• Andrew Wiggins rated 103 by 247Sports.
• Dorian Johnson rated 99 by 247Sports.
• Indiana offers Mikel Horton
• Eddie Faulkner from Wisconsin visits David Dawson
• Wisconsin offers David Dawson
• Pat Fitzgerald from Northwestern visits Dareian Watkins
• Eddie Faulkner from Wisconsin visits Dareian Watkins
• Northwestern offers Quenton Nelson
• Washington State offers Josh Malone

Dorian Johnson texted to me that Pitt still leads for now.

— Michael Chung (@MChungOZone) October 28, 2012

USC moves to the front with Barker after visit (go upstate)

Junior QB Drew Barker of Hebron, KY visited USC unofficially over the weekend with his family. Barker arrived late Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. "It was a great visit," Barker said. "The game was awesome, the atmosphere was great." Barker said he spoke several times with recruiter GA Mangus and met with Steve Spurrier before the game and Sunday afternoon. "Their offense fits my skill set because they really pass it and run it with the quarterback," he said. Barker went into the locker room after the game and this morning had breakfast with Mangus and later went on a tour of the campus. "South Carolina really impressed me with this visit, the best visit I've had," said Barker who has also been to Ohio State, Louisville and Cincinnati. "It really, really intrigued me a lot. They are in good position right now. Of my offers, South Carolina is definitely my number one. They are at the top." Barker was so impressed, he said, he thought briefly about committing. "I thought about it a little but I wasn't tempted because I knew I wasn't going to do it," he said. "They have drilled into my head that they want me." Barker said his decision could come as soon as December or January. He has his playoffs coming up and will be focusing on that and said the only other visit he has planned is to Ohio State for the Michigan game.

Former Michigan Commit David Dawson High on Buckeyes (The Ozone)

There may not be a greater rivalry in college football than Ohio State and Michigan. The rivalry has recently gone beyond the annual November clash, with players even going so far as to switch sides in a heated battle between two schools, and two states.

Columbus native Justin Boren declared that family values were amiss and left the Maize and Blue for the Buckeyes when Rich Rodriquez became the head coach at Michigan back in 2008. Subsequently, his younger brothers Zach and Jacoby followed big brother to Buckeye land after growing up in the shadow of Bo Schembechler and the Wolverines.

Then, after Jim Tressel was forced to retire from Ohio State last May, Kyle Kalis, a Buckeye commit, revoked his verbal pledge and shortly afterwards pledged to the Wolverines. Some recruiting experts felt Kalis would flip back but he never did.

Now, history maybe repeating itself in an another role reversal. After being committed to the Michigan Wolverines since February, Cass Tech offensive lineman David Dawson recent de-committed and is considering the Buckeyes as one of his top landing places.

On top of Ohio State, this 4-star offensive lineman is also considering Alabama, Florida, LSU and the other hated Wolverine rival, the Michigan State Spartans. Ohio State is in desperate need of offensive linemen and Dawson is considered to be one of the top offensive guards in the country.

Getting this 6-4, 282-pounder out of Detroit would be a double-edged sword, fulfilling a huge need but also snatching away a once committed Wolverine. He took some time to give us some inside information on his recruiting status.

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David Dawson announces new top three  (espn insider)

The No. 1 offensive guard in the nation has put out a new top three and it has a Big Ten feel as Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin -- in no particular order -- will now be in a dogfight for the services of David Dawson (Detroit/Cass Tech).

The 6-foot-4, 282-pound senior -- ranked 87th overall in the ESPN 150 -- was thought to be a heavy lean toward Florida after taking an official visit on Oct. 19.

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It's not quite time to name finalists. However, junior running back Jalen Hurd has some strong leaders.

The ESPN Watch List prospect from Hendersonville (Tenn.) Gallatin said Ohio State, Georgia and Florida lead the other schools vying for his services. Hurd recently took a visit to Florida.

"Florida is great," Hurd said. "I love the atmosphere and I love the weather. The coaches are also great. They're very successful right now. Coach [Will] Muschamp is doing a great job with the program and I think they'll be successful."

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William Houston (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) is the No. 2 fullback in the country, but Penn State is telling him he could be a lot more in its offense. He saw that firsthand Saturday.

Houston could land a Penn State scholarship offer soon, and the Nittany Lions believe the 5-foot-11, 232-pound back could be a physical change-of-pace player in their backfield, similar to Zach Zwinak, who led the Lions with 12 carries and 42 yards this weekend.

“I saw Zach Zwinak, saw him go into the game for a couple series and saw what he did, and I’m fine with that,” Houston said. “Anything I’m asked to do in college I’m fine with.”

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Most times, the best critique in football comes from someone who plays the game.

ESPN Watch List junior D’Andre Payne (Washington, D.C./Woodson) took an unofficial visit to Penn State and saw Ohio State beat the Nittany Lions 35-23. A group that has come under fire recently, the Buckeyes’ secondary played well in the eyes of the 5-foot-9, 169-pound cornerback.

While Ohio State did give up 327 yards to quarterback Matt McGloin, for the most part it kept Penn State in check, giving up two touchdowns through the air, with one coming in the last two minutes of the game.

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One of the hottest 2014 recruiting commodities as of late has a prognostication for how Ohio State will finish its season: 12-0.

At least that’s what offensive tackle Quenton Nelson (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) said following an unofficial visit to Penn State for Ohio State’s 35-23 win over the Nittany Lions.

There were quite a few people who penciled in a Penn State win over the Buckeyes before the game. Nelson wasn’t so sure.

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Vonn Bell took the weekend off. Sort of.

Sure, the ESPN 150 prospect helped lead Rossville (Ga.) Ridgeland to a 35-20 win over Whitfield (Ga.) Northwest, but he put recruiting on hold as he decided to stay home for the weekend and not visit any colleges. He has maintained his top three schools are Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee after visiting Knoxville last weekend.

Bell's athleticism is obvious. However, his attention to detail is what sets him apart from most prospects, according to his head coach Mark Mariakis.

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Joe Henderson (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) knows his high school football season is over. The ESPN Watch List junior also knows the next season is about to heat up.

That would be his recruiting season as schools will no doubt break out the full-court press as they look to lock up the budding prospect. To date he has offers from Akron, Cincinnati, Illinois and Pittsburgh as well as a slew of other schools showing interest.

That many of them are coming out of the Big Ten -- Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin are a few of the many looking at the Class of 2014 standout -- goes a long way with Henderson.

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ESPN Watch List receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass could push his decision back to late next week.

Originally planning to commit either Nov. 2 or Nov. 5, Snodgrass said an announcement might not come until Nov. 8.

"I wanna do it next Thursday," Snodgrass said. He confirmed that Nov. 8 would be the announcement date.

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Big week for Williams (buckeye empire)

Plenty of recruits from across the nation are taking visits before the early signing period starts in a few weeks.  Devin Williams is no different, the 6’8 Bigman took his Official visit to Columbus this past weekend.

Williams a Cincinnati native is down to  3 schools for his services West Virginia, Memphis & Ohio State.   According to his AAU coach Michael Duncan, next week will be a something that Devin will never forget ” He is going to sit down with his coaches, then make a decision”.  Even his AAU coach has no clue where the four star recruit might end up ” I tried to peek into who leads, but he mentioned all 3 teams were too close right now”.

With the Buckeyes only returning two bigmen next season,  the four star forward could step right in and contribute some key minutes down in the post for the Scarlet & Grey.   Regardless if you are a Buckeye Hoops fan, the Devin Williams recruitment could be something to definitely keep up with the next week or so

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Empire Q&A | William Ulmer (buckeye empire)

Early indications were that Ohio State would send out offers to 2014 quarterbacks around the mid-way point of the High School Football season. If that was indeed the case, offers should have been coming out since the playoffs are right around the corner, but that has not yet happened. I would expect a few offers to be handed out in the near future and one of the quarterbacks to keep an eye on is William Ulmer from Washington, DC.

This is a new name for Buckeye fans. Ulmer told Rivals.com just one week ago that Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Tom Herman told him to expect an offer soon. Ulmer is a dual-threat QB and has all of the tools to fit well in an Urban Meyer offense. Throughout the first 9 games of the season, he tells me he has ran for about 1,000 yards and has thrown for about 800 yards with 17 total touchdowns.

Before we sit down with the DC product, Check out his impressive highlights.

Bret: How is your recruitment going so far?

Ulmer: It’s going very well. A lot of schools are opening the doors my way and God has favor on my life, keeping my options and eyes open.

Bret: Do you currently have any offers? If so, from which schools?

Ulmer: Yes. North Carolina, Maryland, Syracuse and Boston College.

Bret: What teams are showing interest but have not offered at this time?

Ulmer: Oregon, Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn.

Bret: What schools have you visited so far?

Ulmer: Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse and North Carolina

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