Eleven Warriors

We caught up to several prospects at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indianapolis to discuss the event, Ohio State and recruiting in general. Featured are videos of Ohio State commit Marcelys Jones, a guard from Cleveland Glenville, safety Erick Smith, also from Glenville, Gary (IN) West Side High School wide receiver Lonnie Johnson and Lima Central Catholic defensive back Darius West.

First up, G Marcelys Jones speaking about his performance at the combine, his Christmas Day commitment to Ohio State, his plans to visit other schools such as UCLA, Florida State, Kansas State and USC and what that means in terms of his commitment.

Another clip with Jones, in which he says he's helping to recruit Marshawn Lattimore and Erick Smith, his teammates at Glenville, to Ohio State: "I'm definitely going to try to work my magic."

Glenville S Erick Smith on his visits to Ohio State for the Michigan basketball and football games, and what he likes about Ohio State. Smith also claims the coaching staff at a school will be the most important factor in his decision. This bodes well for Urban Meyer.

Gary (IN) West Side WR Lonnie Johnson on his performance at the combine and some of the visits he's taken. On Ohio State: "The swagger of the school is just amazing."

Lima Central Catholic S Darius West on his communication with Ohio State: "I've been talking three of the coaches a lot: Coach Withers, Coach Coombs and Coach Hinton." On his biggest factor for making a decision: "The biggest factor is definitely academics."

We'll have more on 11W shortly, including a full breakdown of the combine's winners and losers, so stay tuned.

Massillon (OH) Washington ATH Gareon Conley is one top prospects in the state of Ohio for the class of 2013. Conley was a Michigan commit for about nine months, but de-committed back in December, a couple of weeks after Ohio State offered him a scholarship. Conley took a visit to Columbus from December 5th-7th and committed to the Bucks on the visit. I caught up with Conley to talk about the feeling of officially becoming a Buckeye and more:

• Signing: "It felt really good to officially get the process over with. It's an honor to play for Ohio State, Coach Meyer, and the fan base. It's truly an honor."
• Why he chose OSU: "I feel more comfortable as a Buckeye. I know I'll always have people there for me and I'm an Ohio boy."
• Other Signees: "I probably talk to Darron Lee the most. It's a really good class, I can't wait to play with them."
• Meyer: "We have a really good relationship. He's a great coach and I'm excited to play for him."
• Devin Smith (Cousin): "We have a very good relationship. We went to school together and he's one of the main reasons I decided to play football."
• Favorite recruiting memory: "My officially visit to Ohio State when I committed. It felt like home."
• College position: CB or WR (most likely CB)
• Interested in studying business
• Message for Buckeye Nation: "I can't wait to get to Columbus and play football."

Last June, Indianapolis (IN) OG Timothy Gardner committed to Ohio State, or at least he thought he did. It turns out there was some miscommunication between Timothy and the staff and he did not have an offer at the time. The coaches asked Gardner to shed 30 pounds and if he achieved that goal, they would offer him a scholarship. He achieved that goal by the end of July. He was offered at Ohio State's "Friday Night Lights" camp and he committed on the spot. Today he signed his national letter of intent and officially became a Buckeye. I caught up with him to talk about what it meant to become a Buckeye and more:

• Officially a Buckeye: "It's a great feeling to be going to Ohio State. It's something I have always dreamed of and my dream came true."
• Why he wanted to play for OSU: "Well I just took everything into consideration. I just felt at home and it was the best fit for me."
• Preparing for college: "I'm just getting myself physically and mentally prepared for when I enroll in June."
• Coaches: "I talk to Coach Warinner two to three times a week. I also talk to Coach Coombs and Coach Meyer."
• Playing offensive guard at the college level.
• Future teammates: "I love all of them. We all talk a lot."
• Favorite recruiting memory: "I really liked the official visit. They fed us well (laughs).
• Goals: "To graduate college, to get better as a person, and improve on the football field."

Today the Buckeyes officially added 24 new players, which could grow to 25, depending on where Johnny Townsend ends up. I caught up with Toledo (OH) Central Catholic safety Jayme Thompson to talk about officially becoming a Buckeye shortly after he signed his NLOI:

• Signing/Becoming a Buckeye: "It felt amazing. I'm getting closer to my ultimate goal of playing in the NFL. I'm very excited to get to Columbus and play football."
• Favorite memory: "My favorite memory is Urban Meyer telling me, "I don't recruit against West Virginia, I really want you to be part of this program/tradition," and I said, "I wanna play for The Ohio State University."
• Position in college: "Probably free safety, but I might play the STAR position when I come in as a freshmen."
• Relationships with other signees: "It's a group of me, Ezekiel, Cam, and Eli. We're all really close."
• Playing in OSU defensive backfield: "That's kind of why I wanted to come, there's good, strong depth back there, it's one of the best in the country."
• Players he recruited to OSU: "I helped recruit Vonn Bell, James Clark, Mike Mitchell, I talked to him a lot on his official, Donovan Munger, and Mike Hill.
• Living up to Dane's legacy: "There's some pressure, but not really a lot."
• "Message for Buckeye fans: "I'm just extremely excited for the upcoming season. Go Bucks!"

Jayme is currently playing basketball for Toledo Central Catholic. They are one of the best teams in the state. He will enroll at Ohio State in June.

2013 Rossvile (GA) Ridgeland safety Vonn Bell has been one of Ohio States' top targets for quite some time. Bell has taken his time with the recruiting process. However, it's about to come to an end as he will be announcing his college decision on National Signing Day (02/06/2013) at 10 AM EST on ESPN. I caught up with Ridgeland head coach, Mark Mariakis tonight to get the details on Vonn's upcoming decision:

• Alabama visit: "The Alabama trip went well. He was down there for their Championship parade on the Saturday. He also got to go to Coach Saban's house for a dinner and maybe a breakfast. He had a really good talk with Coach Saban."
• Tennessee visit: "In Vonn's words, he said, "It was amazing." The family was pleased to see a big difference in the program from the last time they were there. They were also pleasantly surprised by the new environment on campus."
• Ohio State/Urban: "He has had a good relationship with Coach Meyer from day one. Ohio State is obviously a great football program, with great tradition, but the persistency Coach Meyer and Coach Withers have shown toward Vonn has been incredible."
• Potential Vandy visit/Recruiting coming to an end: "I think it's a possibility, but I don't think he ends up going down this weekend. The family is cutting off recruiting after Thursday and will not have contact with any colleges leading up to the decision. They're going to discuss things as a family Friday, then I will meet with the family Saturday, hopefully in the morning, to see if he's ready to make a decision."
• Coaching visits: "I know Ohio State (Coach Withers), is coming Thursday morning. I don't know about the other two though. I called the schools today to tell them the family is shutting things down after Thursday."
• No decision in mind: "I think it's going to be the toughest decision hes made in his life to this point. He's a relationships kid. He's really close with all of the coaches involved. It was hard for him in narrow things down to twelve and even harder for him to cut it to three. It will be tough for him to tell the other two schools no because he's just so close with coaches from all three schools. He's told me he could be happy at any three of the schools. It's going to come down to one really small factor for him and I don't know what that will be."
• Factors: "The relationships with the coaches is very important. In addition to that, education is an important part of the puzzle. Early playing time will also be important for Vonn.

I could see Bell going to any of his three finalists: Alabama, Ohio State, and Tennessee. I'll stick with my prediction of Bama for now, but I may change it to the Bucks or Vols before signing day. One thing I definitely do know: No decision has been made.

Rossville (GA) Ridgeland S Vonn Bell was on campus this past weekend for his much anticipated official visit. Bell has three schools tied at the top: Alabama, Ohio State, and Tennessee. Bell brought most of his family with him this past weekend so they could check out the school. It sounds like the visit went pretty well. I talked to Bell's high school head coach, Mark Mariakis to get the visit details:

• Visit: "I talked to Vonn's father while they were on their way home from the visit. They had a great time. It was a fantastic visit. Vonn and his family got all their questions answered."
• More: "His dad is stopping by the school tomorrow to tell me more about the visit, so I'll know more tomorrow."
• Upcoming visits: "He's still visiting Alabama next weekend and Tennessee the weekend after that."
• Alabama: "They've been winning a lot of National Championships. They're just one of the premier football programs in the country. Vonn has a really good relationship with Coach Saban. They've done a really good job recruiting him."
• Ohio State: "He really likes the relationship he has formed with Coach Meyer. He also likes that he feels at home at Ohio State."
• Tennessee: "He has been a fan his whole life. They have the emotional vote. He doesn't know much about the new staff, but is excited to meet them on his visit."
• Timetable: "He's going to announce on National Signing Day at 9 A.M.. at the school."
• Factors: "Relationships with the coaches is very important to Vonn. He also wants a good education. The kid is a competitor, so winning is important too."
• Bell was with Jalin Marshall for almost the entire visit. He also was around Shazier, Braxton Miller, and Bradley Roby quite a bit.

One of the Buckeyes' biggest remaining overall targets in the 2013 class is Lawrenceville (GA) Central Gwinnett LB Trey Johnson. The Buckeyes appear to be in the lead for the former Auburn commit as things stand right now. I briefly spoke to Johnson about his upcoming decision at the Under Armour All-American game, January 4th. Here are the details:

• On his decision: "I'm deciding at the Under Armour game, January 4th."
• On Urban Meyer: "I've built a really good relationship with Coach Meyer. I talked to him on Christmas Day."
• On Luke Fickell: "I have a really strong relationship with him. I got to know him when I went to visit for the Michigan game. He has stopped by my school a few times too."
• Hats on the table: Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee, Penn State.
• Schools: "They're all even right now. I feel I'll know which school is right for me the day of my decision."
• Factors: Chance to play early, relationships with coaches, and campus environment.

Despite Johnson saying all schools are even, I think he favors the Buckeyes. I would be pretty surprised if he didn't announce for OSU on ESPN January 4th. The Buckeyes are desperate for linebackers so a commitment from Johnson, paired with a commitment from Mike Mitchell at the Army Bowl, which is the very next day, would be huge for the Buckeyes. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for updates on Johnson and other top recruiting targets.

The Buckeyes are already taking a look at several 2015 prospects in the state of Ohio. While only one, Eric Glover-Williams, holds an offer from the scarlet and gray, many others are already hearing from the Buckeyes. One of these prospects is Cincinnati (OH) Colerain OT George Brown Jr. I caught up with Brown to get the early details on his recruitment:

Sophomore season: "It went ok. I can already tell I have improved in strength and speed from the end of the season and I will continue to work hard."

Recruiting: "It's going good. There are a lot of schools interested in me and I plan working hard so I can go to some camps over the summer and get some offers."

Schools: "Ohio State, Penn State, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Auburn, LSU, Kentucky, Indiana, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Florida."

Visits: "Maybe a few, but I'm getting ready for camps. I'm probably going to go camp at Ole Miss, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Louisville, Tennessee, Florida, and maybe a few others."

Factors: "I like a good family atmosphere and a winning tradition. Also I would want to play my freshman or sophomore year."

Goals: "Help my team in anyway I can, win state and have fun."

2013 Rossville (GA) Ridgeland S Vonn Bell is perhaps the Buckeye's top remaining target in this class. Vonn has taken some time away from the recruiting process to focus on his senior season. However, with the State semi-final this Friday and the season winding down, Bell may be very close to making a decision. I spoke with Bell's Head Coach, Mark Mariakis last night to get some information on Bell's recruitment. Here is the latest:

• Season: "The season has gone well. We lost our first game, but have rolled off 12 straight wins since due to the player's focus and motivation."
• Vonn: "He brings a great football player to our team, he's a kid that makes plays and brings a competitive mindset to the table. He doesn't think he's ever going to lose. At the end of games when it's close, he wants the ball in his hands or to make the big play on defense."
• Recruiting: "He has done nothing recently, he has cut it off for two months. He hasn't taken calls or anything. I think after the season they'll make a decision . He knows everything he needs to know and has all of his questions answered."
• Officials: "From talking to him, I think he's just going to take an official to the school he commits to. Like I said, he has all of his questions answered."
• Finalists: "I think they all bring something different. Tennessee brings the emotion card, he has always been a fan, that's what they have going on. Ohio State has been one of the top schools since day one. He has a close relationship with coach Meyer too. Alabama is Alabama they are the best college football team in the country, every big time player would want an opportunity to play there. It's whatever option feels best for him. There's no bad option in the top three."
• Factors: "I think just the comfort level with the coaching staff at each school, where he feels most comfortable, and the university as a whole."
• Tennessee Coach: "I don't know about that. I think they'll have a new coach in place by the time he's ready to decide, so I'm not sure it will play a huge factor."
• Decision making process: "A few days after the season, I'll sit down with Vonn and his family and we'll talk about setting up a time to make a decision. His family has been very open with me when discussing the process."
• Coaches: "They've still been calling, texting, and stopping by practice, but they know the season is still going on and they won't be bringing the Saban's, the Meyer's, and whoever the new Tennessee coach is in until the season wraps up because they know to give Vonn his space. He has been in close contact with the three schools though."

I will be in close contact with Bell's coach as the situation progresses. Check back for more details when he season comes to an end.

There's a chance the Buckeyes will take one more offensive linemen in the 2013 class. Cass Tech (MI) OG David Dawson is probably the top target still on the board. Dawson de-committed from Michigan in October, but the Maize and Blue are still in the hunt for Dawson and are rumored to be back in the lead for Dawson's services. Here's the latest:

• Official Visits: Ohio State Dec. 7-9, Michigan Dec. 14-16, Alabama Jan. 11, and Michigan State Jan. 18.
• OSU Visit (looking forward to): "Just meeting with the commits and coaches. I've already seen the campus."
• Contact with coaches: "They've visited me a couple of times and we talk on the phone."
• Coaches' pitch: "The visits have all gone well. They just tell me they're going to dominate the Big Ten and I could be a part of that. They also tell me by my sophomore or red-shirt freshmen year, I could compete for a starting job."
• Leader(s): "All four (Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State) are tied. I'd like to stay close to home, but Alabama is Alabama so I definitely like them."
• Michigan: "I just told the coaches the reasons I did what I did and we had a long talk, that's it."
• Would like to make a decision sometime in January.
• Factors: "Playing time, family atmosphere, and how my mom feels."

I will be talking to David again once his visit concludes. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Urban pushed for a commitment on the visit becuase this might be their only shot at landing Dawson.