Had a good visit at Ohio State and came out with my 20th offer! #buckeyes

— Dillon Bates (@dillonbates) November 4, 2012

Just spoke with forward Nigel Hayes his final two are Ohio State and Wisconsin after recently eliminating Minnesota and Stanford.

— Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin) November 5, 2012

#OhioState has offered Madison Southern (Ky.) 2015 RB Damien Harris: recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c…

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) November 5, 2012

Crete (IL) Monee Top247 2014 LB Nyles Morgan tells me Ohio State is the latest to offer. 247sports.com/Player/Nyles-M… #OSU #Buckeyes

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) November 5, 2012

Just spoke with 5-Star 2014 DB Laurence Jones (Neville) about LSU/Bama, the run for another state title, and his new offer from Ohio State.

— Mike Coppage (@MikeCoppage) November 6, 2012

• Tyquan Lewis made five tackles including a sack as Tarboro defeated Wilson Beddingfield 34-0 to move to 11-0
• Auston Johnson rated 81 by 247Sports
• Tyus Jones names final 8 of Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, UNC (For those that missed it yesterday)
• Bryce Dixon rated 90 by 247Sports
• USC Trojans offer Kain Daub
• UCLA Bruins offer Bryce Dixon
• Urban Meyer visited Christopher Worley, Marcelys Jones, Dante Booker, Marshon Lattimore, Donovan Munger & Shelton Gibson today. Tim Hinton visited Damien Harris today, extending an offer to him as well.

Scout$--Three team race for five-star DB '13 GA DB Vonn Bell

• Vonn says he is down to Alabama, tOSU, and Tennessee. He will visit all three before deciding.

Rivals$--Watkins reflects on junior season '14 OH ATH Dareian Watkins

• Dareian says he is building relationships with numerous staffs and his contact with tOSU is at an all-time high. 

Rivals$--Purdue the latest to host Jones '14 IL OL Jamarco Jones

• Jamarco now has 14 offers after Ole Miss offered. He is taking numerous visits but does not mention any favorites.

Scout $ - Morgan Talks Buckeyes '14 IL LB Nyles Morgan

• By Long.....Being recruited by Coach Vrabel, likes the program & The Shoe. Isn't focusing on recruiting right now, due to his team being undefeated & in the playoffs.

Gorman: ‘You can’t let things go to your head’ (trib live)

This wasn’t how college football fans envisioned Robert Foster and Dorian Johnson sharing the same field.

They might have imagined seeing Central Valley’s Foster, ranked the nation’s top receiver prospect by Scout.com, and Belle Vernon’s Johnson, the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle prospect by ESPN’s Scouts Inc., in Pitt’s blue and gold or Ohio State’s scarlet and gray or Alabama’s crimson and white.

This wasn’t a night for those dreaming of watching Foster and Johnson play for the same team. Instead, they were opponents in a WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game.

And only one of them played.

“I’m not sitting out for no reason,” Foster said. “I’m sitting out for a reason: I’m learning from my mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes, and I made mine.”

A week ago, while Johnson was recovering a fumble in the end zone for his first-ever touchdown in a victory over Albert Gallatin, Foster was being ejected from a loss to Beaver Falls after drawing two personal-foul penalties. Under PIAA rules, Foster is automatically suspended for the following game, meaning a loss would make this his last game.

“It’s tough, but you learn from your mistakes,” Foster said. “I was wrong for what I did. I apologized to my teammates and everyone else that supported me. But I believe in my team and my coaches that they will do what they have to to win the game.”

Not only would Central Valley have to beat Belle Vernon minus Foster but also without injured quarterback Nate Climo and tailback Jordan Whitehead.

So Foster and Johnson were essentially in the same situation, knowing the fate of their high school careers was not in their hands but those of teammates.

Despite Johnson’s dominant play on both sides of the ball — not to mention Foster’s absence — Central Valley rallied for a 17-16 win over Belle Vernon on Elliot Taylor’s 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left Friday.

Where Johnson could at least block and tackle, Foster could only watch from the sidelines.

cont...

Recruiting: Michigan commit Gareon Conley wants to visit elsewhere; will Wolverines keep him? (detroit free press)

Michigan’s 2013 recruiting class experienced its first loss over two weeks ago when Detroit Cass Tech offensive lineman David Dawson decommited. These aren’t rare, especially in today’s environment – U-M lost three commits last year alone, Lyndhurst (Ohio) Brush tight end Pharaoh Brown, Crete (Ill.) Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer and Cincinnati Oak Hills offensive lineman Caleb Stacey.

Dawson may not be the last recruit to leave U-M's class of 2013. Massillon (Ohio) Washington cornerback Gareon Conley is a three-star prospect ranked the No. 56 corner in the nation by Rivals.com. The 6-2, 165-pounder recently said he would like to take visits to other schools.

"I'm taking visits somewhere else because Michigan was the first ever college I visited so I want to see what's out there," Conley told Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt. "I haven't talked to (Michigan’s coaching staff), but I've got to talk to them about it."

cont...

Battleground Recruits: Midwest (247sports)

With the presidential election just days away and the battleground states playing a big part in the country's next commander-in-chief, there is not a better time to take a look at six key "battleground recruits" for the Midwest region in the 2013 class.

Top247 cornerback Gareon Conley may take official visits. He is a Michigan commit.

6. Gareon Conley, CB, Massillon (Ohio) Washington

The four-star cornerback has been committed to Michigan since March, but that hasn’t kept programs such as Ohio State and Oregon from continuing to make their pitch – and that includes plans to play the versatile prospect on offense. This recruitment is a classic battle of an in-state prospect committed to an out of state program and rival, and the in-state power looking to flex their muscles and continue to build momentum under a new regime.

National Analyst Steve Wiltfong on Conley’s recruitment: “Since Tuesday’s report where Conley’s mother told Ohio State 247Sports affiliate Bucknuts.com that her son was going to call Michigan and tell them his plan to take official visits, we haven’t heard much on this front. Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke has been firm in the past on pulling scholarships from commits that want to take visits. Ohio State and Oregon were the programs Conley’s mother mentioned as potential official visits, and both schools are giving Conley the opportunity to play receiver as well. If Conley indeed has the recruiting process opened up, the Buckeyes would likely become the team to beat, however there is genuine interest in the Ducks. Definitely a lot of different situations to monitor regarding Conley.”

5. Elijah Daniel, DE, Avon (Ind.)

The Top247 defender is not the typical battleground recruitment. While Daniel currently resides in Indiana, he’s from the state of Alabama with eyes on programs in the south. With that said, Indiana is trying desperately to grab some recruiting momentum, and keeping one of the nations top 2013 prospects in-state would be a huge step in that regard. Even though Daniel remains on the commit list of the Clemson, there is virtually no chance that the 6-foot-3, 249-pounder with elite quickness will end up signing with the Tigers.

National Analyst Steve Wiltfong on Daniel’s recruitment: “Ask the voters from Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and they’ll all tell you they’re getting Daniel. Indiana is trying to be a player in this race, but the only thing that seems clear at this point is the Hoosier State standout will not sign with Clemson come early February. A Tigers commit since June, the SEC programs have grabbed the momentum. Florida was at one time Daniel’s favorite. He had really good visit to Ole Miss. He’s known his recruiter at Mississippi State, Tim Brewster, a long time. Arizona State is another school to watch. For now we give the slight edge to the Gators but this election remains fluid.”

cont...

Sunday notebook focuses on Ryan Timmons (courier journal)

Here’s the link to Sunday’s Courier-Journal recruiting notebook, which led with an update on the recruitment of Franklin Co. High School WR/RB/ATH Ryan Timmons, who is top target of the University of Kentucky and a candidate for Mr. Football this year.

I watched Timmons’ game against Scott High on Friday in the first round of the playoffs, and it’s easy to see why he’s a major college prospect – great speed and lateral quickness, – he’s particularly great on start-and-stop moves – and good size for a slot receiver at 5-10, 180.

He’s set to return from an official visit to Purdue today. He’s already been to Arkansas and expects to officially visit Illinois and Ohio State (no offer yet). He said he probably won’t officially visit UK, where he’s been many times already unofficially.

Timmons said he doesn’t have any favorite at this point.

Space in the newspaper is clearly more limited than here on the blogs, so I plan to post some more on Timmons with comments from his coach, Chris Tracy.

***One item not mentioned in the notebook but was in Friday’s Courier-Journal and that I have mentioned on the blog: Trinity stars James Quick (likely the favorite for Mr. Football) and Jason Hatcher were selected to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, in January.

Trinity’s Bob Beatty is one of the head coaches in the game, too.

Hatcher, a defensive end, is committed to Southern California.

Quick, a wide receiver, is arguably the top remaining target of Louisville in the 2013 class and also is considering Ohio State, Oregon, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Buckeyes are thought to be the Cardinals’ top competition to land Quick.

(Interestingly, what happens with Quick and Ohio State could affect Timmons. Quick has an offer from Ohio State, which has decreased scholarships this year as a part of NCAA probation. If Quick were to pick Louisville, that’s an offer that could potentially go to Timmons. They’re not the same type of player – Quick figures to be a college wideout, I’d think – and Timmons is probably a slot guy who could play some tailback. But if the Buckeyes don’t get Quick, maybe they’ll look to Timmons to help round out their class on offense.)

Ohio State kicked off its bye week by offering two of the hottest underclassman prospects in the country.

It started Saturday evening when 2014 linebacker Dillon Bates (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Ponte Vedra) was offered and continued Monday when 2015 running back Damien Harris (Berea, Ky./Madison Southern) nabbed an offer from the Buckeyes as well.

Bates took an unofficial visit to The Horseshoe on Saturday and witnessed Ohio State’s 52-22 win over Illinois, picking up an offer shortly after the game.

cont..

Drew Barker has a plan, albeit a tentative one.

The junior quarterback from Hebron (Ky.) Conner told ESPN on Monday that he'd like to announce his college decision in January, February or March. However, that's not set in stone.

When asked why he wanted to announce his decision so early, Barker said, "Just to focus on my senior year and to start to recruit for my school. If I don't feel right during those months then I won't do it,but that's what I'm shooting for."

cont...

It is not quite six degrees of separation, but Nick Richardson (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central) and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio are connected even if in the slightest of ways.

Dantonio grew up in Zanesville, Ohio, the same place Richardson’s mom is from. Now, the junior offensive tackle has an offer to play for Dantonio at Michigan State.

“I was on the field during pregame warm-ups and talked to coach Dantonio and that’s when he offered,” he said. “He’s from where my mom grew up so we talked about that a little bit.”

cont...

The Ohio State trip tops the list for kicker Rafael Gaglianone.

"It was the best visit so far," the junior prospect from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor said. "Really liked it."

Gaglianone has also visited LSU and Duke. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes stood out as they beat Illinois 52-22 on Saturday.

cont...

It was not an average Thursday for Mark Lyons. When you coach ESPN 150 receiver Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), there are hardly any quiet days, but Nov. 1 was wilder than others.

The No. 2 receiver and No. 23 player nationally, Foster tweeted he was ready to make a decision. He just came off an official visit to Alabama and tweeted his father likes the Crimson Tide while his mother would prefer to see him at Pittsburgh.

cont...

Ohio State will leave no stone unturned in its effort to shore up the linebacking unit for the future.

The latest Class of 2014 linebacker to join the list is Nyles Morgan (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee), who announced on his Twitter account the news of an offer from the Buckeyes

cont...

Prospect watch: Aliquippa’s Dravon Henry (trib live)

When Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac called Dravon Henry into his office and informed the Quips’ star that Ohio State had offered a scholarship, Henry was in denial.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Henry said. “Then I went on the Internet and saw a story that they were recruiting me, and saw it was for real.”

Henry was excited, not because it was his first offer — he counts Pitt, West Virginia, Kent State, Maryland, Rutgers and Toledo are among his suitors — but rather that he wasn’t expecting the Buckeyes to pull the trigger so soon in his junior year.

“More like it came out of nowhere,” Henry said. “I was kind of shocked.”

Don’t be surprised that Henry plans to play defense, despite rushing for 1,072 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and 3,357 yards and 48 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter.

Henry sees himself as a safety, where he had nine interceptions last season and two this fall. In fact, he was excited when one recruiting site called him “Henry Island,” a reference to the nickname of former Aliquippa and Pitt star Darrelle Revis, an All-Pro cornerback for the New York Jets and Henry’s cousin.

Henry hopes to visit Ohio State for its game against arch-rival Michigan later this month, and says the Buckeyes want Aliquippa junior defensive tackle Jaleel Fields to accompany him.

“It feels good,” Henry said. “It actually makes me want to work harder.”

Clairton (Pa.) athlete Tyler Boyd has resisted cutting down his list. While some teams always remained toward the top, Boyd wasn't in a rush to name favorites. 

While the 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver/defensive back is not naming a final group, five teams have separated themselves for Boyd, who is No. 161 in the ESPN 300. 

Boyd, who has 20 offers, said he has a top group of Arizona, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

cont...