Rivals$--Gonzalez updates his recruitment '15 NJ OL Steven Gonzalez
- Steven says tOSU is the leader with PSU in second. He does want to build a relationship with the Rutgers staff and plans a NLOID decision but says it could come earlier.
Rivals$--Rivals100 QB Gibson in no hurry to decide '15 FL QB Torrance Gibson
- Torrance will unofficially visit Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio State, and all of the Florida schools that have offered. He knows schools want him to commit early but he needs to take official visits first.
Rivals$--Fullwood sees opportunity after WVU visit '15 MD DE Darius Fullwood
- Darius says he plans to visit the schools of interest and make a decision in May. He says he will be done with recruiting at that point.
Rivals$--PSU offers R100 DB Lewis '15 DC DB Marcus Lewis
- Marcus likes PSU and the new staff. He will be in Columbus this weekend and will also visit Florida, Florida State and Miami during spring break.
247$--Kilby-Lane Talks Top 3 '15 FL LB Sh'mar Kilby-Lane
- Top three in order: Florida State, Alabama and Ohio State.
"Childhood favorite" #OhioState offers Top247 in-state DL Dre'Mont Jones. More on the #Buckeyes offer (VIP) http://t.co/cvbsRuUFn5 #OSU
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) February 25, 20142016 Miami (Fla.) WR @dionte_mullins8 says Ohio State and Alabama continue to push the hardest http://t.co/xjK5o9EQBY (@AndrewJBone)
— Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) February 25, 2014Buckeyes Hope Meyer's Name Leads to Florida Recruiting Haul (11W)
On Sunday, we took a look at some of Ohio's unheralded 2015 talents; guys that could end up donning the scarlet and gray come next year but that may be flying a bit under the radar at present. The Buckeye State is always well represented in the Ohio State locker room of course, so its not much of a surprise to see unknown names popping up at all points of the recruiting process.
Recruiting out of state, however, requires patience, diligence and above all else, it requires a few things that Ohio State and Urban Meyer have plenty of: confidence.
Those prerequisites become even more important when recruiting the state of Florida, known as much for its prodigious football talent as its amazing weather. Urban Meyer and his right-hand man Mark Pantoni know full well the ins and outs of the Sunshine State and this year they've employed the help of a fellow swaggernaut, wide receivers coach Zach Smith.
Early returns in Florida have been promising for Meyer and his band of recruiting brothers: two of Ohio State's first three commitments for 2015, Jamel Dean and Ben Edwards, are from Florida and Ohio State finds themselves in an excellent position with a number of the state's other top prospects.
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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 2/25 - Latest on Torrance Gibson (LGHL)
Although Monday turned out to be one of the slower recruiting days in recent memory, the Buckeyes are still searching for the best available talent.
It's been no secret that one of the top prospects Ohio State has been in contact with is '15 QB Torrance Gibson. The 6'4, 200-pound quarterback has been clocked at a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and is rated as a 5-star in the 247Composite. Ranked among his classmates as the 13th-best prospect in the class of 2015 and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country (as well as the 5th-best recruit from the state of Florida) Gibson has earned a reputation as one of the best players in the nation.
The Buckeyes have led for Gibson's services for quite some time now and are considered the favorites to land the Fort Lauderdale product. In fact, the Crystal Ball gives Ohio State a 64% edge over Miami (23%), LSU (9%), and Auburn (5%). This past season, Gibson passed for 1,789 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 85 of his 153 attempts. Gibson also showed off his running ability by garnering 1,063 yards on 111 carries and 10 touchdowns.
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Darius Slade: The road to Ohio State (LGHL)
On National Signing Day the Buckeyes received a surprise signature from Montclair (NJ) defensive end Darius Slade, who had be committed to Michigan State before flipping to the Buckeyes.
Slade hadn't been on Ohio State's Columbus campus prior to announcing for the Buckeyes on signing day. He finally made the trip to Columbus this past weekend, where he really enjoyed his whole time checking out everything the Ohio State football program had to offer.
"We got there Friday, checked into the hotel. After that we went out and took tours, then we got the chance to break off and meet with all of the coaches. We pretty much took a big tour around campus and went on a few more tours. Then Friday night me and my host, Tyquan Lewis, went out to dinner with coach (Larry) Johnson, coach (Ed) Warinner, and coach Warinner's wife, a few other people in the program, and my family. It was a great dinner and we had a lot of fun."
Slade continued, after that, me and Tyquan just kicked backed with a couple of our teammates and that was pretty much it for Friday," Slade said. "Saturday we got up pretty early, went out to breakfast with the coaches. Then we picked back up on more tours and sat down with the academic support. (Ohio State) has very good academic support. I was very excited to know that I'd be taken care of and I won't be a player who will be slipping through the cracks academically, I'll be taken care of, I was really excited about that."
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Dexter Williams adds Notre Dame offer; names top 3 Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee (Orlando Sentinel)
Fresh off his first day of school at Winter Garden West Orange on Monday, recent transfer Dexter Williams celebrated a new scholarship offer, this one from Notre Dame as his list continues to gain members of college football’s elite.
Williams, a 6-foot, 190-pound running back, now has seven offers, the others from Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.
Williams said he has actually gathered a list of favorites, with Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee standing out for him right now, but he also said he realizes it’s early.
“For now, but it will probably change, depending on whoever may offer me,” Williams said. “My goal before spring football is to earn 15 offers and then an additional five during the summer. I’m quicker, stronger and faster.
“My ultimate goal is to prove to Nike SPARQ that I should be awarded a ticket to The Opening in Oregon, so until then I will push my body and my soul to the limits. … And with God and my parents behind me it’s making it all even better.”
For a player who had no offers two weeks ago, his stock has risen rapidly.
He produced the top score at the Nike SPARQ combine Feb. 8, at Lake Brantley High with a 117.03, a score that apparently was enough to settle any doubts college scouts had about his speed, strength and agility. He ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash, a 4.08-second 5-10-5-yard shuttle, had a 40-inch vertical leap and tossed the power ball 35 feet.
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Rutgers recruiting: Steven Gonzalez, Union City four-star, to visit campus Saturday (NJ)
Union City (N.J.) offensive tackle Steven Gonzalez, the No. 6 recruit in the NJ.com Top 50, is tentatively slated to visit Rutgers campus Saturday. Ohio State and Penn State are his top two schools at the moment. However, the 6-4, 315-pound junior has kept his finger on the pulse of his in-state school.
"Coach Rossi set up the visit," said Gonzalez. "It's supposed to be Saturday. I'm still considering them. They are still one of my top options out of the offers I have."
Gonzalez, who recently added an offer from Old Dominion, will use his upcoming Rutgers trek as a litmus test of how he gels with the updated staff.
"I definitely want to build a relationship with the new offensive coordinator (Ralph Friedgen)," said Gonzalez. "And I already know the new offensive line coach (Mitch Browning), but it will be good to spend time with and build a relationship with him, too."
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