The Buckeyes hosted a multitude of top targets for yesterday's spring game. While many were hopeful that Ohio State would walk away with at least one commitment, that isn't the case, at least not yet. Dre'Mont Jones admitted he was close to committing and Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane had a great time as well. Kilby-Lane also spent some time with another certain linebacker from Florida.
While coming away from Saturday with no commitments is a bit disappointing, I wouldn't count out the possibility of Jones and/or Kilby-Lane committing at some point this week. We're beginning to near "commitment season," the time of year when many kids commit, so it shouldn't be too much longer before the commitments start coming in waves. That's the funny thing about recruiting - you get several commitments in a short amount of time and then things are quiet for a while. Things are quietest before the storm, as they say, and get ready because it won't be much longer before the rain hits.
With that out of the way, there's a bunch of pretty significant news from this weekend to get to.
Chris Clark shakes things up
It appears the Buckeye coaching staff got the break they were looking for, as Chris Clark has re-opened his recruitment. Notre Dame has emerged as the favorite among many of the recruiting "experts," though Ohio State is right there with them. Michigan also appears to be in the mix now as well.
Clark was not in Columbus this weekend, so just to clarify any confusion the de-commitment was not due to visiting Ohio State. Clark is planning to visit Ohio State and Michigan next weekend and plans to announce a decision this summer. He will probably visit Notre Dame again before committing, and possibly Auburn as well.
The Buckeyes are in good shape now, but everything will hinge on next weekend's visit, which is his first one to Ohio State.
Damien Harris enjoys columbus
Damien Harris made it back to Columbus for the spring game this weekend and really enjoyed himself. Between one-on-one time with Urban Meyer and getting to meet Braxton Miller, Harris had a blast.
Highlight of the day had to be meeting @BraxtonMiller5 it was an honor to be in the presence of such a great player and leader of a team
— Damien Harris (@Damien_D1Harris) April 12, 2014
On Meyer, Harris said "not many coaches can say they've done what Coach Meyer has done." Harris said he also enjoyed "learning from one of the best."
Will Harris continue learning from "one of the best" for the next four years? It's too early to tell, but Ohio State has certainly emerged as one of his favorites. Harris is pretty quiet, but reading between the lines I would say I feel pretty good about him being a Buckeye - and Michigan fans are a little nervous as well.
Up next for Harris are visits to Auburn and Kentucky over the next couple of weekends.
Happy Trails
The Buckeyes weren't the only program hosting big time visitors this weekend - Penn State and Miami hosted some Buckeye targets and finished the weekend with some commitments.
Ohio State targets Adam McLean, Scott Patchan and Dexter Williams all committed yesterday, with McLean picking Penn State and Patchan and Williams choosing Miami. McLean was probably the biggest loss for Ohio State, who would really like to get an elite defensive tackle in this class. Additionally, McLean was the only one of the three that at one point felt like Ohio State would land.
So what's next? Well, Ohio State has plenty of great options at defensive line and running back so these commitments don't sting too bad. Tim Settle, Christian Wilkins and Elijah Taylor become more important targets now at defensive tackle. Taylor looks like a heavy Notre Dame lean, but Ohio State remains in solid shape for Settle and Wilkins. Taylor is scheduled to visit Ohio State tomorrow, while Settle has a visit scheduled for late May.
Big Targets visiting Next weekend
Yes, I probably sound like a broken record when I say "next weekend is shaping up to be a big recruiting weekend." In all seriousness though, it is. We already mentioned Chris Clark is going to be in town. Accompanying him will be Van Jefferson, Ricky DeBerry and Brandon Wimbush (tentative).
For DeBerry and Clark, the visit will be their first to Columbus. Both are high on Ohio State, so the visit will give the Buckeyes a chance to really sell them on the program.
Stay tuned throughout the week for more coverage from this past weekend, along with looking ahead to next weekends visitors.
Oh yeah, we're still on commitment watch, so that should give you something to keep you occupied during commercial breaks from the Masters. Enjoy the rest of your weekend guys.
