Bill Kurelic August Posts

August 26, 1998
Having already secured commitments from eleven of the top prospects in the state of Ohio, things could not be going too much better for the Buckeyes in recruiting their home state. However, one player that they had offered a scholarship to has unfortunately narrowed things down to two schools, and Ohio State is not one of the two. QB/Athlete Andy Mignery (6-5, 225, 4.8) from Hamilton High School has scholarship offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois and Northwestern. Those had been the schools Mignery was considering, however he now says he has narrowed his choices down to either Tennessee or Michigan. Mignery told me that he will probably wait until the first week of the season before making a decision, and added he would likely pick either the Volunteers or the Wolverines sometime between his first game and mid-season.

Making unofficial visits to home football games is a very big part of the recruiting process, and that all begins this weekend. In fact, three of the top players in the Midwest that all have Ohio State as one of their top choices and have been offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes, are either going to be making an unofficial visit elsewhere this weekend or might do so.

OL Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio tells me that he will probably make an unofficial visit this weekend to Michigan State to see the Spartans take on Colorado State. Clarke says that Ohio State and Michigan State are still his co-leaders, but he did mention that Penn State is coming on fast. Those three schools have offered him a scholarship, and the the other school that Clarke is considering is Syracuse. Clarke did tell me that he is leaning towards making official visits before he picks his college.

LB T.J. Duckett (6-3, 240, 4.55) from Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School in Michigan says he is definitely planning on taking in the Spartan's game this weekend. Duckett once again to told me that his top three choices in no particular order remain Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan, although he said he is now more seriously considering Florida State. The other schools Duckett mentioned were UCLA, Penn State, and Notre Dame, and all of the schools on his list have offered him a scholarship. Even though Duckett is going to go to the Michigan State game this weekend, don't expect him to commit to the Spartans at this early point. He says that he too is planning to take at least some of his official visits before he decides on a college.

OL Aaron Hodges (6-5, 275, 5.0) from Olympia Fields Rich Central High School in Illinois is probably going to go to the Michigan State game this weekend. Hodges told me that his current top five, in no particular order, remain Illinois, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Northwestern. All but the Irish have offered a scholarship. One change, however, is that Hodges had previously named Illinois as his favorite. But he now says that he has no leader whatsoever. Hodges mentions that he will probably take most or all of his official visits before he makes his decision, and those five schools will probably be the schools he visits.

The Buckeyes as usual are making a strong effort to recruit the state of Florida, and one of the top prospects in that state who tells me he is very interested in Ohio State is LB Kendyll Pope (6-3, 215, 4.5) from Lake City Columbia High School. Pope made 197 tackles including 5 sacks from his middle linebacker spot last season. He could play either middle or outside linebacker in college. Pope has a 2.5 core GPA and will need to raise his ACT score. He tells me his current top choices are Florida State, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, North Carolina, and Georgia, and said all six schools have offered him a scholarship. Pope has not set up any of his official visits, but tells me he definitely plans to take one to Ohio State. Pope mentioned that Ohio State has one of the best linebackers in college football, as well as a great program.

Another outstanding linebacker from the state of Florida that is interested in Ohio State, in fact he names the Buckeyes as his top choice, is Corey Collier (6-2, 220, 4.6) from Miami Palmetto High School. Collier made 135 tackles, including 4 sacks, from his inside linebacker spot last season. He has a 2.5 GPA and awaiting his test score. Collier told me that his top four choices are Ohio State, Florida State, West Virginia and Maryland, with the latter two having already offered a scholarship. Collier added that Ohio State is his favorite team right now, and said that he likes the Ohio State program and he feels he could get a good education at Ohio State if he wound up signing with the Buckeyes. Collier also mentioned that he hopes to watch the Ohio State - West Virginia game on television.

Two more linebackers from the state of Florida that are very interested in Ohio State are Jerrell Weaver (6-3, 205, 4.52) and this twin brother Jermell Weaver (6-2, 200, 4.52). The Weavers are form Northwestern High School in Miami. Jerrell is an outside linebacker who had 18 sacks last season. He has a 2.9 GPA and an 16 on the ACT. Jerrell tells me that his three favorites are Florida, Miami and Ohio State, though he is also looking at West Virginia and Wake Forest. He said the Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship yet, though the other schools have indicated they should have a scholarship available. Jerrell mentioned that he has been very impressed with what he has heard from coach Bill Conley and he is very hopeful of making an official visit to Ohio State. His brother Jermell also has a 2.9 GPA and a 16 on the ACT. He recorded 15 sacks last season. Jermell also names Florida, Miami and Ohio State as his top three choices, though he too is looking at West Virginia and Wake Forest.

August 20, 1998
In our last post, I told you the very latest news on super quarterback Chris Simms from New Jersey. Simms is arguably the the country's most talented quarterback, but he is only one of a number of outstanding prospects from New Jersey that are very interested in Ohio State. Fullback/linebacker Len Cusumano (6-2, 215, 4.5) from Little Falls Pasaic Valley High School is another standout from New Jersey that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to. Cusumano played tight end and defensive end as a junior, catching 14 passes and making 67 tackles, including 9 sacks. However, he is being recruited more as a full back or a linebacker for college. Cusumano has a 3.5 GPA, and scored a 910 on the SAT. He told me that he is leaning toward staying close to home and playing in the East, but one school that he would consider going farther away for, he said, would be Ohio State. Cusumano told me that he is looking at Syracuse, Boston College, Penn State, Pittsburgh, maybe North Carolina, and Ohio State, and all of those schools have offered him a scholarship. I asked him what he liked about Ohio State, and he quickly replied "everything" and mentioned that the Buckeyes have a great team with excellent academics. He said it is very possible he would make an official visit to Ohio State.

DB Mike Postell (6-0, 185, 4.4) from Aberdeen Matawan High School is another fine player from the state of New Jersey that the Buckeyes are interested in. Postell made 74 tackles and picked off 4 passes from his cornerback spot last season. As a sophomore, he intercepted 7 passes. Postell has a 2.6 GPA and scored an 18 on the ACT. He told me that Ohio State and Kansas State are his top two choices, though he is also looking at Virginia, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and North Carolina State. Postell said that the Buckeyes have indicated that they should have a scholarship available, and he does plan to make an official visit to Ohio State.

Yet another standout from New Jersey that is very interested in Ohio State is OLB/DE Shawn Price (6-3, 225, 4.5) from Haddon Heights High School. Price is a standout athlete who has been a two-way varsity starter in football since his freshman season. He also plays basketball and runs track. Price has run a 10.8 100 meters and made it to the state meet throwing the shot as well. Price tells me he is very interested in Ohio State, but also likes Florida State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia, Michigan, Florida and UCLA. Price says West Virginia, Syracuse and Florida State have indicated a scholarship is available.

One player from the state of New Jersey that had previously named Ohio State in his top four has now narrowed things down to two schools. DL Tom Martin (6-5, 250, 4.7) from Farmingdale Howell High School had previously named Penn State, Boston College, Ohio State and West Virginia as the schools he was most interested in. However when I spoke to him the other night, he has now narrowed things down to Penn State and Boston College.

Moving down to the state of Florida, one of the top DBs from the Sunshine State tells me he thinks he will make an official visit to Ohio State. Lito Sheppard (5-11, 185, 4.3) from Jacksonville Raines High School is a two-way standout that will likely play corner back in college, though he is a fine wide-out too. Sheppard made 32 tackles and picked off 10 passes last season while also catching 24 passes and averaging 24 yards per catch. He has 2.5 GPA and a 780 on the SAT. Sheppard tells me that he is looking at Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Auburn, Tennessee, Nebraska, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. He says Florida would probably be his leader right now, but added that he would in all likelihood visit Ohio State.

From Florida, lets move to the other coast and tell you about an outstanding prospect from California that is very interested in Ohio State. Omar Nazel (6-4, 220, 4.7) is a fine OLB from Skyline High School in Oakland. Nazel made 52 solo tackles, including 15 sacks last season. He has a 2.3 GPA and scored an 840 on the SAT. Nazel tells me that he has been interested in Ohio State for a long time, and when the Buckeyes called in May and indicated a scholarship should be available, his interest grew even more. Nazel said that in addition to Ohio State, he is also looking at Washington, Arizona State, Colorado and Nebraska.

August 14, 1998
In our last post, we gave you the good news that the Buckeyes had received verbal commitment number 12, RB Jesse Kline (6-2, 210, 4.5) from Upper Arlington High School in Ohio. The Buckeyes have done a tremendous job of recruiting their home state, but there are still several prospects that they would love to land. Certainly OL Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School is one of those players that the Buckeyes would love to get a commitment from. Another one the Bucks have offered a scholarship to is QB/Athlete Andy Mignery (6-5, 225, 4.8) from Hamilton. Mignery has been saying for quite some time that he might make a decision before the start of this season. However, to this point he has still not made a commitment to anyone. Previously, Mignery had named Michigan, Tennessee, and Northwestern as his three leaders, but now he seems to be leaning toward Michigan, Tennessee or Ohio State. Also still in the picture are Indiana and Northwestern, and Illinois is now in the running as well. The Buckeyes, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois have all offered Mignery a scholarship. Yet another Ohioan that the Buckeyes are still very interested in landing is RB Richard Hall from Cincinnati Wyoming High School. The 5-11, 190 pound Hall is a tremendous talent, who if he takes care of things academically, should have a great future ahead of him. Hall has yet to make a decision as well. Also keep in mind TE Aaron Lumpkin (6-4, 235, 4.7) as well from Trotwood Madison High School.

Moving out-of-state, certainly quarterback Chris Simms from New Jersey is one the Buckeyes would love to add to this recruiting class. There had been a report in a newspaper in New Jersey indicating that Simms had narrowed things down to three schools, Penn State, Ohio State and Florida State. However when I spoke with Simms on Wednesday night, he indicated that is not currently the case. Simms says that he has narrowed things down to five schools, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida State, Texas, and Michigan. Simms emphasized that he does not have any current favorite. He also mentioned that his first game is not until the weekend of September 19th, so he might take official visits the weekends of September 5th and September 12. The Buckeyes and Michigan both play away games the weekend of September 5th, so he obviously would not be able to visit either one of those schools on that weekend. The weekend of September 12th, the Buckeyes play at home against Toledo, while Michigan plays at home against Syracuse. It remains to be seen if he visits either of those schools that weekend.

Another out-of-state prospect, in fact out-of-the-country prospect that the Buckeyes are interested in is OL/DL Watshidimba Kabongo (6-7, 295, 5.2) from Quebec, Montreal Vanier. He is one of the top prospects in Canada. Kabongo, who is already 19 years old, moves pretty well for his size and has great feet. He played OT, TE and DE, and could play on either side of the ball in college. Kabongo has a 2.6 GPA and an 890 on the SAT. "Wa", as he goes by, tells me he likes Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Syracuse, Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame and Michigan State. He went to Northwestern's camp this summer, and while on the way stopped at Notre Dame. Kabongo told me that he does not have any favorites, but said he would definitely like to make official visits to Ohio State and Notre Dame before he makes a decision. He says that Michigan, Nebraska, and Syracuse have offered him a scholarship so far.

Another OL that is interested in Ohio State is Brian Duffy (6-5, 300, 5.2) from Brick Memorial in New Jersey. Duffy has a 2.6 GPA and scored an 820 on the SAT. He tells me Ohio State and Notre Dame are his two favorite schools, though he is also looking at Pitt, Michigan, Maryland, Boston College, Iowa, and Duke. Some of those have offered him a scholarship, though the Buckeyes have not.

Yet another lineman from the East that is interested in Ohio State is Keith Leavitt (6-8, 285, 5.1) from Fitchburg High School in Massachusetts. He is a fine two-way lineman that will likely be an OL in college. Leavitt has a 3.4 GPA and has passed his test. He is looking at Penn State, Syracuse, Boston College, and Pitt, and says those schools have all offered him a scholarship, but he is also interested in Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia.

August 11, 1998
More good news has come the Buckeyes way as RB Jesse Kline committed to Ohio State today. Kline (6-2, 210, 4.5) from Upper Arlington High School in Ohio picked Ohio State over Michigan who had also offered. Kline rushed for 2310 yards last season, averaged 7.8 per carry, and scored 33 touchdowns. He has a 3.7 GPA, and scored a 1230 on the SAT. He gave coach Cooper and coach Conley the good news at the Buckeyes practice session. Kline said he will at least begin his career as a RB, but it is up in the air whether he will ultimately play RB or FB. Kline said the big reason he chose the Buckeyes over the Wolverines is because of the people at Ohio State. He said every person he met at Ohio State has been a genuinely nice person. He added that he couldn't have made a bad decision between Ohio State and Michigan, but the people swayed him to the Buckeyes.

On the other hand, an outstanding defensive lineman who had Ohio State as one of his top three choices and who had been offered a scholarship by Ohio State has unfortunately committed elsewhere. Jarrett Johnson (6-4, 260, 4.8) from Chiefland, Florida has committed to Alabama over Florida State and Ohio State.

On to better news regarding prospects in the state of Florida that the Buckeyes are recruiting. Bryce Bishop (6-4, 300, 5.1) from Miami, Killian High School continues to have Ohio State as his top choice. Bishop, who is one of the country's finest offensive tackle prospects, told me when I spoke to him again that he will definitely make an official visit to Ohio State, though he does not have an exact date set up yet. He said that Ohio State remains his leader, with Florida State and Michigan rounding out his top three choices.

Another offensive lineman the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to from the state of Florida is tentatively planning to make an official visit to Ohio State to see the Ohio State-Michigan game. In previous updates I had mentioned that DE Clint Mitchell from Florida will make an official visit to see either the Ohio State-Penn State game or the Ohio State Michigan game. I've also mentioned that offensive lineman Nick Johnson from Arizona is scheduled to make an official visit to see the Ohio State-Michigan game. Now, Alex Jackson, (6-5, 285, 5.1) from Quincy Shanks High School in Florida tells me he will probably make his official visit to Ohio State to see the Buckeyes take on Michigan. Jackson in previous conversations had told me that Ohio State and Kentucky were his top two choices. He now says that he does not have any clear cut leader or top two, but the Buckeyes are still very high on his list. Jackson mentions Ohio State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Alabama and Auburn as the schools he is most interested in. All have offered a scholarship. He said that in addition to Ohio State, he will likely visit Kentucky for one of their November home games, and that Ohio State and Kentucky will probably be the only two in-season official visits he will make.

TE Josh Tucker (6-5, 240, 4.65) from Moore, Oklahoma tells me that the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship and he will probably make an official visit to Ohio State. Tucker, who caught 7 passes in a very run oriented offense, has a 3.3 GPA and scored a 19 on the ACT. He tells me that Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Ohio State have offered him a scholarship, and he is looking at those three as well as Colorado and Nebraska.

Another TE the Buckeyes would love to land is Mike Seidman (6-5, 230, 4.7) from Westlake Village Westlake High School in California. Seidman is arguably the country's finest TE prospect. I spoke with Seidman again. He told me that he is looking at Florida State, Penn State, Michigan, Colorado, Washington, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, and Ohio State, and all of those schools have offered him a scholarship. The one negative is that Seidman said that right now, Penn State, Michigan, USC, and UCLA would be his favorites.

August 4, 1998
Quite awhile back there was a lot of speculation as to whether OL Courtney Morgan (6-4, 315, 5.1) from Los Angeles Westchester High School in California had committed to Ohio State or not. At that time, Morgan was ready to commit to the Buckeyes, but no official offer was on the table. The Buckeyes were and are still very interested in Morgan, in fact he has now set up an official visit to Ohio State. Morgan went to Michigan's football camp in June, and won an award as one of the top offensive linemen at that camp. He also has set up an official visit with the Wolverines for the weekend of December 4th, 5th and 6th. In addition, Morgan has set up an official visit with Ohio State for the weekend of January 8th, 9th and 10th. He tells me that Ohio State, Michigan and USC are his three leaders, though he is also looking at Cal, Northwestern and a few others. One slight question mark is the condition of Morgan's knee. He had arthoscopic surgery in March, and seems to be 100% healthy once again, however most schools would like to see him play at least a couple of games this season before an official offer is tendered.

Courtney Morgan's teammate, RB Charles Drake (6-0, 180, 4.45) also remains interested in Ohio State. Drake, who rushed for 1300 yards and 20 touchdowns last season was at Ohio State's football camp in June. He liked it quite a bit and mentioned that he recently got another letter from Buckeye RB coach Tim Spencer. Drake has been offered a scholarship by BYU, Auburn, and Arizona State, and likes those three as well as Ohio State, USC, Cal, and Nebraska.

Offensive lineman Nick Johnson (6-9, 320, 5.1) from Mingus Union High School in Arizona went to Michigan's senior day/open house recruiting day last Saturday. What Johnson subsequently told me is certainly encouraging news for the Buckeyes. Johnson went from Arizona to Michigan for the recruiting day, then traveled on to Massachusetts to spend a week with his father. Johnson told me that Michigan re-offered him a scholarship while he was in Ann Arbor, however Johnson told the Wolverines that he was not ready to commit, but that he plans to make an official visit to Michigan. Johnson continues to have Ohio State, Michigan, UCLA, Arizona State and Nebraska as his top five schools, with the first four having already offered a scholarship. In comparing Ohio State and Michigan, Johnson told me that at least at this point, he likes Ohio State better.

"Blue-Chip" LB T.J. Duckett (6-3, 240, 4.55) from Kalamazoo Loy North High School in Michigan also attended Michigan's recruiting day, and did not make a commitment. He has been saying all along that he is planning on making some official visits before making a decision. Duckett continues to have, in no particular order, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State as his top three choices, though he continues to have many other schools under consideration as well, including Notre Dame, UCLA, Florida State, Florida and Tennessee. An interesting sidelight is that Michigan State had a recruiting day the same day as Michigan's, and Duckett chose to go to the Wolverine's recruiting day rather than Michigan State's. Of course, Duckett's older brother, Tico, played for the Spartans.

DB Atari Callen (5-10, 185, 4.4) from Concord DeLaSalle High School in California tells me that Ohio State remains one of his top choices. Callen picked off two passes last season while also rushing for 1280 yards. He did all that despite missing four games with an injury. Callen has a 2.7 GPA and scored an 840 on the SAT. He has run a 10.5 100 meters in track and is one of the country's finest cover corners. Callen names Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan, Washington, Cal and Oregon as the schools he is most interested in at this point. He says Ohio State, Washington and Cal have offered him a scholarship. Callen has set up one official visit, that being to Washington the first weekend in December, and also says he is planning to make an official visit to Ohio State, though an exact date has not been set up.

LB/FB Elmer Holmes (6-0, 215, 4.5) from Osborn High School in Manassas, Virginia tells me that Ohio State has offered him a scholarship. Holmes made 159 tackles including eight sacks last season and also rushed for 1019 yards from his fullback spot. He could play either position in college. Holmes has a 2.5 GPA and will not take his test until this fall. He tells me he has never been to Ohio State and has not set up any of his official visits, but is highly considering the Buckeyes for one of those trips. Holmes names Ohio State, Penn State, North Carolina, Virginia, and Michigan in no particular order as his favorites. He says all but the Wolverines have already offered him a scholarship.

The Buckeyes have already landed one quarterback prospect in this recruiting class, Craig Krenzel from Michigan, and would love to add Chris Simms from New Jersey as well. However another QB prospect they are interested in is Ryan Schneider (6-2, 200, 4.75) from Plantation, Florida. Schneider passed for 1800 yards and 25 touchdowns last season with just six interceptions. He has a 3.0 GPA and a 930 on the SAT. Schneider tells me that the Buckeyes called him in May, and he is looking at Ohio State as well as Florida, Florida State, Miami, West Virginia, Michigan and Maryland. He says that West Virginia and Maryland have offered scholarships. Schneider indicated that right now he does not have any favorites.

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