically, the Buckeye might still take Quan Fletcher, a talented Floridian. Otherwise, only the opportunity to pick off a top 100 type player would add to this crew.

CB (2-3): The Buckeyes already have two top flight corners in C.J. Barnett and Darrell Givens. But with defensive backs at a premium, there could easily be another added to the mix. Middleton's D.J. Hunter is the top in-state option, and he currently holds a Buckeye offer. OSU is also talking to Justin Green, a fast rising prospect from Kentucky.

S (2): Jamie Wood certainly made an impression on someone at Rivals, shooting all the way up to #26 on their most recent top 100 list. Wood gives the Buckeyes a great start at a position where Coach Tressel always seems to find playmakers. There's a good chance that Vlad Emilien (FL) could join Wood in the defensive backfield. The Florida star had a great visit over the spring game, though he is consider offers from Tennessee, Auburn and other southern schools. It will be interesting to see if OSU adds an under-the-radar in-state safety like it has the last two seasons.

ATH (2): The coaching staff loves players that can move around to multiple positions, so athletes are always a point of emphasis. Two big names to watch are Brandon McGee and Darrell Mason. McGee is a star from Florida with offers from pretty much everyone in the world, and it will certainly be difficult to pull him out of the south. Mason does not hold an offer but could earn one at camp.

Fellows Makes the Switch

Buckeyes fans were concerned at the start of the 2009 recruiting season when upstart Illinois invaded the state and offered virtually every player with a pulse. With energetic Ron Zook taking the lead, the Illini put a lot of pressure on Ohio State to evaluate in-state players much faster than usual. But the biggest worry was the early commitment of Garfield Heights DE Melvin Fellows to Illinois. Fellows is considered one of the top five players in the state, and the loss of such a player - especially after the Cordale Scott defection - would be a bad sign.

Fellows publicly said that he was 100% committed to Illinois, but would continue to check out other schools, including Ohio State. It became clear over the past couple months that he feelings about Ohio State were getting stronger, and on Thursday he officially changed his mind.

In addition to his Illinois offer, Fellows was being pursued by Notre Dame, Michigan, West Virginia and Louisville. He is the #29 ranked player in the Rivals.com top 100.

Boren Makes it Official

Justin Boren officially made the move from Michigan to Ohio State, completing a historic transfer that is sure to ratchet up an already heated rivalry. Boren started for Michigan at guard and center, and will have to sit out the 2008 season. He will not be on schoalrship but could start for the Buckeyes in 2009.

Apparently a side controversy has sprung up involving former coach Lloyd Carr. A Dispatch report claimed that he worked behind the scenes to make sure Boren would get his release from the university. Carr flatly denies that.

Either way, Boren is not exactly receiving great press for the move. Unless being called "turncoat" qualifies as a positive.

OSU Doubles Up in PA

Just one day after landing standout PA linebacker Dorian Bell, the Buckeyes went back into the Keystone state to grab another blue chip prospect. This time it was Jordan Hall, a 4-star all-purpose running back from Jeanette. Teammates last year with future Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor, Hall said he would have gone to OSU even without Pryor.

With Maurice Wells graduating and the NFL looming for Beanie Wells, Hall will join a very short depth chart at running back next year. With his speed and hands, he's likely to see time carrying the ball and catching it out of the slot.

Buckeyes Land Elite PA Linebacker

For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes have pulled off a huge recruiting coup. 5-star linebacker Dorian Bell of Gateway announced his commitment to Ohio State this afternoon. That gives the Buckeyes #1 player in the state of Pennsylvania (again) and one of the best linebacker prospects in the country (again).

Dressed in all Buckeye gear, Bell told the media he felt like he "never left home" on his visits to Columbus. Bell had offers from top programs around the country, including Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Rutgers, Michigan, and Notre Dame. He projects as a strong side linebacker, but could play the weakside.

Bell is listed as the #22 player in the country by Rivals.com and #7 overall by Scout.com. As usual, we go out of our way to discount ESPN's recruiting rankings.