• Oklahoma offered Denzel Ward & Roderick Johnson
• Alabama offered Dillon Bates, Chris Lammons, Austin Roberts, Derek Kief & Braden Smith
• Nebraska & LSU offered Saeed Blacknall
• Wisconsin offered C.J. Reavis & Derek Kief
• Oregon offered John Smith
• Arkansas offered Alex Bars
• Conneticut offered Chad Mavety
• Missouri offered Cortez McDowell
• Cincinnati offered Jarrett LaRubbio
• North Carolina offered Shai McKenzie
• Ohio State & Nebraska offered Ermon Lane
• Arizona offered Derrell Scott
• Oregon offered Quenton Nelson
• West Virginia offered Thaddeus Snodgrass & Derek Kief
• Michigan State offered Jonathan Hilliman
• Lawrence Marshall unofficially visits Michigan State
• @SWiltfong247 Braden Smith will visit #Michigan #NotreDame & #OhioState this month. 
• @SWiltfong247 #Buckeyes lead for another Bosa: Nick Bosa Has #OhioState At The Top Of His List http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Artic...is-List-119709 ? via @247Sports & @Bill_Kurelic
• @MikeDyer Derek Kief visiting Northwestern this weekend, says family. Visiting Alabama March 22. Visiting Ohio State March 29-30 
• @MikeDyer Lakota East junior OL Jarrett LaRubbio going to to watch spring practice at Ohio State today, says Lakota East coach Rick Haynes

ESPN $ - Watch List OT Smith plans three visits '14 KS OL Braden Smith

• By Bournival....Visiting Columbus on 3/18 and Michigan & Notre Dame the following week.

Scout $ - Hubbard Visits Ohio State '14 OH LB Sam Hubbard

• By Scott....Visited Ohio State on Tuesday and was able to sit down with Coach Meyer. Currently committed to Notre Dame for lacrosse, but says he may want to focus on playing football in college instead. Plans on taking some other visits in the summer. 

2014 Scout 100

Of note:

2. Da'Shawn Hand
4. Lorenzo Carter
5. Tony Brown
6. Braden Smith
8. JuJu Smith
11. Jabrill Peppers
18. Khairi Clark
21. Andrew Brown
24. Drake Harris
25. Jamal Adams
26. Solomon Thomas
27. Jalen Tabor
28. Trevion Thompson
29. Laurence Jones
30. Clifton Garrett
31. Damian Prince
32. Malik McDowell
33. Marshon Lattimore
34. Joe Mixon
35. Damon Webb
36. Parris Campbell
40. Kentavius Street
41. Jalen Hurd
44. Kyle Berger
47. Jamarco Jones
49. Jalen Brown
52. Nyles Morgan
53. Ermon Lane
54. Caleb Henderson
55. Nick Watkins
56. Raekwon McMillan
61. Sam Mustipher
62. Mark Andrews
63. Elijah Hood
64. Parrker Westphal
66. Donell Stanley
71. Kyle Allen
72. Drew Barker
74. Elisha Shaw
76. Dominique Booth
83. Derrell Scott
85. Tyler Luatua
86. Quenton Nelson
87. Lawrence Marshall
92. Daniel Cage
93. Brandon Simmons
96. Deshaun Watson

Nick Chubb interview with Nabulsi

Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 3/7 - A new 2015 offer (lghl)

Wednesday saw action in the classes of 2014, 2015, and welp, even 2016. See who got offered, who's planning to visit, and what else is on the to-do list for Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

You'll have to forgive Urban Meyer and his world class Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff. While many of their peers are panicking about how much is in the budget to hire a cadre of coeds to text recruits 150 times a day (which hey, the NCAA actually already announced they'll reconsider at a board of directors meeting which means they've been effectively already struck it down...not that the coaches ever really understood the new regulations in the first place), Meyer and his staff weren't just busy laying the ground work for next year, but for the year after that.

Enter Torrance Gibson. The member of American Heritage High School's class of 2015 is a dual-threat quarterback from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's also loosely classified as the generic "ATH", which who knows, that could mean someone has the 6-13 180 pound signal caller pegged as as wide receiver or maybe even a safety (we're looking your way, Mack Brown).

It's way too early for Gibson to have drawn any thorough scouting critiques (none of the four major services have so much as ranked him), but that doesn't mean we can't talk about what we *do* know about him. In addition to the Buckeyes, Gibson also has outstanding offers from Notre Dame, Miami, and Boston College, and is thought to be interested in Alabama, who've reached out to him but have yet to offer.

cont...

Buckeyes begin chase for loftier goals (ESPN)

If Urban Meyer had placed a banner with the words "The Chase" in Ohio State's indoor practice facility last spring, he might have been asked, "For what?"

Sure, football players are always chasing something, as Meyer noted Tuesday when asked about the big, bold banner now hanging at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. That "something" can be localized: a starting job, a bigger role in the offense or defense, a scholarship, a coach's approval.

But Ohio State couldn't chase many tangible team goals last spring. The Buckeyes couldn't chase a Big Ten championship or a national championship because of NCAA sanctions. They only found out in September that they could chase a Leaders Division title. Undoubtedly their greatest attribute was an ability to chase the grandest goal they could -- a perfect 12-0 regular season, capped by a win against archrival Michigan -- and achieve it. 

cont...

Buckeyes begin title chase with spring practice (ironton tribune)

COLUMBUS (AP) — There are two new banners hanging high on the walls of Ohio State’s indoor practice field.

One — placed between the signs celebrating the national championships in 2002 and 1968 — says “12-0 Undefeated Season 2012.” The other one, placed by itself on the east wall of the massive facility, simply says, “The Chase …”

The first is a 30 by 10-foot reminder of what the Buckeyes accomplished last year, and the other refers to the challenge ahead.

They greeted the players when they took the field for their first of 15 spring workouts on Tuesday. It was their first practice since the day after Thanksgiving, their last tuneup before the season-ending game against archrival Michigan. Even though the Buckeyes were the only major-college team to go unbeaten, they were banned from going to a bowl because of NCAA violations committed when Jim Tressel was the head coach.

“We’re all chasing something,” second-year coach Urban Meyer said. “We’re 15 practices behind a lot of teams — as a matter of fact every team that played in a bowl game last year. So the chase is on. Some guys are chasing starting positions. Some guys are chasing bowl games. Some guys are chasing NFL contracts. … They’re chasing their dream.”

cont...

Jeb Blazevich scouting report: top 2014 tight end recruit (sbNation)

As spring begins, the recruitment of North Carolina-based tight end prospect Jeb Blazevich is heating up. The much-coveted recruit has indicated he intends to make his college choice this spring, and many of the nation's top programs are taking a shot at landing him.

Recruit name: Jeb Blazevich
High School & hometown: Charlotte (NC) Christian High School
Position: Blazevich is being recruited as a tight end.
Height and weight: Blazevich stands 6'4 and weighs 230 pounds.
Ratings: He has been given four-star ratings by Rivals and 24/7, and is listed as a consensus four-star recruit by 24/7. Scout gives Blazevich a three-star rating. ESPN has not issued a rating on Blazevich yet, but does have him as part of their 300-player watch list.
Offers: Blazevich holds offers from some of the nation's top programs, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, LSU, Virginia Tech, and the in-state Tar Heels of North Carolina.
Recruit's twitter account: Jeb Blazevich is on Twitter at the creatively-named @JebBlazevich.

cont...

Meet The Recruits - S Erick Smith (from the rumble seat)

Recruit: Erick Smith

High School: Glenville Academy, Cleveland, OH

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185

Position: S

Recruiter: Dave Walkowsky

Video: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1045904/highlights/21069373

The Detail: Erick Smith is a 4-star and Rivals 250 ranked Safety prospect from the Cleveland, OH area...and another prospect that's part of "The Migration" strategy. His athleticism and speed just ooze from the video, and has the size and frame as a Safety at the college level.

Tech's Chances: It's possible. Smith seems to have a very Midwest-focus with many of his schools (Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Penn State, etc.)...but has an interest in Georgia Tech as well. We'll have to see what his Summer plans are and if he plans an in-depth visit in Atlanta. CDW has been hitting the state of Ohio hard, and Smith is one of many high-rated prospects he is recruiting.

Exploring the depths: Ohio State's 2013 defensive line (LGHL)

We've explored the depths of Ohio State's offense. Now, we'll take a look at the work Urban Meyer and his staff have built up on the defensive line – the youngest position on the team, but the group with the most potential.

In the 2012 season, Ohio State's defensive line was anchored by two studs: Big Ten defensive player of the year (and OSU's spiritual leader) John Simon and future first or second day 2013 NFL Draft pick, Johnathan Hankins. Garrett Goebel started at the other defensive tackle spot opposite Hankins, while veterans Michael Bennett and Nathan Williams each made solid contributions. Unfortunately, four of the five players mentioned are moving on – two likely to be drafted and two with real shots to catch on as NFL free agents. Ohio State's defensive line in 2013 will be considerably younger. With the loss of two superstars and one solid contributor, any other school's defensive coordinators and line coaches would be grinding roll after roll of Tums into powder and then pouring it down their throats like Pixy Stix.

cont...

Ohio State football: The evolution of Braxton Miller (lghl)

A few days ago, we posted our first annual OSU football spring primer, and asked a few questions. Those answers will go a long way towards determining the overall success of the 2013 football team. The first question we ruminated on was whether or not Braxton Miller can raise his game from merely very good to the pinnacle of the sport.

The short answer is yes; but the long answer is obviously a bit more complicated than that. Miller's growth from 2011 to 2012 was notable and impressive, but if Ohio State is going to make a serious run at another undefeated season, he'll still need to improve in several key areas.

1) Consistency in the passing game

Although Miller's stats between 2011 and 2012 improved in every major passing category, there were still times, in almost every game, where Ohio State's running game struggled to be consistently effective, and Miller was unable to jump start things in the vertical passing game. The issue wasn't as acute in games like Miami and UCF, but consider the following examples:

cont...

Big Ten ADs starting to talk football divisions realignment (lansing state journal)

EAST LANSING — When Big Ten athletic directors met a couple weeks ago in Chicago to start talking football divisions, it was “a little more whimsical in nature,” MSU athletic director Mark Hollis said, but it’s about to get serious.

Meetings in May in Chicago should produce recommendations for the league’s presidents to consider in June. Several Big Ten athletic directors have said the new divisions for 2014 and beyond — with Maryland and Rutgers in the mix, and perhaps two more schools by then — likely will be divided geographically.

If Ohio State and Michigan are in the eastern division as reportedly expected, what about MSU? Hollis said he isn’t necessarily in favor of being in the western division in that scenario.

cont...