Eleven Warriors

The following was posted by an Administrator at Buckeye Planet: 

"With permission to repost Nevada....Jaamal has been granted his release."

It's been discussed for a while now that Berry is going to be one of the ones leaving the program but it's a done deal now. Best of luck to the young man- I hope his past troubles stay in the past and do not continue to follow him into the future. Always going to think of what could have been with Jaamal Berry though.. Huge talent, but glad to have some clarity on this issue, especially given Meyer's perpetual talk of "character", you had to know this was coming. 

As much as I could make this a Jamal Marcus post, because I think he was universally underrated, I wouldn't quite call him a hidden gem at this point. Once Urban said his highlights bordered on "ridiculous", the cat was pretty much out of the bag, so to speak. Plus, at this point, Marcus is like that 12 seed in the brackets during March Madness that everyone is picking to get the upset- not as much of a Cinderella story as the 12 seed that nobody picks. 

For this class, the young man who I think could be the biggest sleeper is WR Ricquan Southward ( 6'2, 190) out of Lakeland, FL [ http://rivals.yahoo.com/miami/football/recruiting/player-Ricquan-Southwa... ]. Lakeland is a great football HS- some of the more recent products are the Pouncey brothers and Chris Rainey. You can find his highlights here: http://vimeo.com/30317915 *. Southward is one of the least talked about kids in this class (although maybe he's the smartest? Jumping on his verbal right before Urban was hired seems like a very intelligent, calculated move given how fast the schollies dried up once Urban took over). Southward had limited exposure in HS given that he was behind several D1 players at Lakeland. He only started at WR in his senior year, but when he did, he set the single game record at Lakeland for both receptions (12) and receiving yards (238). 

When I watch Southward's film, the Buckeye that I am most reminded of is Santonio Holmes, and not just because both were underrated 3* prospects out of FL. They're similar in size and stature, although Ricquan is listed at about 3 inches taller. Really impressed with Southward's timing on his jumps, thought he got good air when he went up- Just look at him go over that DB on the first play. Also, very underrated speed- definitely has ability to take it all the way. Most of all though, I like how physical he is with the ball- runs hard and does not shy away from contact. 

Also, on the FlaVarsity 160 rankings, which rank the top 160 players in FL, Southward made the biggest jump out of any player this year. He started out at 145 and ended up at 61. This is how the FlaVarsity described Southward, "Southward has a game similar to that of Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant. He is strong, big, and very physical. He is a true playmaker with the ball in his hands and always a threat to score on special teams. " Anybody else want a Dez Bryant in S&G? Ha. Regardless of whether or not he is THAT good, I still think this kid is going to be a very special Buckeye.

Lastly, here is an article from the local paper on Ricquan in regards to NSD: http://www.polkpreps.com/news/article/30193/polks-top-athletes-put-their-college-commitments-down-in-writing/

As always, Go Bucks!

*If anyone has a link to a better quality video of Southward's highlights, I would really appreciate them being posted!

Just a spot to post any info, rumours, etc. regarding prospects that are considering attending The Ohio State University. I don't think there's any doubt that Urban is going to be working some serious magic on the recruiting trail and it's going to be a full time job trying to keep up. 

Stuff like the following is what I'm looking for:

Dorial Green-Beckham, the No. 1 WR recruit in the country, reportedly visiting OSU this week after the Urban Meyer hire! (Has anyone else confirmed this?)

Jordan Diamond said tonight: "Talked with Urban Meyer a few minutes ago. good guy"

Feel free to post anything you hear & as always, GO BUCKS

 In the age of social media that we live in, the ease at which anyone can send a message to a nationally recognized recruit is unprecedented. Below is a list of kids who are considering Ohio State and with Urban Meyer as the hottest story in college football right now, anything can happen. If you have a Twitter account, I would encourage you to send them a positive message, letting them know how much we'd love to see them in the Scarlet and Grey, and generally, just the support that #buckeyenation gives to any and all who are a part of the family.  

Dorial Green-Beckham---@DorialGB5  (I dont' think there's much chance he comes to the Big 10-looking like a future Big 12 star from what I read but you never know. Couldn't imagine a WR like him on the roster though. Urban Miracle #1?)

Ifeadi Odenigbo---@IfeadiOdenigbo (Academics are probably the most important part of the decision making process for this kid. He's a raw athlete with a lot of room to bulk up physically on the D-Line. I think he's looking hard at Stanford but he's from OH and we can't let kids like this get away. Shower love upon him)

Alton Howard---@Hunnit0nmyway (A FL WR who could play some tail back and would be a perfect fit in an Urban Meyer offense.  Only 5'9 but he is literally a human sparkplug and I would personally, love to see this kid running all over the Shoe)

Noah Spence---@nspence94 (5 Star Kid from PA--Don't have a good feel on where he's leaning. At the next level I think he could be moved from DE to OLB and be an absolute terror. Special athlete who could be great in pursuit and a constant disruptive presence for an opposing team)

Stefon Diggs---@SpeedyStefon1 (All around athlete and legitimate speedster. Could be someone really special on ST- He has offers from everywhere but who knows what magic Urban can pull off)

ALREADY COMMITTED 

Ricquan Southward---@Ricquan9 (Stud athlete who I could see doing some serious damage in a spread system. Hopefully changing to OSU was the last time he changes his mind.)

Frank Epitropoulos---@F_Epitropoulos (Already committed & a great kid. He's a little taller but probably the next Hartline/Sanzenbacher type WR and I'm not saying that just because he's white. Nothing wrong with showing some love)

Bri'onte Dunn---@DunnItAlready25 (One of Urban's first calls was to him--There's talk that he is considering going to scUM & there are 2 reasons I don't want that to happen. 1/ I don't want anything good to happen to UM EVER. 2/ I don't want to play against this kid EVER. Send him a message letting him know that #buckeyenation is his home.)

That's a good start for now. If you have a spare minute, send one (or all) of these cats a positive message. Every little bit helps. GO BUCKS!