Jalen Hurd just confirmed with me that Ohio State is his leader.

— Bret Favachio (@EmpireBret) October 8, 2012

Mike Mitchell says the Buckeyes have a slight lead over Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. (As we already know)

— Bret Favachio (@EmpireBret) October 8, 2012

5 Star RB Jalen Hurd who now favors Ohio State has rushed for 1967 yards, 26 TD, Avg 10.5 yac, after 8 game.

— jbook (@jbook37) October 8, 2012

If you haven't seen highlights from Jalen, check them out here. Up to date highlights from this season.

2013 Louisville (KY) Trinity DE/LB and USC commit Jason Hatcher was unable to make it to the Nebraska game due to a conflict. #Buckeyes

— Miles 11W (@Miles11W) October 9, 2012

Four-star 2014 tight end Jeb Blazevich is aiming for a spring commitment: clemson.247sports.com

— Keith Niebuhr (@Niebuhr247) October 8, 2012

Four-star 2014 tight end Jeb Blazevich will visit #OhioState the 1st wknd in Nov. More on him here: 247sports.com

— Keith Niebuhr (@Niebuhr247) October 8, 2012

Scout $ - Laster Looking For Buckeye Offer '13 OH ATH De'Niro Laster 

• By The Bank....Loved the atmosphere at the game. Was able to talk to Coach Drayton who says the staff is looking at him as a linebacker. Believes he's close to receiving an offer & says the staff wants to see more of his film.

Rivals$--Second time around '14 GA LB Raekwon McMillan

• Raekwon loved his visit to South Carolina but the Gamecocks did not move into his top 5.

Can Urban Keep the Cleveland Glenville Pipeline Flowing? (The Ozone)

No school has been more famous for producing Buckeyes over the last decade than Cleveland’s Glenville High School. It has often been referred to as the “pipeline to Ohio State” or the “Cleveland-Glenville Pipeline” since Jim Tressel became the head coach in Columbus more than 11 years ago.

With names like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr. and Donte Whitner having played in the NFL, not to mention a number of Buckeyes on the current roster hailing from Ted Ginn Sr.’s house, it is not a stretch to call it the I-71 South pipeline to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes need offensive linemen and the Tarblooders have a highly coveted one for the 2014 in Marcelys Jones. Standing 6-5 and weighing 325 pounds, Jones is a man among boys on the football field.

He already holds an offer from Ohio State and Indiana, and Jones recently gave us insight into his recruiting, as well as a behind the scenes glimpse at his coach, Ted Ginn Sr., who is the godfather of the pipeline.

cont...

Quarterback DeShone Kizer (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) is still thinking about the Buckeyes after his first trip to see a game at Ohio Stadium. On hand Saturday for Ohio State’s 63-38 win over Nebraska, the ESPN Watch List junior walked away impressed by everything the Buckeyes were about in the win.

“I liked it a lot,” Kizer said. “Ohio State is definitely near the top of my list. I definitely wanted to get a feel for what it would be like down on the field for a game.

“I can’t get over how nice the fans are. They’re truly die-hard fans. Leaving the game, it boosted them up on my list. I definitely like Ohio State.”

cont...

The good news for J.T. Barrett was when he was in during Rider’s 44-17 win over Brewer, he looked good. The bad news is he left the game after one series with a knee injury.

When he played, Barrett rushed for 49 yards and a score and was 2-of-4 for 41 yards. Here’s how the other 16 Ohio State commitments fared in high school action over the weekend:

Marcus Baugh: Tight end made a handful of catches and recorded first career sack in John W. North’s 21-12 win over Canyon Springs.

cont...

Gators, Buckeyes battle for 2014 RB (Gator Country)

Class of 2014 Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech Senior running back Jalen Hurd has always heard how tough The Swamp is on the visiting team and he got to witness that first hand on Saturday.

“It’s hard for an opponent to win in The Swamp,” Hurd said. “The crowd is so loud and the atmosphere around the stadium is crazy. Gator Nation is for real and support their team.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Hurd also watched as Mike Gillislee lead the Gators to a 14-6 victory against LSU with a power running game.

“That game was a great for a running back,” Hurd said. “Thirty-four carries for Mike is great. You can tell that coach (Will) Muschamp wants a pro-style offense. Coach (Brent) Pease also ran like 14 or 15 different formations during the game and for a defense, it keeps them on their toes and doesn’t allow them to get comfortable and keeps them off guard the entire game.”

This was Hurd’s first trip to Florida, so it was his first chance to see the facilities and the campus at the University.

“The campus was nice and I like how everything is close together,” Hurd said. “The facilities were great. There is always one thing that stands out and that was the weight room, it was unbelievable. I like the indoor, 50-yard track they have in the weight room. I also really like the stadium.”

cont...

Eight offers are already in for ESPN Watch List defensive tackle Enoch Smith (Chicago/Mount Carmel), but that number will not remain at eight very long.

The 6-foot-2, 256-pound lineman said several big-time BCS programs are at least showing early interest. Among them, Smith named Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Stanford, USC and Virginia Tech.

As for who could be his next offer, Smith said he would guess Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State or Ohio State would be offer No. 9.

Expects an OSU offer next month

cont...