• Kain Daub transfers to Sandalwood from Nease
• Davonte James attended the Michigan State-Notre Dame game with his father and grandfather
• Da'Shawn Hand will not be able to make it to UNC this weekend due to transportation issues
• Florida offers Jalen Hurd
• Nick Glass says Georgia assistant Scott Lakatos will be at his game tomorrow night
• Damon Webb will visit Notre Dame on Saturday according to his father 
• Dominique Booth plans to visit Michigan State for the Ohio State game
• Ohio State & Tennessee wanted to come by Ridgeland to see Vonn Bell tomorrow, but he will likely not be at school
• Malik McDowell is looking at visiting LSU for the Alabama game. Depends on playoff schedule
• Vonn Bell will visit Auburn this weekend
• William Crest will not make it this weekend. Expects to reschedule.

Scout$--Lewis is Ready to Decide '13 NC DE Tyquan Lewis

• Tyquan will announce today at 4PM. Michael Clark of Scout predicts tOSU.

BN $ - Top PA Athlete Thinking Ohio State '14 PA ATH Dravon Henry

• By BK...offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Indiana, Toledo, Rutgers and others...wants to get to an OSU game.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Buckeyes Drawing interest from 2014 DB (the ozone)

Everything is bigger in Texas.

Deep in the heart of the state stands a powerful 6-0, 170-pound safety who runs a 4.6-second forty time. Ohio State has recently been recruiting the Lone Star State hard since Urban Meyer hired Tom Herman as his offensive coordinator, and Brandon Simmons is one of the latest to receive an offer. 

Typically, the top tier athletes in Texas favor the home-state Longhorns, but this 4-star safety out of Timberview High School actually grew up in New Jersey, and he is he progeny of a father who played at West Virginia.

One of the top prospects in the state of Texas in the 2014 class, Simmons already holds a large number of offers for next year’s recruiting class. He is being hotly pursued by LSU and new SEC member Texas A&M, along with schools like Arizona, Boise State, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and WVU.

Yes, there’s no doubt the Buckeyes are in a 10-gallon fight for this Mansfield, Tex. Prospect. He recently took some time to talk with The-Ozone about his recruitment.

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Lewis to make his choice of three schools (rocky mount telegram)

From many schools to five to just three, Tarboro defensive end Tyquan Lewis makes his final college decision at 4 p.m. today.

The final trio: LSU, Ohio State and North Carolina.

“I’m a little bit nervous and excited,” he said. “Right now, I can’t really tell.”

Lewis has visited Ohio State and North Carolina but has yet to make a trip to Baton Rouge, La. Lewis said that he felt comfortable at Ohio State, and the coaches were a big draw.

The level of competition, as well as the coaches, attracted him to LSU.

“They just have a good program,” said Lewis, who gave no sign of his final choice. “I’d fit in well down there.”

He understands that North Carolina is rebuilding but talked about the enthusiasm surrounding the Tar Heels. “They were interested in everything that I do,” he said.

Lewis, who has helped lead Tarboro to two of its three straight NCHSAA 2-A state championships, also was considering Ole Miss and Vanderbilt but said that he has reduced his options.

Lewis competed at Nike’s The Opening, an elite football camp in Oregon, this summer and has been clocked in a 40-yard dash at 4.6.

Lewis, a 6-foot-4 defensive end, has been rated as high as a four-star prospect.

“It’s a moment in my life that it’s a milestone,” Lewis said. “I’m still striving to keep going. It’s just a huge accomplishment for me to have the opportunity to keep playing football.”

The quarterback carousel continues this weekend as far as unofficial visits go.

After housing Drew Barker (Hebron, Ky./Conner) on opening weekend against Miami (Ohio) and Joey Duckworth (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) two weeks ago against UCF, Ohio State is at it again in a big way.

DeShone Kizer (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) highlights the list of recruits who will make the trip to Columbus on Saturday to watch the Buckeyes take on the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

cont...

Although Ohio State’s potential 2014 linebacker haul is very promising, the Buckeyes are still having trouble securing a top linebacker in 2013.

Urban Meyer is not giving up all hope on one particular ESPN 150 linebacker.

Since Sept. 1, the Buckeyes coach made a call to ESPN 150 linebacker and former Ohio State commit Alex Anzalone.

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HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- As a sophomore, Jalen Hurd (Hendersonville, Tenn./Beech Senior) rushed for around 1,600 yards. Coming into his junior season, the talented running back set his goal a little higher, right around 2,000 yards.

After a 299-yard, two-touchdown performance in a win over Mount Juliet last Friday, Hurd now has more than 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns through five games. And the 6-foot-3 back rushed for 462 yards in one game. What has been the biggest difference?

Top 3 of Alabama, Ohio State & Georgia

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Urban Meyer looks like he wants to try and pry another top-flight recruit from his old stomping ground.

Ohio State, along with Boise State, has offered Florida State commit Jake McCrary (Miami/Coral Reef), and for good reason.

Ranked the No. 4 player in the Miami-Dade County top 25 by the Miami Herald, the 6-foot, 183-pound wide receiver is one of the top recruits in the class of 2014.

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Tarboro's Tyquan Lewis chooses Ohio State (Rocky Mount Telegram)

Tyronda Whitaker reluctantly allowed her son to play football when he was five years old.

But standing next to what is now a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end, Whitaker was consumed by tears of joy Thursday while a smile that her son, Tarboro’s Tyquan Lewis, couldn’t fake overwhelmed his face.

Lewis verbally committed to play collegiate football at Ohio State over North Carolina and LSU.

“Even though Ohio State is 10 hours away, I still feel that me and my family will always have a connection that no one can break,” Lewis said. “Honest to God, we’ll just always have that bond.”

Although Lewis is much older than his brothers, he grew up in a single-parent home with his three younger siblings. The decision to leave them for an out-of-state school was Lewis’ biggest hurdle. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew that it was necessary.

“It’s part of growing up,” Lewis said. “I can’t stay with my mom forever. I can’t stay with them forever. We all have to grow up one day. I just came to my senses that it’s going to happen one day, and you don’t want to pass up opportunities. You have to go and get things in life.”

Lewis, who has helped Tarboro win two of its three consecutive NCHSAA 2-A state championships, was 
considered to be a four-star defensive end.

Along with his final three choices, Lewis also considered Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

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