June Posts by Bill Kurelic June 30, 1998 5:30 PM There are a few colleges that have camps that are still going on or are scheduled for the month of July, but for the most part the bulk of the camps have wrapped up, including all of the Buckeye sessions. Last week Michigan's big week of camp concluded, which is of particular importance to Ohio State since a number of outstanding prospects being recruited by both Ohio State and Michigan were at that Michigan camp session. One, linebacker Dave Pearson (6-3, 240, 4.7), from Brighton, Michigan had attended Ohio State's camp before going to Michigan's camp. Pearson committed to the Wolverines near the end of last week, though that was not a big surprise. Pearson had previously told me that Michigan was his top choice. He had not been offered a scholarship by Ohio State while at the OSU camp. On the other hand, super linebacker T.J Duckett (6-3, 240, 4. 55) from Michigan, who also attended both Ohio State's and Michigan's camps did not commit to the Wolverines. Duckett told me on Friday afternoon that his top three, in no particular order, remain Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan. He attended camps at all three schools this month, and said he had a good time at each. Duckett said he is still looking at other schools as well, and is planning to take some official visits before making a decision. Defensive tackle Ellington Wills (6-4, 280, 4.8) from Detroit Central High School was a one-day participant at Michigan's camp last week. Wills told me that as of right now, he is no longer considering the Wolverines, and names Michigan State as his leader, but is also still interested in Ohio State, Purdue, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Of those schools, Michigan State, Purdue and Minnesota have offered Wills a scholarship. Defensive back Anquan Boldin (6-1, 200, 4.45) from Pahokee, Florida started a Midwest trip with a stop at Ohio State's camp, and wrapped things up with a stop at Michigan's camp. Boldin played QB, WR, and FS, as well as returned punts and did his team's punting last season. He is a tremendous athlete who rushed for over 2000 yards and 22 touchdowns and passed for over 1500 yards and connected for 11 scores. On defense, Boldin picked off 5 passes, 3 of which he returned for touchdowns. Boldin has a 3.1 GPA and took the ACT earlier this month. Boldin told me he had a great time at both Ohio State and Michigan's camps. He said that his favorites right now, in no particular order, are Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, Auburn, Notre Dame and West Virginia. Boldin says all of those schools have indicated they will have a scholarship available. He told me that he indicated to both Ohio State and Michigan at their camps that he is not ready to make a decision, but is planning to make an official visit to both schools. Another player that went to camp at both Ohio State and Michigan is QB/Athlete Andy Mignery (6-5, 225, 4.8) from Hamilton, Ohio. Mignery, who has been a varsity starter since his freshman season, has a 3.8 GPA and a 940 on the SAT. As a freshman and sophomore he played running back before moving to QB as a junior. Mignery says he is being recruited as an athlete who could play QB, tight end or H-back in college, and perhaps punt. He averaged almost 40 yards per punt last season. Mignery says that he had a very good time at both Ohio State's and Michigan's camps, and has now been offered a scholarship by both schools. He is considering those two along with Indiana and Illinois, who have also offered. Mignery is currently at Northwestern's camp and told me on Friday that he expects the Wildcats to offer as well. Mignery says that as of right now, he is planning to wait and take some official visits, but it is not out of the question that he could make an early decision. He did mention that coach Cooper brought him into his office and talked to him about the potential to battle for the Ohio State punting job right away since Brent Bartholomew will be a senior this season. Another Ohioan who was at Michigan's camp was RB/LB B. J. Askew (6-3, 205, 4.5) from Cincinnati Colerain High School. Askew won an award at Michigan's camp as one of the top running back prospects. He told me that Lloyd Carr called him into his office and talked to him some about a scholarship, though Askew said that nothing is official at this point. Askew indicated that he expects an official offer from Michigan as soon as he passes his ACT. Right now Askew has a 2.9 GPA and a 16 on the ACT. He said Michigan is his leader, though he is also interested in Michigan State who has already offered him a scholarship. Two other schools he is interested in are Ohio State and Notre Dame. Defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha (6-2, 195, 4.5) from Harbor City Narbonne High School in California was offered a scholarship by Michigan at their camp last week. However, Asomugha is planning to make some official visits before making his decision. He told me that Michigan, Stanford, Colorado, and Notre Dame have indicated a scholarship is available, and he is looking at those four as well as UCLA and Ohio State. QB John Navarre (6-6, 225, 4.8) from Cudahy, Wisconsin, went to Michigan's camp and said he was offered a scholarship. He had also previously made an unofficial visit to Ohio State. Navarre completed 56% of his passes for 1500 yards and 16 touchdown last season. He has been to camps thus far at Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, and is currently at Northwestern's camp. Navarre has been offered a scholarship by Wisconsin, Northwestern Michigan, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Michigan State, and Kentucky. He has been looking at all of those schools as well as Notre Dame, Purdue and as I mentioned made an unofficial visit to Ohio State. One player that was at Michigan's camp who had previously indicated an interest in the Buckeyes but is no longer highly considering Ohio State is WR/RB Bryan Scott (6-2. 205, 4.5) from Buckingham Central Bucks East in Pennsylvania. Scott was also offered a scholarship by Michigan, and currently names Michigan, Penn State, North Carolina and Virginia as his top four. Of the four, only North Carolina has yet to offer. And finally, a player that Ohio State had offered a scholarship to who is almost a certainty to head to Notre Dame is OL Brennan Curtin (6-8, 295, 5.2) from North Palm Beach Benjamin in Florida. He is one of the country's top offensive tackle prospects. Benjamin had been looking at and offered a scholarship by, Notre Dame, Florida State, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke. He says it is his intention to go to Notre Dame as long as he is accepted by the Irish admissions department. Official word on that acceptance has not yet come, but it should since Curtin has a close to a 3.0 GPA, and a 1200 on the SAt. It is not a huge surprise that he would want to go to Notre Dame since his dad is an Irish alumnus. June 24, 1998 6:00 PM Offensive lineman Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School told me on Tuesday night that he had a very good time at Ohio State and was very impressed. The Buckeyes of course re-offered him a scholarship however he did not commit. Clarke told me that he still needs to talk things over with his parents and think things through, and he said in all likelihood he will not make a decision soon. Clarke said he's thinking right now that he will probably make a couple of official visits before making a decision. He said he is highly considering a visit to Colorado, as he put it, to see what it is like out there. He also mentioned Syracuse as another school he is now considering, but for the most part, Ohio State and Michigan State are the two schools most highly under consideration. Both have offered a scholarship and look for his decision to come down to one of the two. Clarke said that he is constantly going back and forth between the Buckeyes and the Spartans. "Blue-Chip" quarterback Chris Simms (6-5, 210, 4.7) from New Jersey was very impressive at the Buckeyes camp, in particular showing uncanny accuracy on the long pass. In fact Simms teamed with Buckeye commitment Maurice Lee as an outstanding passing duo. Simms told me last night he was extremely impressed while at Ohio State. He said he liked it a lot, and emphasized that Ohio State is definitely one of his top choices, however he too did not commit to the Buckeyes. That is not surprising since he has told me all along that he is going to take some official visits before making a decision. Simms mentioned that he loved the Ohio State campus and was impressed with the great football tradition. He said that Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State, Michigan and Miami are his top choices, though he is also looking at Texas. He has already made unofficial visits to Penn State, Notre Dame (who he has since crossed off his list) and Miami, and said that he is going to try to make an unofficial visit to Michigan in the next month or so. But definitely emphasize that Ohio State is one of his top choices, though he has no clear cut favorite. Another prospect the Buckeyes had previously offered a scholarship, LB T.J. Duckett (6-3, 240, 4.55) from Kalamazoo, Michigan was very impressive at camp as well. Duckett did not commit to Ohio State, but the Buckeyes continue to be one of his top choices, along with Michigan and Michigan State. Duckett has now been to camp at Michigan State and Ohio State, and is going to participate in the second half of this weeks Michigan camp which ends on Friday. A tremendous athlete from Texas made the trip up to this session of the Buckeye football camp. Free safety Gerome Sapp (6-0, 190, 4.5) from Houston Lamar High School is arguably one of the top three prospects in the Lonestar state. Sapp started his journey to the Midwest with a stop at Notre Dame's football camp before coming to Ohio State's camp. Sapp is a great hitter who is a very instinctive safety. Among the schools Sapp is considering are Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame and Florida State, as well as a few others. Virtually everyone has already offered Gerome Sapp a scholarship. Making the trip all the way from California was RB Charles Drake (6-0, 180, 4.45) from Los Angeles Westchester High School. Drake is a teammate of offensive lineman Courtney Morgan who is highly considering the Buckeyes. Drake rushed for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season. He has a 2.6 GPA and a 930 on the SAT. He looked very good at the Buckeyes football camp though he has not been offered a scholarship. Among the schools Drake is considering are Ohio State, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon, Auburn and Michigan State. Another RB that looked good was Adrien Clarke's teammate Derrick Tatum (6-0, 190, 4.4). Tatum rushed for over 1700 yards this past season and scored 21 touchdowns. The Buckeyes are interested, though they have not offered a scholarship. Also in attendance were a number of the Buckeye commitments. QB Craig Krenzel from Michigan looked very, very good. Other commitments in attendance were lineman Tim Anderson from Clyde, Ohio, wide receiver/athlete Maurice Lee from Cleveland South High School, and linebackers Matt Wilhelm from Elyria Catholic High School, Fred Pagac Jr. from Dublin Coffman High School and Pat O'Neill from Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit High School. All in all it was a very impressive group at this session of the Buckeye football camp. In an upcoming update, we'll talk about some other prospects that were in attendance who stamped themselves as prospects the Buckeyes will be keeping an eye on. June 18, 1998 5:00 PM Running back Josh Davis (6-0, 195, 4.45) from Colorado committed to Nebraska. Davis is one of the top prospects in the West and had been offered a scholarship by Ohio State before committing to the Cornhuskers. Another running back that has committed elsewhere is Chris Yura (6-1, 190, 4.5) from Morgantown, West Virginia. Yura, whose father is an Ohio State graduate, committed to Notre Dame. Yura had been very interested in the Buckeyes, however Ohio State had not offered him a scholarship. While talking about the Fighting Irish, they just wrapped up their first session of football camp and an outstanding defensive lineman the the Buckeyes are highly pursuing was at that Notre Dame camp. Cedric Hilliard (6-4, 290, 4.9) from Arlington Lamar High School in Texas is one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the South. Hilliard, who has a 3.5 GPA and a 1080 on the SAT, had 9 sacks this past season. After getting back from the Notre Dame football camp Hilliard told me that he loved it at Notre Dame and Bob Davie offered him a scholarship. Hilliard said that Notre Dame is currently his top choice, but he also added that at this point he is leaning towards waiting and taking some official visits before making a decision. Hilliard says that in addition to Notre Dame, he is looking at Ohio State and Tennessee, who have both offered scholarships, as well as Texas and Florida State. Running back Brent Cummings (5-11, 185, 4.4) from Belding, Michigan made his scheduled unofficial visit to Ohio State on Wednesday. Cummings was accompanied by both his mother and father for an afternoon appointment to meet the Buckeye coaches. Cummings and his family indicated that they were impressed with Ohio State. They toured the facilities and liked what they saw. However, Cummings did not commit to the Buckeyes. He is still considering Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State, who have all offered scholarships, as well as Notre Dame. At this point he plans to go to at least one day of football camp at Michigan next week. And speaking of outstanding running back prospects, arguably the country's top running back prospect is soon going to be making an unofficial visit to Ohio State. Nick Maddox (5-11, 195, 4.4) from Kannapolis Brown High School in North Carolina, attended the first session of football camp at Notre Dame. He was re-offered a scholarship by the Irish, but did not commit. In fact, Maddox left South Bend and headed to Michigan, planning to make unofficial visits to both Michigan and Michigan State. After those two unofficial visits, Maddox plans to travel down to Canton, Ohio for a stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, then travel to Columbus for an unofficial visit with the Buckeyes. In all likelihood, Maddox will be home by the end of the weekend, and I will be speaking with him at that time to get his impressions of his Midwest tour. Maddox has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State, as well as Florida, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Syracuse, and many more across the country. He rushed for 2500 yards, scored 47 touchdowns, and averaged 9.5 yards per carry this past season. There had been some speculation that "Blue-Chip" quarterback Chris Simms (6-5, 210, 4.7) from Franklin Lakes Ramapo High School in New Jersey had perhaps decided not to go to Ohio State's football camp and might not be considering the Buckeyes any more. However, the speculation is totally inaccurate. Chris Simms told me this morning that he is going to be attending the Buckeye camp beginning June 23 through June 26th. He reiterated his interest in the Buckeyes. Thus far Simms has made unofficial visits to Penn State, Notre Dame and Miami, and he says he is going to try to get to Michigan some time this summer as well. Simms told me that his current top six, in no particular order, are Penn State, Ohio State, Miami, Texas, Florida State and Michigan. He also told me that at this point he is definitely planning on taking some of his official visits before making a decision. As the Buckeyes wrap up their first camp session on Friday, they also are preparing for the June 20th camp session, which is going to be a very big one for Ohio State. As I mentioned, Chris Simms will be in attendance at that session, as well as some other of the country's top prospects, including LB T.J. Duckett (6-3, 240, 4.55) from Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School in Michigan, and OL Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio. That trio of Simms, Duckett and Clarke have all been offered scholarships by the Buckeyes, and certainly the Buckeyes would love to land a commitment from one, two or all three of them. All three have indicated they will not likely make early decisions, and will make at least some of their official visits. But if any of the three were going to have a change of heart, it would seem that Adrien Clark would be the most likely to make an early commitment to the Buckeyes. June 15, 1998 10:30 PM Let's first address the rumor that is going around that linebacker T. J. Duckett from Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School in Michigan had committed to Michigan State. I spoke on Sunday night to one of Duckett's brothers who said that T. J. had absolutely not committed to Michigan State nor anyone else for that matter. T. J. is currently out of town, but his brother said that T. J. is planning on going through the recruiting process, which is consistent with what T. J. has been telling me. T. J. has been telling me all along that in no particular order, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State are his top three choices. He is also interested in a many other schools across the country, including Notre Dame, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State and Northwestern. Duckett is planning on attending the Ohio State football camp probably the second session. The Buckeyes held a recruiting day on Sunday and it was well attended. Among those in attendance were a good portion of Ohio State's verbal commitments, including RB Kelton Lindsay, OL Matt Zahn, LB Fred Pagac Jr., LB Matt Wilhelm, DB Curtis Crosby and DB Mike Doss. One player that was not in attendance who at one point was planning on making the trip to Columbus was RB Chris Yura (6-1, 190, 4.5) from Morgantown, West Virginia. Yura told me on Sunday that he has not been hearing from the Buckeyes quite as much lately. He previously had Notre Dame and West Virginia as his top two choices, both of which had offered him a scholarship. However Yura now says that Notre Dame and Penn State are his top two choices, with Ohio State, Purdue and Northwestern the other schools he is interested in. He says he is now thinking he would like to get away from home, and for that reason is no longer seriously considering West Virginia, at least for now. Yura left no doubt that if Ohio State picks up their interest in him, he in turn would be very interested in the Buckeyes. And speaking of running backs, a super one from Michigan that did not make it to the Buckeyes recruiting day Sunday, but will be in Columbus on Wednesday is Brent Cummings (5-11, 185, 4.4) from Belding, Michigan. Cummings told me on Sunday night that he will be making a one-day unofficial visit to Ohio State on Wednesday (June 17). He will not be attending Ohio State's football camp that day, it will simply be an unofficial visit to Ohio State. Cummings has Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame for the most part as his four finalists. All but Notre Dame have offered him a scholarship. Cummings has been telling me all along that Michigan is his leader, and he said on Sunday that was probably still the case. But he also added that he would know more after his visit to Columbus on Wednesday. He has never been to Ohio State, so this is a very important trip for not only Cummings, but the Buckeyes as well. Cummings is also planning on going to Michigan's football camp for at least one day, and a commitment to someone in the near future is a definite possibility. Cummings teammate, OL Eric Faasen (6-9, 340) from Belding, Michigan did make the trip down to the Buckeyes' recruiting day on Sunday. Faasen, who is in very good shape academically, is considering Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, and Indiana, among others. The Buckeyes have not offered Faasen a scholarship. However, a player that they have offered a scholarship to that was also at the recruiting day on Sunday is RB Jesse Kline (6-2, 210, 4.5) from Upper Arlington High School. Kline had previously told me that the three main schools he is considering are Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. While Kline did make the visit with the Buckeyes on Sunday, he unfortunately did not commit. The Buckeyes' football camps starts on Tuesday (June 16th) and as usual they will be very well attended. Commitments are always a very realistic possibility. However, in addition to Ohio State's camps, other colleges are having their camps as well, and the Buckeyes are certainly well aware of players that they are in pursuit of that will be attending other camps. One of those is OL Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio. Clarke is scheduled to attend Michigan State's camp which began Sunday, June 14th. Clarke has been offered a scholarship by the Spartans was well as Ohio State, Michigan, and many others, so that is one that we will certainly keep an eye on. The Buckeyes are pursuing some outstanding prospects in Virginia, two of which they have already offered a scholarship to, and both say that Ohio State is one of the schools they are definitely interested in. LB Matt Farrior (6-2, 215, 4.6) from Ettrick Matoaca High School in Virginia is one of the top OLB prospects east of the Mississippi. Farrior is a tremendous talent who had six sacks and picked off three passes as a junior. He has s 2.9 GPA and took the SAT earlier this month. Farrior told me this weekend that the schools he interested in, in no particular order, are North Carolina, Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, and Notre Dame, and he says all of those schools have already offered him a scholarship. Yet another linebacker from the state of Virginia the Buckeyes are pursuing is Elmer Holmes (6-0, 215, 4.5) from Manassas Osborn High School. Holmes, who has been a varsity starter at linebacker since his freshman season, made 159 tackles including 8 sacks as a junior. He also rushed for 1019 yards as a fullback and could play either position in college. Holmes has a 2.5 GPA and will take his test in the Fall. This past weekend he told me that he is looking at Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech, and says that all of them except Michigan have already offered a scholarship. Holmes indicated that he has always been interested in Ohio State and his interest was heightened when the Buckeyes called him. One of the top two prospects in the state of Minnesota tells me that the Buckeyes have called him and the Ohio State has been added to his list. Thomas Tapeh (6-2, 205, 4.5) from St. Paul Johnson High School rushed for 1,864 yards in just 7 games this past season. Originally from Liberia, Tapeh is a standout soccer player who took up football for the first time as a sophomore. He now considers himself a full-time football player, and is one of the best in the Midwest. Tapeh is also an All-Conference basketball player and track athlete as well. He tells me the schools he is currently interested in are Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin who have all offered scholarships, but he is also looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Michigan State. June 11, 1998 Courtney Morgan's teammate, running back Charles Drake (6-0, 180, 4.45), is also interested in Ohio State. In fact, Drake just rececntly sent a game tape to the Buckeyes. He rushed for 1300 yards and scored 20 touchdowns this past season. Drake has a 2.6 GPA and scored a 930 on the SAT. He names USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Arizona State, Oregon, Auburn and Michigan State as schools he is interested in. And speaking of prospects from the state of California, an outstanding defensive back tells me the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship and he has the Buckeyes as one of his top six choices. Atari Callen (5-10, 185, 4.4) from Concord DeLaSalle High School in Calironia is one of the top cornerbacks on the West Coast. Callen picked off two passes this past season while also rushing for 1280 yards and 29 touchdowns. He did all this despite missing four games. Callen has a 2.7 GPA, scored an 840 on the SAT, and has run a 10.5 100 meters. Callen tells me that Washington, Arizona, Ohio State and Cal have a scholarship available, and he is looking at those four as well as UCLA and Michigan. Defensive end Cole Pittman (6-5, 260, 4.8) from Shreveport Evangel in Louisiana is one of the country's top defensive end prospects. Pittman made 78 tackles including 13 sacks last season as he led his team to a 15-0 record and a state championship. He has a 3.5 GPA and scored an 18 on the ACT. Pittman tells me that he is wide open on his college choice, but that he is definitely interested in Ohio State. In addition to Ohio State, some other schools that Pittman is interested in include Florida, Florida State, LSU, Texas, Nebraska, Penn State and USC. A number of those schools have offered Pittman a scholarship. Tight end Jason Rader (6-5, 225, 4.6) from St. Albans High School in West Virginia, is a fine prospect that names Ohio State as one of the schools he is interested in. Rader caught 50 passes as a junior, averaged 15 yards per catch, and scored 8 touchdowns. He has a 4.0 GPA and scored a 17 on the ACT. Rader made an unofficial visit to Purdue last weekend and was offered a scholarship by the Boilermakers. He also names West Virginia, Pitt, Michigan State and Marshall as schools he is looking at, and all of those schools have offered him a scholarship as well. Some other schools Rader named include Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan. Rader will go to football camp at West Virginia this month, and has already set up an official visit with the Mountaineers for the first weekend in December. Rader also has an official visit planned to Georgia when the Bulldogs play Tennessee. He attended one of the Buckeyes' Spring practice sessions. The Buckeyes are having a recruiting day this Sunday, and one of the prospects who tells me he will make the trip down to Columbus is DE/TE Tim Frost (6-4, 245, 4.75) from Youngstown, Ohio. Frost played for Youngstown East this past season, but with the school closing will play for Youngstown Ursuline as a senior. Frost had 14 sacks and caught 9 passes this past season. He has a 2.5 GPA and scored a 17 on the ACT which he will take again this Saturday. Frost, who prefers defense, told me that among the schools he is considering are Pitt and Illinois, who have offered scholarships, as well as Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State, West Virginia and Syracuse. Running back Brandon Miree (6-2, 225, 4.5) from Cincinnatti Winton Woods High School, tells me he might attend at least one day of the Buckeyes football camp. Miree rushed for 1343 yards, averaged 10 yards per carry, and scored 18 touchdowns this past season. He has a 2.4 GPA and will take the ACT this coming Saturday. Miree told me that he is going to try to make it to at least one day of football camp each at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State. He is looking at those four, as well as Nebraska, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Boston College and Pitt. Of those schools, Michigan State, Boston College and Pitt have offered him a scholarship. June 8, 1998 The Buckeyes have already secured 10 verbal commitments, and at least two more could soon be on the way. In fact, one could happen as soon as later today or tonight. Offensive lineman Courtney Morgan (6-4, 315, 5.1) from Los Angeles Westchester High School in California told me on Sunday that he will be calling the Buckeyes today (Monday), and providing that he gets a hold of one of the Buckeye coaches, and providing a scholarship offer is still on the table, Morgan said that he is prepared to commit to Ohio State. Morgan told me that as of right now, he is scheduled to go to Michigan's football camp later this month. However, if he does commit to Ohio State, he would cancel that trip to Ann Arbor. Morgan did visit USC on Sunday, and says that Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Arizona State, Northwestern, Cal, and Nebraska are the schools he is currently interested in. However, he leaves no doubt that if a scholarship offer is on the table, he wants to go to Ohio State. Morgan has a 3.0 GPA and scored an 850 on the SAT. He won an award last summer at Michigan's football camp as one of the outstanding linemen at the camp. Morgan is the cousin of running back Christian Morgan who the Buckeyes recruited out of Massilon High School this past recruiting season. Another outstanding offensive line prospect that could commit to the Buckeyes in the near future is Alex Jackson (6-5, 285, 5.1) from Quincy Shanks High School in Florida. Jackson is without question one of the top line prospects in the Sunshine State. He is a wide body who provided excellent protection for his quarterback who threw for over 1500 yards last season. Jackson is an equally outstanding run blocker. He has a fine 3.4 GPA and has scored a 23 on the ACT. Jackson told me on Sunday that he is looking at Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Alabama, and Georgia Tech, and all of those schools have already offered him a scholarship. Two other schools that he is considering are Notre Dame and North Carolina. However Jackson says that Ohio State and Kentucky are his two leaders, and that it is possible that he could make a decision in the next couple of weeks. He added, however, that he might wait and take some official visits. Jackson said he has had his eyes on the Buckeyes for some time, as he is a big Orlando Pace fan. Jackson also has relatives (aunts and uncles) who live in Cleveland. Offensive lineman Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio is another outstanding blocker the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to. Clarke told me on Sunday that he is most interested in Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State, but he also added that Penn State and Notre Dame are now in the picture as well. Of those five schools, Clarke says that the only one that has not offered a scholarship is Notre Dame. Clarke told me that he does not have any clear-cut favorite at this point, and that he is leaning toward making some official visits. However, Clarke will be leaving this coming weekend to go to Michigan State's football camp, and also is scheduled to attend the Buckeyes football camp later this month, so certainly it is not totally out of the question that Clarke could make a commitment to one of those schools at one of those camps. Moving to the state of Michigan, defensive tackle Ellington Wills (6-4, 280, 4.8) from Detroit Central High School told me on Sunday that Ohio State remains one of his top three choices. Wills, who made 128 tackles, including 12 sacks this past season, has a 2.4 GPA and will take the ACT this coming Saturday. Wills told me that his top three remain Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State, though he also is now looking at Purdue and Minnesota. Of the five, Ohio State and Michigan are the only ones that have not yet offered a scholarship. However, the Buckeyes are definitely interested, and Wills told me that coach Stobart was the first recruiter at his school in May. On the other hand, an outstanding lineman that had previously had an interest in Ohio State has committed elsewhere. Robbie Doane (6-7, 270, 4.9) from Coppell, Texas has verbally committed to the Texas Longhorns. Doane had at one time named Ohio State as one of the schools he would take a look at, but now says he has made a final decision and will head to Austin. Defensive lineman Courtney Young (6-5, 285, 4.95) from Bartow, Florida is another outstanding talent who had previously told me that he was interested in Ohio State. When I spoke to Young again, he told me that he is no longer looking at the Buckeyes. Young's academic situation is a big questionmark. Thus, the Buckeyes don't seem to be actively pursuing him at this time. On the other hand, offensive lineman Joseph Patrick (6-7, 300, 5.3) form Ithaca, Michigan, remains interested in Ohio State. Patrick, who has a 3.3 GPA, is one of the top blockers in the state of Michigan. He has already made unofficial visits to Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Northwestern, and will go to Michigan's camp later this month. Patrick also names Ohio State, Purdue, and Stanford as schools he is interested in. He told me that Michigan State, Northwestern, and Notre Dame have already offered scholarships. The Buckeyes have offered scholarships to two outstanding tight ends, Mike Siedman from California and Derek Smith from Kentucky, and both are definitely interested in Ohio State. Another tight end that is interested in Ohio State is Jason Rader (6-5, 225, 4.6) from St. Albans, West Virginia. Rader is one of the top prospects in the state of West Virginia. He is currently on an unofficial visit to Purdue. In fact, he will be back from West Lafayette later today or this evening. Rader had previously told me that among the schools he is considering are Ohio State, West Virginia, Marshall, Purdue, Penn State, Michigan, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Pitt. June 2, 1998 Let's begin with a number of outstanding prospects that the Buckeyes have offered scholarships to who have Ohio State as one of their top choices. In fact, offensive lineman Vernon Carey (6-6, 320, 5.15) from Miami Northwestern High School in Florida has Ohio State as one of his top two choices. Carey started four games on the varsity as a freshman, before becoming a full time starter at offensive tackle as a sophomore. He is one of the top offensive line prospects in the South, has a 2.9 GPA, and scored a 930 on the SAT. When I talked to Vernon Carey last night he told me that Ohio State and Florida State are his top two choices, and Miami of Florida rounds out his top three. Two other schools he mentioned were Florida and West Virginia. Carey said that all five schools have offered him a scholarship. Carey mentioned that Bill Conley has been at his school and has called him, and he is impressed with Conley. Carey had been planning to go to Ohio State's football camp, but will not be able to make it. However, he certainly has a strong interest in the Buckeyes. DE Clint Mitchell (6-7, 240, 4.75) from Clearwater Countryside High School in Florida is another outstanding prospect who has an interest in the Buckeyes. Mitchell played in only five games last season because of torn knee cartilage, but is totally healthy now and is one of the top defensive linemen in the state of Florida. He has a 2.5 GPA and a 21 on the ACT. Mitchell told me last night that coach Heacock has been at his school and called him, and Clint is very excited about the Buckeyes. He says that Ohio State and Florida are two of his top choices. Both have offered a scholarship. Among the other schools he mentioned were Auburn and Michigan State who he said have also indicated they want him. Mitchell said that the only two conferences he has a strong desire to play in are the SEC and the Big Ten. Speaking of defensive ends, one of the country's finest, Darnell Dockett (6-4, 255, 4.7) from Burtonsville Paint Branch High School in Maryland has Ohio State as one of his top four choices. Dockett, who had 11 sacks this past season, has a 3.0 GPA but still needs to pass the SAT. When I spoke to Dockett again he said that Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan and Florida are his current top four choices, and all four have offered him a scholarship. Dockett said that the Seminoles are his leader, but that he is nowhere close to making a decision. Dockett will go to Michigan's football camp later this month. Speaking of football camps, OL Nick Johnson (6-9, 320, 5.1) from Mingus Union High School in Arizona, may be at Ohio State's camp later this month. Johnson is from the Midwest. He was born and raised in Minnesota, and in fact lived there until two years ago. Right now Nick Johnson is back in Minnesota visiting relatives. While in the Midwest, he is contemplating stops at Ohio State and Michigan, perhaps to attend football camp for at least a day or so. In addition to Ohio State and Michigan, Nick Johnson also is looking at Arizona State, Arizona, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Washington, and UCLA. TE Derek Smith (6-6, 235, 4.7) from Fort Thomas Highlands High School in Kentucky tells me that Ohio State is one of his top two choices, and that the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship. Smith, who caught 38 passes this past season, has a 2.9 GPA and scored an 18 on the ACT. He also averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in basketball, and could play that sport in college. When I spoke to Smith the other night, he said that right now he is not leaning to either sport, but that he will play only one of the two as a freshman. After that, he may try to play both in college. For football, Smith said that his current top two are Ohio State and Kentucky. Rounding out his top six are Michigan, Purdue, Penn State, and Tennessee. He said that all six schools have offered him a scholarship. And by the way, Derek Smith's teammate, QB Jared Lorenzen (6-4, 235) at one time named Ohio State as one of the schools that he was interested in. However, with a commitment from Craig Krenzel, the Buckeyes are no longer pursuing Lorenzen particularly hard. Yet another prospect the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is RB Brent Cummings (5-11, 185, 4.4) from Belding, Michigan. Cummings, who rushed for 2,170 yards this past season, has easily qualified academically, and is one of the premier running backs in the Mid-west. When I spoke to Cummings the other night, he told me that Michigan remains his leader, but he is still definitely interested in Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Of the four, the Irish are still the only one that has not yet offered a scholarship. Cummings said that coach Stobart came to one of his track meets in May and has called him as well. Cummings will go to football camp at Michigan for at least one day later this month, and is contemplating committing to the Wolverines. However, at this point, he is not certain when he will make a decision. It could be this month, or sometime later this summer, or, he says, he could wait and go through the recruiting process. Last Month's Posts by Bill Kurelic |