Eleven Warriors

One of the most impressive players at camp last night was 2014 Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake athlete, Artavis Scott. Not only did Scott camp at Ohio State, he also got the chance to take a look around campus. Scott already holds an offer from the Buckeyes and appears to be very interested. Scott and I discussed his visit, a rumor he may commit soon, and more. Keep reading to get the latest on rising 2014 athlete, Artavis Scott.

• Visit: "I got to see everything. It was a really nice place. I will definitely be back at some point."
• Camp: "It was great getting to play under the lights. It was a fun to compete there."
• Contact with coaches: "I talked to Coach Meyer. He said the could see me in their offense and really wants me to be a Buckeye. The other coaches also told me they really want me to come to Ohio State. My primary recruiter has been Coach Drayton, but I will be talking to Coach Smith some now too."
• Commitment rumor: "I said I would talk to my mom about committing to Ohio State at some point. I wouldn't be any time soon, but I am definitely considering the Buckeyes."
• When does he plan to announce?: "I will be announcing signing day or at the Army Bowl/Under Armour Game."
• Leaders: "No, I don't really have any top schools."
• Future visits: "I'm going to Michigan right now. I'm taking a tour of their campus today and going to their BBQ tomorrow."
• Potential package deal with teammate Mason Cole: "We've talked about it before. It could happen if we both feel comfortable at the same school."
• Factors: "Who has the best offense and who has the best academics to help me succeed in life."
• Future visit to OSU: "I will definitely be back up for a game this year and an official next year."
• Best QB in his opinion: Drew Barker.
• Wants to improve all aspects of his game.
• No offense/defense preference, though most schools like him on offense.

There isn't a lot of tape on Scott right now, therefore he doesn't have as many offers as most would expect after watching him perform tonight. I expect him to "blow up" after the season and add a lot more offers to an already impressive offer list. I think the Buckeyes put themselves in solid position for Scott, but it will be tough to pull him out of Florida. Look for more on Scott when I release my Top 10 campers list later today.

Just a couple of nuggets I have on 2014 quarterback targets, Caleb Henderson and Kyle Allen to share with you all. As well as my thoughts on a couple other things.

Henderson:

I spoke to his father, Eric Henderson,  a couple of weeks ago and he had the following to say:

• Visit: "He loved it. He hadn't been to Columbus since he was 7. The camp went very well."
• More: "He came in Thursday after visiting Michigan. He met with Coach Herman and Coach Meyer, then camped all day Friday. After the camp, we went over to the stadium to check it out."
• Offer: "They said they were going to take their time offering a 2014 quarterback. They want to make sure they offer the right guys. It was also good to hear from Coach Meyer that he didn't need a track star at quarterback, just a guy that can move around in the pocket and make occasional plays with his feet. Caleb can do those things."
• Timetable: "I think he's going to let it play out."
• Why was Caleb a Buckeye fan growing up?: "I don't know, that's a good question. How does a kid ask for an Ohio State t-shirt when he's 7? How does he know stats from all the great Buckeyes like Troy Smith? As a kid he always said he was going to play football for Ohio State. He's inching closer to having the option to pursue that dream."

I got the vibe Caleb is VERY interested in the Buckeyes, even though I didn't speak directly with Caleb. I hope to chat with him after he visits for FNL.

Allen:

Few quick things from talking to another 2014 quarterback target, Kyle Allen out of Scottsdale (AZ):

• Visit: "The day I flew in, I met with Coach Herman. I camped the next day."
• More: "I was with Coach Herman most of the time, but I did meet with Coach Meyer before the camp and he said he wanted me to dominate. I talked to him again afterwards and he said he was impressed. He said they weren't ready to make a decision on offering any 2014 quarterbacks and they'd decide on who to offer late summer or in the fall."
• Next visit: "I'll be back to see the Nebraska game."
• Kyle told me Taivon Jacobs was the most impressive player at the camp.

2014 QB's in general: I think it's safe to say zero 2014 quarterback targets hold a committable offer from the Bucks. I have been told by three different 2014 quarterback recruits that the OSU coaches are saying they haven't offered any quarterbacks in the 2014 class.

Top QB target?: Also some confusion here. Both Allen and Henderson think they're number one on the Buckeyes 2014 quarterback board. I think this just a misunderstanding or just the players getting the vibe they're the number one target. I wouldn't read too much into this.

Taivon Jacobs: The Maryland high school standout is choosing between Maryland, Ohio State, and West Virginia today at noon. I think this is between Maryland and Ohio State, with him becoming a Terp. I haven't heard much about his recruitment, so I could be wrong. Jacobs could be a very good slot receiver or defensive back at the college level.

Vacation: I am going on an eight day vacation to Montenegro, a country in eastern Europe. I won't be very active on the forums or Twitter during this trip. I will be back just in time for FNL coverage though.

Have a great week folks!

Hey all. I've been asked a lot of "Who do you think will commit next." and "Who do you see in the class?" type questions. Thought I'd throw together a quick mock class to answer these questions. Remember these are MY opinions.

Quarterback (1):

J.T. Barrett, Wichita Falls (TX)--- Committed to Ohio State

Name(s) to watch: None

Running Back (1-2):

Ezekiel Elliott, St. Louis (MO)--- Committed to Ohio State

Derrick Green, Richmond (VA)--- Visiting for FNL.

Name(s) to watch: None

Wide Receiver (2-3):

Robert Foster, Monaca (PA)--- Will likely take official to OSU.

Shelton Gibson, Cleveland Heights (OH)--- Heavy Buckeye lean. Rumors are he needs to work on some things off the field before officially becoming a Buckeye.

Name(s) to watch: Levonte Whitfield, Corn Elder, James Quick, Taivon Jacobs.

Tight End (1):

Marcus Baugh, Riverside (CA)--- Committed to Ohio State

Name(s) to watch: None

Offensive Line (1-2):

Evan Lisle, Centerville (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Donovan Munger, Cleveland (OH)--- Could visit soon. Have heard rumors he's a silent verbal. Being recruited as offensive or defensive linemen.

Name(s) to Watch: Dennis Finley, Kyle Meadows, Lovell Peterson.

Defensive Line (4):

Billy Price, Youngstown (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Tracy Sprinkle, Elyria (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Joey Bosa, Ft. Lauderdale (FL)--- Committed to Ohio State

Michael Hill, Pendleton (SC)--- Committed to Ohio State

Name(s) to watch: None

Linebacker (1-2):

Mike Mitchell, Plano (TX)--- Deciding a Gridiron Kings. I've been told by a couple of people that he's saying he'll be a Buckeye.

Tyquan Lewis, Tarboro (NC)--- Visiting again for FNL. He wants him mom to see Columbus before deciding. Wouldn't be shocked if he committed shortly after this visit.

Defensive Back (3-4):

Cam Burrows, Trotwood (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Eli Woodard, Voorhees (NJ)--- Committed to Ohio State

Jayme Thompson, Toledo (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Vonn Bell, Rossville (GA)--- Feel this will be an OSU-Tenn. battle. Nowhere close to deciding. Like Buckeyes' chances though.

Names to watch: Vernon Hargreaves, Mackensie Alexander.

Athlete (1-2):

Jalin Marshall, Middletown (OH)--- Committed to Ohio State

Darron Lee, New Albany (OH)---  Committed to Ohio State (position subject to change)

Specialist (1):

Johnny Townsend, Orlando (FL)- Committed to Ohio State

As most of us who follow recruiting know, Nike's "The Opening" football camp took place at Nike HQ in Oregon this past weekend. The event featured 150 of the best high school football talents. 148 in the class of 2013, and 2 in the class of 2014. I thought I'd make a blog to give a few of my personal thought on the Opening, while also listed a couple of things we can take from the event.

Most Impressive Prospects:

From what I watched on television, and what I read on Twitter, the following players stood out to me as the most impressive prospects at the camp.

• QB Max Browne (Committed to USC)- USC is getting a good one in Browne. The consensus top quarterback in the 2013 class lived up to all be hype by displaying the usual great accuracy, and consistency, unlike Michigan commit, Shane Morris, who has occasionally struggled in those two areas. Browne also has pretty solid arm strength, and stood out to me as the best quarterback at the camp.
• WR Ricky Seals-Jones- Going into The Opening, I hadn't seen too much from Seals-Jones, who recently de-committed from the Texas Longhorns. From what I watched of Seals-Jones, and everything I read, he was one of the most impressive prospects at the camp. Seals-Jones has very good speed, but the best part of his game, in my opinion, is his ability to use his height (6'5") to go up, and get the ball. I'm eager to see more of Seals-Jones, and think he can develop into a #1 receiver eventually.
• TE OJ Howard (Committed to Alabama)- Howard has everything you like in a tight end, good speed (4.49), size (6'6"), and great hands. He was my favorite player to watch, and read about at the camp, and in my opinion will be a great college player. Howard should definitely be the top tight end in the final 2013 class rankings, especially with Penn State commit, Adam Breneman tearing his ACL.
• LB Mike Mitchell (Buckeye Lean)- Some of us had the pleasure of witnessing the show put on by Plano (TX) linebacker Mike Mitchell Friday night at the SPARQ competition. Mitchell won the SPARQ National Championship, while breaking the SPARQ record, by posting a SPARQ score of 154. The highlight of Mitchell's Friday night, was running a 4.39 40 yard dash to lock up the title.
• CB Jourdan Lewis (Committed to Michigan)- I didn't see too much of Lewis, but from the little I saw of him, and all the reports I read, he impressed once again. Lewis wasn't offered by many division I programs, but he impresses at every camp he attends, and was definitely deserving of more attention in the recruiting process. The Wolverines are getting a good one in Lewis.
• My Camp MVP: Tight End OJ Howard- Not only did Howard test well, he was one of the top players in the 7-7 portio

I had a lot of time on my hands tonight, so I decided to find the average rating of the current Buckeye commits. For this activity, I added up the overall ranking of Buckeye commits on the "Big 4" recruiting websites (ESPN, Rivals, Scout, and 24/7), and divided the total number by 4, in order to find out which prospect came out on top. I was only able to do this for 11 of the 14 commits, as DL Tracy Sprinkle, ATH Darron Lee, and P Johnny Townsend are not ranked on any of the websites. The individual site rankings are listed in parenthesis (ESPN, Rivals, Scout, 24/7). Keep reading to find out which Buckeye commit came out on top of the overall recruit rankings.

I spoke to Bolingbrook (IL) CB Parrker Westphal, who visited Ohio State for the first time this past Saturday. Here's what he had to say:

• Only a visit. Didn't camp.
• Visit: "It was great. I went to the football offices, where I saw the facilities, trophies, and got to meet with the coaches. I also took a tour of the campus, where I saw the academic side. I saw Buckeye Grove too."
• Coaches: "I spoke with Coach Coombs the most. He told me they really wanted me, and wants to build a relationship with me."
• Next visit: "I'm not sure, but I'll be back for a game."
• Other visits: "I just visited Notre Dame, it was ok. Next, I'm probably going to visit Florida, and West Virginia."
• No leaders
• No timetable
• Factors: "The academic standards, graduation rate, coaching, coaching stability, and the chance to play for nation titles."
• Goal: To improve at corner, and provide his quarterback, and Illinois commit, Aaron Bailey, an additional weapon on offense.

I definitely think Westphal is interested in the Buckeyes. He holds offers from many top Midwestern programs including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, West Virginia, and a couple of others. The only SEC school who has extended Westphal an offer is Florida. This is definitely shaping up to be a big Midwestern battle for rising 2014 CB, Parrker Westphal.