Eleven Warriors

hope its true!

Did anyone else just hear Urban accidently name drop Neal? He was talking about his incoming defense with the defensive line then moved to linebacker and mentioned Perkins, and I assume wanted to say Williams but said Neal. Interesting

CDSPERR - I heard that too...Quint Kessenich asked him about the Defense, and Urban starting talking about the athletes he had, and he said, "...you have David Perkins...you have Neal", hmm...Freudian slip? He didn't necessarily correct himself either.

ND just lost one of their WR recruits to ?Houston? (weird) that will only ramp up their sell on Neal.  Hopefully it won't be enough to sway him...

Chances are he won't sign "dozens" more for 2013. It'll be a pretty small class, but packed with star power for that same reason. Probably 15-18.

@RecruitBuck and NorthBrook: Sorry for not being clear. What I meant was a new team, 25 new recruits, and dozens of potential recruits for 2013.

In my opinion 2013 could be one of the nastiest college recruiting classes a coach has ever put together if Urban can get all these guys who are rumored to be Ohio State leans at this point.  I know it's really early and the hype on some of these guys may die down some, but right now, the 2013 class is looking like it could be the best class I've ever seen at Ohio State, and potentially any class I've seen anyone put together the last 10 years or so.

Foster, Woodard, J. Smith, S. Gibson (now officially not favoring Auburn), etc. :) 2013!

Wait, what? Diggs?

If this is true, OSU must be banking on Diggs or know that they got him (silent commit maybe??)

not necessarily BuckeyeinNYC. Urban said during the presser that we only have room for one more.

Thanks DMcDougal, didn't get to watch the presser.  Must mean that we have a really really good feel for Diggs, then.  Or there's some mystery recruit out there.

Mike Farrell said 7 hours ago Davonte Neal was an OSU lock.  This guys just trying to predict something so it seems like he knows what happened when it acutally happens.

Urban did say the offense is missing a game changer speed wise aka Neal or Diggs. If this is indeed true then I would think that Diggs would be coming to OSU.

Why would TY be gone?

Just my gut feeling, no sources. Williams violated a team rule before the Gator Bowl and was left in CBus. 

I don't have the reason why #OhioState won't be taking Davonte Neal, I just know he tried to commit and couldn't. Well sourced. #RivalsNSD

WOW SANCTIONS REALLY HURTING NOW.  Could have had Diggs and Neal

Should over sign...surely someone will leave and open up a spot.

T.Y. Williams has also complained on Twitter about his lack of playing time or looks when he was on the field....Pretty sure I remember him even saying after a game last season (and I'm paraphrasing here) "if they don't have use for a 6-6 WR here, maybe I need to go somewhere that they do..."

I'm not claiming to be an expert, but Farrell tweeted earlier that Neal would be in this class and now he tweets Neal is out, so who knows what information is right.  I really dont care which one we take I will be happy with either one.

If we had a shot at both and had to turn Neal down for room, I think we'll live to regret it. I know you don't want push away anyone that's already on the team, or take away an earlier scholarship from the Fickell era, but turning down that sort of skill-set (maybe I'm biased in that I personally feel Neal looks better than Diggs in the highlights I've seen) always seems to come back to haunt you.

I suppose if he ends up with Notre Dame it won't necessarily hurt us (barring a future bowl game), but you do have to miss him. I want all the talent we can get. :/

I agree Bucks.  No oversigning in any situation, regardless of talent.

this is why i hate twitter. until i hear it from a good source, its a non-story to me

Agree with everything you have said Pitt. Buckeye.

alex, 

You really think urban turned down devonte neal ! Why cant he take in stefon diggs and devonte neal ! There will be more attrirtion 

Per Rivals:
Neal at # 17 at his position and 101
overall.
Diggs at #2 at his position and 8
overall.

Listen to Alex on the Fan in Cleveland. Maybe he'll have something.

http://player.radio.com/player/RadioPlayer.php?version=1.2.13507&station=113

Question for anyone (and I apologize in advance if it's ridiculous)

It was obvious Urban mentioned the name "Neal" on TV today. Its my understanding that can be a violation if he was mentioned prior to a LOI.
Is there anyway because of that we had to turn him down (considering we are on probation already)?

It just makes no sense to voluntarily turn him down...

Damn, hope this works out. Gotta trust Meyer but I would be pretty dissapointed if we passed on Neal and then didn't get Diggs.

In regards to the different recruiting services I would definitely say Rivals/247 >>> Scout/ESPN.  Scout hands out the fifth star like its candy, and ESPN has a massive contract with the SEC and hosts an All American game--they're going to make their products look the best.

Just watched some Diggs highlights on YouTube.... wow, he can move! But he also seemed to showboat after every play.  Hope he doesn't have too big of a head

Fellas this isn't a difficult equation. Davonte Neal "had" a committable offer to OSU & decided to wait (apparently he tried to pull the trigger today to OSU & COULDN'T B/C the offer was pulled so to speak). When Meyer made the mistake on the air today & said Neal (he wasn't referring to any specific name or position so therefore that wouldn't be a violation of NCAA rules as far as I understand). Obviously if he pulled the committable offer to Neal & has ONLY 1 SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE TO FINISH OUT THIS CLASS (this has been calculated by the staff I'm sure); Coach Meyer & staff have a plan & I'd be willing to bet it's Stefon Diggs (BOTH him & his mother loved their visit to OSU even though it was only a 24 hr visit). I have a feeling he's already made a pledge to Urban & OSU (silent commit). Coach Meyer wouldn't throw all of his eggs into 1 basket & pass on another athlete of similar skill & play-making ability without having something in place. All fingers point to Diggs being a Buckeye. THAT'S THE SPEEDSTER THAT HE WANTS TO BE ABLE TO STRETCH & UTILIZE THE WHOLE FIELD NOT ONLY VERTICALLY, BUT HORIZONTALLY"

Just say a post from Richard Obert, from what I read looked like he covered high school sports in Arizona for the Arizona Republic, he said he asked Luke Neal(Neal's Dad) and he knew nothing of a report that his son was denied to OSU.

http://twitter.com/azc_obert

About 50 mins ago on posts

The more I think about it the more it has to be something about Neal that scared Urban Meyer off.  Alex reported today, and it was corroborated elsewhere, that Urban made a late-minute pitch as late as yesterday night for Joel Caleb.  You don't do that if you have Diggs in the bag and you have one scholarship left.  So it's either they recently got turned off by Neal and went after Caleb instead, not wanting to put all their eggs on the Diggs basket.  OR they got some sort of commitment from Diggs today (post going after Caleb) that reassured them that they couldn't give that scholly out. 

Basically the Joel Caleb thing in here makes me pretty worried it's the former.  And we'll end up with neither Diggs, Neal, or Caleb.

Story of Neal trying to commit being refuted.

"@PDBuckeyes Per Greg Biggens at ESPN.: "Lol, I promise he didn't, he's literally sitting right across from me"

I think the inside source is someone within the Arizona program trying to start a fire. I just read the tweets of a local reporter saying that Luke Neal (Davonte's dad) saying there is no truth to his scholarship being denied.

aka my link I posted lol

http://twitter.com/azc_obert

I won't believe it. :/

this report seems to have a lot of legs and I guess urban insisting that we have 81 on scholarship now would indicate that we can't take both neal and diggs so that may add to the fire.  at the end of the day, both were not supposed to announce for a few days, so I am going to wait for those days to pass.  I also don't want to oversign.  If Urban thinks we have 81 then take 1 more (although I think you just take whoever sends you a letter first because these kids are too fickle).

Kinda odd that ZACH SMITH (OSU's receiver coach) just tweeted "Great day to be apart of Buckeyenation!! ONE SPOT STILL OPEN" ----- It's going to be a WR as that's what he stated during his presser earlier this afternoon (there's some symmetry here). Everybody's stuck on Neal's offer being pulled supposedly (if it happened, then it's def gotta be Diggs). Meyer knows what he's doing & he doesn't want to & WON'T OVERSIGN.

I won't believe it. :/

Honestly no idea....my head is spinning

I'm not worried about what anyone says the numbers are  if both committed today they would both be Buckeyes.... OSu will figure out the numbers.

real question is if we get 0, 1/1 or 2

I don't believe the sudden commitment its smells like rotten rodriquez rearing his ugly head... trying to sell some snow to an eskimo...  

Time will tell on that last slot, let it go until next weekend as originally reported!

There is absolutely ZERO chance Urban slipping and saying "Neal" ( or was it "Neil" or "kneel") when talking about LBs, that it would result in any sort of violation. Just like Rick Santorum didn't say "black" people. You can't prove anything. 

Agree seth4, and so what if we don't EVEN fill the spot...we're good already. I don't have any desire to compromise integrity in oversigning players.

@Seth4Bucks: Very eloquently put! And very valid points made!

That said, no offense meant, but I'd be fine with being Alabama North personally.

Alabama has had 2 championships in the last 3 years, and is dealing with much less NCAA violation nonsense than we are. I'd also argue that Saban is the best X's & O's coach in college football imo.

Mike Farrell @rivalsmike Reply Retweet
Favorite · Open I stand by my
information, very good sources. I don't
know the reason why, only #OhioState
does but Neal won't end up there...

More Farrell @Rivalsmike

yep, heard he wanted to and then he couldn't @douglasdilillo: @rivalsmike so earlier today you heard yes on Neal to OSU, now no?

So many conflicting stories out there, I'm not going to believe anything until I hear it from one of the coaches or a direct quote from Neal or Diggs themselves.

I just find it hard to believe that Urban would pull a scholly from Neal unless Diggs gave Urban a silent verbal and it just happened that Neal was the odd man out after Marcus and Dodson committed before him. I'm not calling anyone a liar but until I hear it from an official source I'm gonna hold off commenting further.

@LLJJGG - I think the Buckeyes have the facilities, tradition, alumni support, and name recognition to win a NC without stooping to oversigning and/or emulating Saban. What's more, with Meyer and the staff, the Buckeyes have the ability to reel in just about anyone they want AND get the most of those players when they arrive on campus.

Thank you Vested and LLJJGG :-)

What does the Diggs tweet even mean? Anyone with any credible info out there?

I'm obviously biased towards Buckeyes, so my blind view is going to be that Diggs' tweet is him distancing himself from Florida fans since they have been long thought to be the favorite.

I really wish we had 2 spots open, because I think we have a serious shot at both Diggs and Neal. They both have a lot to gain as Buckeyes and would fit in perfectly with this team. Too bad we can only have 1.

It's unfortunate if we don't have room for both guys, but I'm thankful our coaches prioritized what is best for our student athletes by choosing not to oversign.

I think are all foolishly assuming that they both have already chosen OSU.  Lets not get carried away - Diggs had a great time at Florida, and still has to visit his MD.  Neal is still considering about 5 other schools.  Neither has given any indication that they will be Buckeyes. 

That being said I do think Meyer really wants Diggs maybe even more so than Neal.  While Neal is a freakish athlete, he is not a prototypical slot guy and many people consider him a CB.  Based on our current roster and 2012 recruiting class, we are more in need of a pure offenensive weapon than a player who might project more as a DB. This might explain why Meyer maybe told Neal he had to wait untill Diggs commited?

Who really knows

Now apparently there are rumors that it has to do with the whole Urban slipping up and saying Neal while on ESPN.

If that's true than I give up. That would be absolutely ludacris.

Not sure I quite believe it but anythings possible with the NCAA

It's Diggs or bust at this point my fellow bucnkuts...diggs or bust

alex, 

Have you heard any other reasons why we have dropped neal out ! Do we have stefon diggs locked up ! the scout.com website has something under it about the 4 horse man but I dont pay for their services. 

Vestedinterest, 

Do you know what caused us to drop neal !

@james

Lol..no way man, I'd be famous like John Holmes or Lee Corso's baby arm by now if I did. We'll find out...everything points to OSU moving on without him.

I've got a feeling that what's really going on is much more shady than what's being speculated here.  Just my gut, and I hope I'm wrong.

Alex, 

It wasnt because meyer accidentally mention his name in the interview on ESPN right ?

If those 3 choices you think it could be which one do you think it most likely is ?

I can see meyer not taking him his talents are off the charts. I think the only way he doesnt take him if he has a silent verbal from diggs !

For what it's worth, the post from BuckeyePlanet that ThirdLegLouie quoted above seems to rule out any connection with Meyer saying "Neal" on TV.  In particular, the author of that post said that what they heard was "vastly different" from the theories being posted on that thread, which include the theory about Meyer's slip up.

There is no such thing as a silent commitment after signing day.  Why would you wait at that point?  You are doing anybody any favors by visiting Maryland after signing day if you are 100% sure that you aren't going to go there.  I think that none of this is true.  What Urban did was not a violation and seems highly unlikely that he pulled his offer because of that.  My guess is that it isn't true and we are still in the running for either one and they will announce in a few days as planned.

Maybe he feels he needs to make the visit in his home state??

Meyer using just Neal isn't a violation of NCAA rules; it has to be a direct acknowledgment of a player. It was an ambiguous slip-up on his part and with our( the followers of this site) prior knowledge read into it as a direct referral to [davonte'] Neal. Not to compare, but on espnu's( I know :/) coverage today, one of the reporters said that lane kiffin said the needed to call "Nelson", but since he wasn't referring to a specific Nelson, he wasnt in violation of any rules. Just my thought on the situation.

You know what, if he did get his offer pulled today though he wanted to commit, it's his own problem.  He's had plenty of time to pull the trigger.  Everyone knows what Ohio State's situation is recruiting wise.  Guys have been committing like crazy, and room has been running out for quite some time.  It's shit or get off the pot at this point.  Slow playing it and dragging it out longer is his own fault.  Last week we didn't think Diggs was a possibility, now he is, if you are Neal you and you did want to commit today, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

If he doesn't end up here, but another 5 star Diggs does, so be it.  Good luck in the future, enjoy playing for DickRod or Kelly.  

I have to agree with DWIZ0918 because saying the name Neal is no direct conection to anyone person and after Urban dealing with hundreds of names one slipup on a name isnt bad

Had he said Davonte Neal then you might have something maybe

If OSU had to pull Neal's scholly because Urban mentioned his last name, not even his full name, and didn't say anything about him after, it is an absolute joke. At the PC Urban was listing off his LBs and couldn't remember Perry. Might have been a similar situation when he was on ESPNU. He had 25 kids sign today plus he was talking with a ton of 2013 kids as well. It was a slip of the tongue and nothing more than that.

If any of you are curious as to the NCAAs rule on talking about athletes prior to signing, I did find this...

13.10.2 Comments Before Signing. Before the signing of a prospective student-athlete to a National Letter of Intent or an institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, a member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospective student-athlete. The institution may not comment generally about the prospective student-athlete’s ability or the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution’s team; further, the institution is precluded from commenting in any manner as to the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete’s signing with that institution. Violations of this bylaw do not affect a prospective student-athlete’s eligibility and are considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1.

I posted earlier (don't remember what thread) but there is ZERO chance Urban slipping and saying a name that sounded like "Neal" (could have been "Neil" or maybe he was talking about his LBs taking a "kneel") could EVER result in violations of any sort. He did not mention Davonte Neal, not was he even discussing a position that Davonte Neal has ever been considered to play (Neal would need to beef up in a big way to play LB) so while I understand people's concerns in the post tat-gate era, there is absolutely nothing to worry about with the slip; further, no way the slip is in any way connected to Neal's offer allegedly being pulled.

This was all confirmed by a friend of mine who works in the Compliance department of an ACC school. When I posed the question and informed him of the concerns in Buckeye Nation, he laughed, FWIW.

I am 100% certain we will know later this month.

I've never thought we would get either Neal or Diggs. I felt like we had a better chance with Neal, but RichRod in AZ has an offense where Neal can really shine. I've felt that that, combined with geographical closeness, would win out. Even if not AZ, OSU just seemed to far away to me.

Diggs to me is a Florida guy. I'd love for him to come to OSU but I've never thought it was more than an outside shot.

Yesterday my feelings were that we have a tremendous recruiting class and if either Diggs or Neal came it would be gravy on the biscuit. That hasn't changed with this story.

Neal's father comments on yesterday's rumor.

www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/Richardobert/154199

Interesting ......

Again, this is why I hate Twitter.

I happen to be a huge supporter of the side effect this unfortunate turn of events has had, that under no uncertain terms should highly touted recruits who want to be a part of the Buckeye family resort to slow playing the Bucks recruiting war ship. You might just get your ass left behind.

There are 14/15 ships available next season, you better send in the docs when you're supposed to lol.

All of the above possible hypotheticals for the Neal situation were discussed at Buckeyeplanet.com as well. A site administrator finally posted this about OSU and Neal:

"While people have posited several great theories in this thread, what The BPRT is hearing on our end is vastly different. I'm sure the whole story will be told at some point but suffice it to say OSU moved on"...

@BuckeyeinNYC: If the rumor is true AND Diggs isn't 100%, my theory is they are going all-in on Diggs and if they get him, great, if not, they bank 1 extra scholly for next year

Thanks Alex.  That is the most sensical explanation.  I'm sure it's a very educated guess on their end, and they have good reason to believe Diggs will be in.  But banking an extra scholly for next year isn't necessarily a bad idea. 

Alex, Does Diggs go to a more prestigious football high school than Neal? Since they're close in rankings is it maybe better for Ohio State to lay the groundwork for more recruits from Diggs' high school in the future than Neal's?

I'm probably looking too far for the right answer with this whole Neal thing...

Yes, Diggs said the visit went great there are also reports that he and Braxton really hit it off. Previously mentioned on this site his Mom also really liked the visit and she is the apparent decision maker or "influencer."

Farrell (from Rivals) just tweeted that another Buckeye site "nailed" the Neal story.

It's in the forum at OSU's rivals page...I saw the tweet too. Anybody with a membership care to enlighten us?

Although Neal is a stud in his own right if we only get one I hope its Diggs. After watching his senior film that Alex posted in a separate topic forum, Diggs is better than Neal despite what espn says. Even if they are equal in terms of speed, quickness, etc.. Diggs is a lot more physical. That being said getting either one would be fantastic, however, if we denied Neal and don't get Diggs it would be a real blunder. I am hoping that Meyer asked Neal to sit for a little while before committing so they can try to work out the numbers so there is potentially room for both of them. Which would make some sense, because if Neal had committed and we were all full there is no promise that there would be a spot for Diggs and he might go elsewhere even if he wanted to come to Ohio State. But admittedly thats just wishful thinking, I guess all we can do at this point is wait until next week.  

Thanks for that ThirdLegLouie.

Well, if true, it seems Diggs is definitely not a "lock".  Hope Coach Meyer can work his magic!

If the source is right about us pulling out of the Neal race (when it seems that we would have won it, and a potential game-changing athlete), you really have to trust Meyer's instinct on this one. I suppose it's all we really CAN do. Still stings though, especially if we don't land Diggs.

Ever since Cecil, I've been leary of dad's talking too much...

Well...Urban has seen and dealt with overbearing parents in the past so if its that, it must be pretty bad!

Seantrel Henderson part 2.

Hope we get Diggs!

Alex you said "we're definitely in it for Diggs" & that's GREAT to hear. Obviously you have sources close to that recruitment. My question to you is have you or are you going to try & talk to Diggs & get his take & is he still going to take his official to Maryland on the 10th? If he does, then obviously he's not deciding until I'd think the middle of the month (could be wrong, but this is a guess). What are the odds (percentage wise) in your mind we land him. I think he knows he can be a star in the offensive scheme & do a lot of great things here. If you could shed some light on this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks Alex

I hope these rumors about Neal arent true. Both Diggs and Neal are special players but Neal seems to have a extra gear when it comes to pure speed! Perfect fit for this team...

Let the man be in down low mode all he wants. It's a big decision, and his alone to make. Us spoiled hand wringers can wait.

I hear you 3rdLegLouie, but if you take a close look at our recruiting class we do lack a complete burner.  And we lacked one all season, too, which is why our WR production was so terrible.  I love guys like Epitropolous and Southward and co. but it would be nice to get a legit down the field threat / slot receiver with speed.

I think the only thing that keeps me happy is that even if we strike out on Diggs this season, there's always Jalin Marshall next season.  Which ain't bad.

Urbans quote on this:

UM: Yeah, we're not happy where we're at with our speed and skill on offense. I don't know what we have. I saw on film and looked at the stats, and you would say from statistical analysis and just evaluation that we're not very good at all. But I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and see what happens in spring practice and evaluate them in the offseason, which starts Monday. But we're not where we need to be, by a long shot. 

Yep. I'm hearing his dad didn't make the best impression either.

Sucks for the kid if he really wanted to be a Buckeye but his dad blew that chance for him.

Regardless, he's out of the picture and Diggs is our main and only target.

Go get 'em UFM!

Wasnt there something posted on here today that said some people at OSU said they didnt like something about Neal. Im just trying to figure out what that was about maybe he has some character issues. Or maybe they were talking about his dad because that is all head case.

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http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/7530665/davonte-neal-calmly-watches-signing-day-pass?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Interesting  ESPN article on Neal- think it indirectly gives some very interesting information: 

"The Sooners call to make sure Neal received their letter of intent, one of three letters of intent sitting on Neal's kitchen table, along with those from Notre Dame and North Carolina. The Razorbacks let Neal know they'll be sending out his letter of intent later in the week and would be thrilled if he just wants to sign now and end the process early."

Notice that an LOI from The Ohio State is conspicuously not on the table. Definitely looking like the Rivals guys had this one pegged. 

"I want to take my time with the process and give every school an equal opportunity."

If there is anything that is telling about the article, it is none other that this quote by young Mr. Neal in my opinion. Words mean something, and Mr. Neal isn't the one providing the opportunity. He should be providing them equal consideration.

Maybe that's a little harsh for an eighteen yr old kid, maybe that's what he meant, but as it stands on it's own merit it wreeks of entitlement. We don't need those types, nobody does. Maybe this came through in the in home I dunno.

:)

Teddy... Why are you always smiling? :)

@Fido- no slight taken or intended. Just trying to think about all of ESPN's inconsistencies in their reporting is making my head hurt :)

if true, i feel sorry how the dad is not letting his kid decide what his best for himself. The best way to help kids grow is giving the the freedom of choosing things on their own.... I just dont like that an argument ensued on something of such a grand scale, if it is true, of course...

Glad we missed on him, Ray Smalls dad was bad enough.

I hope he doesn't pick ND, Domers tears make for much greener grass.

Either way, holding an elementary school hostage with about 600 students and porching them without a call is, as they say, a douche move.

ESPN article on his no-show.

I have to say if he doesn't know where he wants to go he shouldn't announce.  He definitely should have notified his elementary school.  Kid has a lot of growing up to do and so does his father apparently.

Young Neal wants to go AZ, dad wants ND = family emergency...

Landon Collins all over again...

Committed to Notre Dame...per the ESPN text I just got.