Maybe best day recruiting ever Planted th flag all over Detroit with @coachvrabel50 finishing with dream team banquet! #movingthebordernorth

— Kerry Coombs (@OsuCoachCoombs) December 13, 2012

Butler CC Head Coach Troy Morrell tells me Tommy Sanders has NOT committed to #OhioState. He will visit S. Carolina this weekend then decide

— Miles 11W (@Miles11W) December 13, 2012

Ohio State might be adding JUCO LB Tommy Sanders. He wants in, but things aren't done yet. Might take 24-48 hours, but he could be IN

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) December 13, 2012

Class of 2014 Norcross (Ga.) ATH Myles Autry added an offer from #Florida #gators

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) December 13, 2012

#OhioState assistant coaches Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel will be checking in on Tommy Sanders today #buckeyes

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) December 13, 2012

#OhioState RB Coach Stan Drayton stopped by to see 2014 RB Nick Chubb yesterday. Chubb has an offer from the #Buckeyes #Vols #Purdue

— Derek Young(@Derek11W) December 13, 2012

• Kentucky offers Eric Glover-Williams
• Coaches from Vanderbilt visit Vincent Jackson
• NC State offers Johnnie Dixon
• Larry Fedora from North Carolina visits Elijah Hood
• Stanford dropped by to see Jamarco Jones today
• WR Corey Cooper decommited from Louisville today. Red carpet for Quick this weekend more than likely when he visits.
• Kentucky offers Lovell Peterson. Will OV this weekend.
• Nebraska offers Lorenzo Carter 
• Shelton Gibson to OV Kentucky this weekend
• Missouri, Nebraska & South Carolina offer Myles Autry 
• Michigan offers Tyler Luatua. Urban Meyer will visit tomorrow.
• Michigan State offers Demarre Kitt 

BN$--Bucks Will Visit 4-Star DB Friday '14 GA S Nick Glass

• Nick says he is still committed to UGA but plans to visit tOSU, knows the Buckeyes need safeties, and has been talking to Raekwon McMillan about tOSU. 

BN $ - Warinner Will Visit Huge Georgia OL '14 GA OL Orlando Brown Jr.

• By BK...Warriner is stopping in this week and Orlando says he is definitely interested after watching a few OSU games this year.

24/7 $ - Williams sets additional visits '13 PA RB David Williams

• By Lichtenfels...visiting PSU (1/11), South Carolina (1/18) and Miami (1/25)...OSU wants him to visit and if he does it will replace either the PSU or Miami trip. 

Scout $ - Ohio Sophomore Has Two Visitors '15 DL/OL George Brown

• By The Bank...Miami (FL) and MSU were by his school checking in on him...made unofficials this year to OSU and MSU...brother is Aaron Brown.

24/7 $ - Ohio State Excites Florida Stars '14 FL WR Isaiah Ford

• Says he's an OSU fan and was excited about the offer...no favorites but says OSU is up there...also has offers from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Louisville, UCF and Florida International.

Scout$--Johnson wants stability '13 GA LB Trey Johnson

• Coach Wofford says Trey will likely visit Penn State, Florida, and Tennessee in January.

Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty), Clifton Garrett (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) and Dante Booker (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) might not be the only package deal Ohio State is looking for in the class of 2014.

The Detroit Martin Luther King junior trio of Jalen Embry, Carl Fuller and Avonte Maddox has talked about it and wouldn’t mind staying together in college as well.

And the early talk is that they wouldn’t mind it if Ohio State threw them an offer.

Urban Meyer’s philosophy has always been that the more defensive linemen the better.

That’s why it wasn't shocking when defensive tackle Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) picked up an offer from the Buckeyes late Wednesday night.

The impact of Ohio State’s offer did not go unnoticed as Shaw went to Twitter to say the Buckeyes’ interest made his day.

The Tommy Sanders (Cordele, Ga./Butler Community College) to Ohio State talk took a turn Wednesday night when rumors circulated that the junior college standout committed to the Buckeyes.

Those rumors were put to rest Thursday morning when the 6-foot-2, 215-pound outside linebacker indicated he had not committed via text message.

There is mutual interest even though Ohio State hasn’t tendered an offer just yet. In fact, both sides remain in contact as the mid-term signing day nears for junior college players -- it begins Dec. 19.

Ohio State recruiting: '14 FL WR Jacob McCrary talks Buckeyes, the recruiting process

As Ohio State pulls into the home stretch for their 2013 recruiting class, that doesn't mean that Urban Meyer and his staff can't keep an eye towards the class of 2014.

The Buckeyes offered 4-star Florida wide receiver Jacob McCrary back on September 20th. Since then, he's decommitted from Florida State, continued to weigh the Seminoles against other offers including Clemson, Florida, and Notre Dame, while also receiving a slew of new pitches this past weekend.

We caught up with Jacob earlier this week to see where Ohio State stood in the mix and see how the recrutiing process in general was proceeding.

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AC100 Recruiting Update: Jalin Marshall

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete from Middletown, Ohio has a bright future in the college game. Jalin Marshall, like most electric athletes on the high school level, was the best player on his team. Therefore, he lined-up under center to maximize his play-making ability. He doesn't project as a potential quarterback, but you can bet getting the ball into his hands will be the focus of his college coaches. He is an exciting player in open space and he will be used all over the field on offense and likely on special teams as well.

The talented do-everything dynamo had offers from big-time programs like Notre Dame, Tennessee or UCLA, but his heart has always been in Columbus with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Trinity's James Quick wins Paul Hornung Award as Kentucky's best football player

Trinity High School wide receiver James Quick was named recipient of the 20th annual Paul Hornung Award, presented to Kentucky's top high school football player by the Louisville Quarterback Club.

The announcement was made Thursday morning by Quarterback Club President Gordon Crawford.

Quick is the all-time leading receiver in Kentucky high school football history with 280 receptions, the only Kentucky prep player to play on football and basketball state championship teams in the same season (2011), and the defending state champion and record holder in the 200-meter dash.

Quick scored touchdowns in four state championship games and helped lead Trinity to state titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He finished the 2012 season with 85 receptions for 1,413 yards and 16 TDs.

Quick is the son of former University of Louisville player Rhonyia Quick (1989-1991) and plans to make a recruiting visit to Louisville this weekend.

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Vonn Bell: Decision could be near for 5-star safety

Over the last few months, the recruiting process has taken a backseat to high school football for Vonn Bell, the 5-star safety from Ridgeland.

All of that will change after Saturday when Ridgeland plays Sandy Creek for the Class AAAA state championship at 5:30 p.m.

After Saturday, Bell will listen to the sales pitches and maybe visit his three finalists of Alabama, Ohio State and childhood favorite Tennessee. UGA was eliminated when Bell trimmed from seven to three schools.

“Nothing has changed with recruiting recently, and Vonn isn’t talking to anybody about it until after Saturday,” Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis told the AJC.

“About halfway through our season, he cut it off to focus on our team, which we appreciated. It has worked out well for Vonn.

“After our season is over on Saturday, I think it will be soon that he will make his decision between those three schools.”

Bell has had a monster senior season for Ridgeland, and surprisingly probably made more of an impact on offense than defense: Bell has 136 total tackles on defense, while posting 1,039 yards and 21 total touchdowns on offense.

“He’s the most productive player I’ve ever coached,” Mariakis said. “I don’t want to say best player, but he may be. I just don’t like using that phrase.

“We’ve had some really good players here. We’ve had six guys sign major D1 scholarships over the last five years, from Alabama to Oklahoma State. They were all great players at their positions. Vonn is that great player on both sides of the ball. He’s phenomenal on offense and defense.”

Cass Tech's David Dawson hearing primarily from Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State

Even after a few months of serious observation, David Dawson still doesn't know which university he will attend.

Cass Tech's outstanding offensive guard, who was committed to Michigan for much of 2012 and then decommitted in October, said he's hearing primarily from three schools -- Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State -- and probably won't decide until later in January.

"Those are the three I'm listening to," he said Wednesday at the Free Press/National Football Foundation Dream Team banquet at the Dearborn Inn. "All three programs have a lot to offer, in football, academics, and Ohio State and Michigan are close to home. Alabama, that's a great program."

The decision probably will be delayed until at least late January, once his official visits are done.

Michigan will be this weekend, Alabama on Jan. 11 and Ohio State on Jan. 18.

"So my decision date will be maybe around Jan. 20 or even signing day," he said.

His criteria for the schools?

"My position coach, his record for putting kids in the league, a college and distance, even though Alabama is quite far, and other than that, the family atmosphere," he said.

But going through the process remains an important part after realizing the first time he wasn't completely certain.

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Central Florida All-Star Game:
All-American, Eagle Scout, homecoming king ... what's next for Johnny Townsend?

It’s been an interesting, busy and rewarding past year for Orlando Boone High punter Johnny Townsend.

Let’s count the ways. He earned a football scholarship to Ohio State University. He earned the prestigious Eagle Scout Award. He was selected All-District by the Florida Coaches Athletic Commission. He was selected All-Metro Conference. He was selected to play in the Central Florida All-Star Game. He earned the status of All-American and will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.  Oh, and he was voted Homecoming King at Boone High.

Surely we are leaving something off, but obviously it’s been a good year to be Johnny Townsend.

“It’s all pretty unreal,” Townsend said recently, fresh off a ceremony to honor him for being selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, at which he was presented with a jersey.

Of course it didn’t all happen overnight. Townsend has spent a good portion of his young life working toward the goals he set and the hard part was just staying the course.

“Everything that has happened have been goals I’ve been reaching toward,” Townsend said. “There has been so much work that has been put into everything … all stuff I had dreamed of since I started boy scouts when I was like six years old, or when I started playing football. I’ve been playing football and been in the scouts since I can remember.”

The accomplishments aren’t your everyday honors, and even though he’s reached the achievements on his own merits, he still finds it hard to determine which of his most prestigious goals were most difficult to reach: attaining the Eagle Scout honor or the honor of being named an All-American football player and earning a scholarship to a powerhouse football school such as Ohio State.

“That’s a tough question. They were both difficult but just in different ways,” Townsend said.  “Earning a scholarship to Ohio State is about competing  against so much tremendous talent across the country, whereas  the Eagle Scout is more sticking to what you are trying to accomplish.  But I guess they are both related in that you have to stick to what your goals are … and it just shows that anything is possible.

 “But both are insanely difficult.”

 Possible for the right kind of person. Not just any person is going to be able to stay a course that would lead them to accomplish such demanding goals.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first message is delivered from a distance.

The large block 'O' is hard to miss, popping off the black backdrop with the scarlet letter outlined in white. That's effectively the neon sign that announces Ohio State has arrived and is open for business.

Stitched on the same black or patched on to shiny, almost-blinding white sleeves are reminders of the history of the program. Conference titles and perfect seasons, a Buckeye leaf and national championships, they're all represented somewhere in what amounts to a more traditional, face-to-face sales pitch.

The vehicle is the same in this advertising campaign, which has become one of the hottest in college football after the unbeaten season Urban Meyer produced in his first year with Ohio State. And while the unique letterman's jacket that every member of the coaching staff has to wear on the recruiting trail probably isn't going to be one of the biggest motivating factors for a high school player facing a decision about where to sign this offseason, the attention it's receiving on sidelines across the country obviously doesn't hurt as the Buckeyes spread the word about their resurgent program.

"I get teased by other coaches from some other schools, asking me where I plug the jacket in and all that stuff since they're bright and shiny and they're pretty neat," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. "They are eye-catching and I get comments everywhere I go, not just from kids, but adults and parents and all kinds of people. But the great thing is they tell the history of Ohio State, too.

"Most of the rest of the folks are walking around with pretty much standard, whatever jackets. It's not like ours. I appreciate the teasing, because it means it's making an impression on somebody."

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Mind of Mike: Maize and Blue for Derrick Green?

Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell is never shy to express his opinion on everything from commitments to rankings to how on-field performance affects recruiting. In this weekly feature -- Inside the Mind of Mike -- the most experienced analyst in the industry gives some of his thoughts on the events of the past week.

Deep Thoughts

A lot has happened since my last column, which ran last Wednesday. Since then there have been coaching hires, de-commitments, huge commitments and a ton of intrigue surrounding many of the top prospects in the country.

I'll try to touch on as much of it as I can this week in Mind of Mike, which is quickly becoming the most popular recruiting feature on the Internet.

Let's start with this question that many are asking -- will Green go Blue? Richmond (Va.) Hermitage running back Derrick Green is the nation's top player at his position and has had his list of schools narrowed to Michigan, Auburn, Tennessee, Miami, Oregon and Ole Miss for quite some time.

This week, while on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Player of the Year Tour, Green went on the record saying that Michigan has the edge, especially with coaching changes at Auburn and Tennessee, the two teams thought to be the biggest threat.

 

Several factors appear to be pushing Derrick Green toward the Wolverines.

While at one point I thought the Wolverines were fading following his official visit for the Michigan State game, that is no longer the case.

However, this is far from a slam dunk for Michigan fans and numerous fanbases will be sweating this one out for a while.

I'm not sure where the early enrollment rumors started, but Green isn't enrolling anyplace early. That means he can and will take official visits in January and his decision could come down to Signing Day. The original plan was to decide in December or at the Army Bowl, but that doesn't appear likely. Why? Because some new schools could be jumping into the mix.

I think Auburn is pretty much on its way out of the picture because the entire staff, including running backs coach Curtis Luper, was dismissed and he will have to start all over again with the Tigers. Tennessee is still in the mix because running backs coach Jay Graham is still on board and I know he really wants to visit Miami if he can. Ole Miss and Oregon are on the outside looking in, at least in my opinion, but we'll see if he visits either school. So essentially that leaves Michigan, Tennessee and Miami as the three biggest contenders right now.

However, keep an eye on new schools, especially USC. USC? Why USC with running back commitments from Ty Isaac and Justin Davis already? Green and fellow POY candidate Su'a Cravens bonded during the three-day tour and Cravens put a bug in the ear of USC running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu. Polamalu has since reached out to Green to gauge interest in a visit.

Green is certainly interested and is not concerned about competition, but we will see if this is just a fleeting notion or has some legs soon enough.

Back to Michigan, where Green has become very good friends with former Wolverines commitment David Dawson. When Dawson de-committed from Michigan, the duo talked about potentially taking some visits to Tennessee and Auburn. Dawson is once again in the good graces of the Michigan staff and I think he ends up back in Ann Arbor when all is said and done. Green would love to play with Dawson, so that also bodes well for the Wolverines if they can reel in Dawson.

Heading into the POY Tour, I was skeptical about Green's interest in Michigan. In fact I thought the Wolverines might be on the outside looking in despite the coaching issues at Auburn and Tennessee. Now I feel they are squarely in the driver's seat, but will have to hold off many schools down the stretch.

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