• JUCO WR Corey Smith is committed to Miss. St. but will be taking an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.
• Daniel Cage has changed his unofficial visit to Ohio State to Feb. 2nd
• Trey Johnson still firmly committed to OSU, but Auburn and Georgia Tech trying to make a late run. 
• Oregon State and Colorado State offers Josh Malone
• Oklahoma offers Dan Skipper
• Mississippi State offers Mason Cole & Artavis Scott
• Southern Miss offers Will Ulmer
• Dante Sawyer Top 5 schools not any order are Ohio State, UGA, UNC, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Rivals $ - OL sets Ohio State visit '13 CO OT Dan Skipper

• By Givler...visiting OSU 1/19-1/21...schools still in the running are Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Michigan, and Ohio State.

Rivals $ - Hunt still looking at Buckeyes '13 CA OL Cameron Hunt

• Roomed with Baugh and got to know Bosa in Orlando...been speaking to Coach Warriner a lot lately...visiting Michigan this weekend, Oregon the following weekend and then Cal and OSU the final two weekends.

Rivals $ - Henry staying the course '14 PA RB/DB Dravon Henry

• Illinois and PSU have offered...says OSU is still on his mind but is interested in other schools as well...plans to visit places like Pitt, OSU and WVU.

Rivals $ - Tony Brown ready to examine his options '14 TX DB Tony Brown

• From the TAMU site...his sister (track) will choose between LSU and Texas A&M so his mother will get to see those schools with her...planning to attend junior days at Alabama and Ohio State.

Scout $ - Kinlaw updates his recruitment  '14 SC RB Caleb Kinlaw

• By Clark......Offers from Tennessee, Georgia Tech, South Carolina & Clemson, while also hearing from North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State & LSU. Says Notre Dame, LSU & Ohio State stand out. 

Scout $ - Ford with a nice offer list '14 FL WR Isaiah Ford

• Offers from South Carolina, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, UCF, Louisville, Ohio State..interest from Florida, Florida State, Alabama, LSU...grew up an FSU fan and talks about why he's looking for.

Scout $ - Kitt has two favorites '14 GA WR Demarre Kitt

• From the Clemson site.....Clemson & Ohio State and would like to play with DeShaun Watson in college. 

Scout $ - Bosa Ready To Work '13 FL DE Joey Bosa

• By The Bank.....Will play strong-side defensive end at Ohio State & plans on starting next year. Raves about Coach Meyer, Fickell & Vrabel. Will be rooming with Marcus Baugh & Ezekiel Elliott.

Scout $ - Conley looking to compete '13 OH CB Gareon Conley

• By The Bank.....Says he'll play whatever position the staff wants, but admits he really wants to play WR. Realizes he needs to add weight & strength, but hopes to be on the field this fall. 

ESPN - Final 2013 ESPN300 Rankings

11 - Apple
43 - Conley
48 - Johnson
49 - Marshall
50 - Bell
56 - Bosa
62 - Burrows
102 - Baugh
106 - Lisle
109 - Elliott
128 - Mitchell
201 - Gibson
207 - Elder
216 - Hill
218 - Thompson
248 - Timmons
261 - Barrett
281 - Munger
287 - Price

Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 1/10

Vonn Bell and company's official visits to Columbus are upon us. Ohio State also has a new DE offer in the class of 2014 and see where Thaddeus Snodgrass stands on the Buckeyes.

This weekend is shaping up to be another huge one for Urban Meyer and his Ohio State assistant coaches. Even with five high profile undecided prospects coming to OSU's Columbus campus, there's no bigger prize than 4-star Under Armour All-American, S Vonn Bell. While the Buckeyes have made some remarkable additions in the secondary in the 2013 class (Cameron Burrows, Eli Apple, Jayme Thompson, and probable two way player, Gareon Conley), Bell is still that one game changing strong safety they could use to really take a good future secondary and make it great.

Bell will have the entire family along with him, which means it won't just be Urban Meyer and co.'s duty to sell Bell, but most importantly, to get Mrs. Bell on board with her son spending the next 3-5 years in Columbus. While it was expected to be a seasonally warm, potentially overcast at worst weekend in Columbus, the weekend forecast for campus is now looking slightly less favorable, with a 70% chance of rain Friday, and showers the rest of the weekend. Of course, with temperatures in the 60's until late Sunday, the Bucks might be able to dodge some of the transplants from being too uncomfortable (of course even 50's & 60's are winter coat weather for southerners).

Another possible sell for the Buckeyes could be this revelation from senior-to-be running back Jordan Hall:

Rockin that #2 this year!

— Jordan Hall (@JordanHall_2) January 10, 2013

While of course college football allows for both offensive and defensive players to share the same number, with Travis Howard graduated, that could mean that Bell's #7 will be well accounted for in the stands. All it takes is one Photoshop showcasing what a #7-clad future crowd could potentially look like...

On the flip side of the ball, while it would've been interesting to see future Buckeye WR Jalin Marshall don his high school number, junior running back Rod Smith is instead apparently literally swapping with Hall and will wear #7.

Looking forward to the class of 2014, Urban Meyer and Luke Fickell continue to look towards a future with an SEC caliber talented/deep defensive line. The Buckeyes offered 4-star Southfield, MI DE Lawrence Marshall on Wednesday. You can now add Marshall to a laundry list of A-list prospects being feuded over between the Buckeyes and That Team Up North. Marshall's thought to favor the Wolverines at this juncture, but has to have at least some sense of what's up having been in attendance on an unofficial visit at the most iteration of The Game. Marshall's also expected to take an unofficial visit to Michigan State this coming weekend.

Staying in class, the Buckeyes continue to keep momentum strong with respect to staying on the radar of some of the most talented skill position players of the future. 2014 WR Thaddeus Snodgrass confirmed his top 5 yesterday and that includes Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan State, and Nebraska. A mighty Big Ten/midwestern hue to it, no? The aristocratically named Snodgrass is a 4-star receiver from Springfield, Ohio. While the Buckeyes are thought to lead for his services, it'll be interesting to see if any of the rumors about Brian Kelly are anything more than a negotiating ploy to get a contract extension/raise.

You can also go ahead and add another name to Ohio State's junior day weekend February 10th. WR Demarre Kitt will be there:

2014 WR Demarre Kitt is visiting #OhioSt Feb. 10. es.pn/Tq30Qu RT @d_ocho Talking to coach Urban Meyer #buckeyes

— Kipp Adams (@KippLAdams) January 10, 2013

Joining him is expected to be QB DeShaun Watson, RB Nick Chubb, DL Dante Sawyer, DB Nick Glass, and ATH Myles Autry.

Finally, closing things out, check out another 2014-er, LB Dante Booker from St. Vincent-St. Mary's newly minted highlight tape in case you missed it:

Ohio State Football Recruiting: What Landing LB Trey Johnson Means for Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes dominated on the field all season long in Urban Meyer's first year in Columbus, running the table to finish 12-0 and undefeated for the first time since 2002. The Buckeyes have now continued to dominate off the field, landing a plethora of top recruits for next season, none more valuable than 4-star inside linebacker Trey Johnson.

Johnson recently committed to Ohio State, according to 247Sports.com's Bill Kurelic, passing up offers from other big-time college football schools like Florida, Penn State and Tennessee. 

Now that Johnson has made up his mind and is prepared to play under co-defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Everett Withers as a Buckeye, it's time to look ahead to see what the 6'2", 220-pound defender has in store for Ohio State fans in the coming years. 

What will immediately strike fans the first time they see Johnson is his size and speed.

He isn't a monster in terms of height or weight, but he is super athletic and a very instinctual player who has a real knack for the position.

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Ohio State football recruiting: Meyer puts his first fingerprint on the Buckeyes

Second-year OSU head coach has assembled an impressive first recruiting class.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is putting the finishing touches on his first full class of Buckeyes. Meyer, who took the Ohio State job in November 2011, solidified the class built by interim coach Luke Fickell and managed to land a handful of additional commitments. However, the Class of 2013 will be the first fully chosen and pursued by Meyer.

Ohio State is in significantly better recruiting position headed into National Signing Day 2013 than it was in 2012. The Buckeyes went undefeated in Meyer's first season at the helm, finishing third in the final AP Top 25 poll. The program is also free of a two-year postseason ban which prevented the team from playing for the Big Ten Championship and, potentially, a Rose Bowl or BCS Championship. The Buckeyes have taken full advantage, securing commitments from 21 players, including 14 recruits who have been given four-star ratings from Rivals.com.

J.T. Barrett: The Urban Meyer spread offense was built for dual-threat quarterbacks, and the best of them -- Tim Tebow, Braxton Miller -- thrive in Meyer's run-heavy system. Barrett, a quarterback from Wichita Falls, Texas, fits the bill. Barrett chose Ohio State over offers from LSU, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Baylor, and Texas Tech. Rivals rates him the ninth-best dual-threat quarterback in the country.

Jalin Marshall: Jim Tressel built an empire in Columbus by cherry-picking Ohio of its finest talent. Meyer is picking up where Tressel left off with Jalin Marshall, a wide receiver from Middletown. Marshall received five stars from Scout, and is rated the second-best player in Ohio by Rivals (behind OSU commit Cameron Burrows). Marshall held offers from Notre Dame, UCLA and much of the Big Ten, but has been an OSU commit since January 2012.

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Ezekiel Elliott's Return, Early Fast Break Jam Helps Carry John Burroughs To Victory Over Principia

After spending what he termed a "life-changing" week in San Antonio for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school football all-star game, which was played last Saturday at the Alamodome and televised nationally by NBC, John Burroughs senior Ezekiel Elliott was just hoping not to look too rusty in his first basketball game back with the Bombers on Tuesday.

Elliott, a football star for the Bombers, who will play collegiately at Ohio State University next year, flew back to St. Louis on Sunday, and only had time for one practice with the team before Tuesday's key Metro League conference game against rival Principia.

Fortunately for the Bombers, Elliott was able to shake off any rust he might have had pretty quickly, thanks to a resounding fast break slam dunk early in the game, which helped JBS build an early lead that eventually became a 64-54 victory over the visiting Principia Panthers.

"It was good to be back with my team," Elliott said. "We have a lot of weapons, but the thing about us is we always guard. And it just makes it easier to win if we hold our opponent to a low number of points."

That's exactly what Burroughs did on Tuesday, as it held Principia below its usual scoring average, thanks in part, to allowing the Panthers just six points in the first quarter.

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Middletown's Marshall out with all-star game injury

CINCINNATI —

While practicing in one part of Florida for the Under Armour All-American high school football game, Middletown standout Jalin Marshall was wondering how things were going in another part of the state.

Marshall, who started at wide receiver for team Nitro in last weekend’s game, was getting constant updates on how the Middie basketball team was faring in the Rock Holiday tournament at Coconut Creek, Fla.

“(Teammates) were calling me every night,” Marshall said after returning from Florida. “They stayed in touch with me and kept me up to date with how things were going.”

Middletown, without Marshall’s 16.3 points per game and tenacious defense, claimed the holiday title to start a four-game winning streak that ended 74-48 Tuesday night at Princeton with Marshall not playing.

Marshall says he suffered a separated shoulder in the Under Armour game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“We hope to have him back soon,” Middletown coach Josh Andrews said.

Marshall, who rushed for 1,421 yards and threw for 765 as the Middies quarterback last season, was listed as an “athlete” for the all-star game. He started at receiver and also saw some time on special teams, recording a tackle following a punt in the third quarter.

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Preview: Core 6 Showcase

The 2013 Core 6 Athletes Showcase camp will take place on Monday, January 21st from 1-4PM at the Westmont Yard Sports Plex in Westmont, Illinois. This invite only event will feature several of the top prospects from the State of Illinois including several underclassmen prospect to watch. The Core 6 Showcase has quickly become one of the elite recruiting events in the state, drawing several top prospects from across the state each year. Make sure to check back after this event for full coverage from EDGYTIM.com along with Rivals.com. Below is a list of some of the prospects who are planning to be in attendance on January 21st. Here is an early preview and breakdown of the event. 

How will Georgia Tech’s hiring of Ted Roof affect recruiting? (UPDATED)

It will be interesting to see the impact that new Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof will have on recruiting.

Roof still carries a big name in the Atlanta area because of his accomplishments as a football player at Georgia Tech and Central Gwinnett High School.

What about the “Ted Roof effect”?

It will most likely be felt next year.

But it could make some things interesting this year — three weeks away from signing day.

One name to watch is Trey Johnson, the Under Armour All-American linebacker who is committed to Ohio State.

Johnson played at Central Gwinnett, the same high school as Roof. And, if you remember, that formed the bond of their friendship which caused Auburn (when Roof was defensive coordinator there in 2011) to be the first school to offer Johnson, and then for Johnson later to commit to the Tigers.

Johnson is so fond of Roof that he strongly considered making an official visit to Penn State this month just because Roof was coaching there. Johnson didn’t, though, committing to Ohio State after becoming a little worn out from the recruiting hoopla.

Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford was asked on Thursday night if Roof had talked Johnson since being hired by Georgia Tech, and he responded, “It’s funny you ask that …”

Wofford had to go because his team’s football banquet had started, but confirmed that Roof had talked to Johnson and that Johnson was still firmly committed to Ohio State. We’ll keep an eye on this one.

Then there’s Grayson High School defensive back Kasey Gaines. While at Penn State, Roof went to battle to get Gaines the D1 offer. Gaines committed to Penn State over Harvard, and told the AJC on Thursday night he was sticking with the Nittany Lions.

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