The Ohio State 2013 Recruiting Class: Impact On The Depth Chart, Part 1

Now that Ohio State has signed its 2013 recruiting class, I wanted to take a look at the existing depth chart and speculate as to how the new members of the team will impact Ohio State in 2013 and beyond.  Below is a ranking of the various units, from least affected to most affected, of the incoming freshmen.

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9.  Quarterback:  J.T. Barrett was the lone quarterback signed with this class, and enrolled early at Ohio State.  Barrett will participate in Ohio State's spring football practices, but will not be exposed to contact as he continues to rehab a knee injury sustained during his senior season.  With the return of starter Braxton Miller, as well as backups Kenny Guiton, Jr. and Cardale Jones, it seems likely that Barrett will redshirt in 2013 and be more in the mix for the 2014 season.

8.  Returners/Special Teams Units:  With the addition of speedy players such as Jalin Marshall, James Clark, Dontre Wilson, Gareon Conley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Corey Smith, it is entirely possible that Ohio State could have any of these players handling kickoff and/or punt returner duties in 2013.  Such a determination would probably be made closer to the season, which is why I have listed this area low in terms of impact at this time.

7.  Running Backs:  Ezekiel Elliott was an early commitment in April 2012, and then contemplated a switch to Missouri late in the recruiting process, ultimately signing with the Buckeyes.  Elliott should play as a true freshman, but how much?  With Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, Bri'onte Dunn, and Warren Ball all returning, the challenge for the Ohio State coaching staff will be determining how to allocate carries to everyone.

6.  Offensive Line:  Tim Gardner and Evan Lisle were the two offensive linemen signed.  It has been speculated that Donovan Munger could eventually move over from the defensive line in time. 

Ohio State returns starters Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley, and Marcus Hall.  Taylor Decker is probably the front-runner for the right offensive tackle position recently vacated by Reid Fragel. 

Ohio State also returns Darryl Baldwin, Jacoby Boren, Tommy Brown, Kyle Dodson, Pat Elflein, Chase Farris, and Antonio Underwood along the offensive line, but depth along the offensive line is a major concern for the coaching staff, with Coach Meyer referring to offensive line being "1A, 1B, and 1C" the focus for 2014.  Gardner and Lisle could work their way into the depth chart, and possibly playing time, with strong performances during the summer camp of 2013.

Part 2 will focus upon the top five position groups impacted by the 2013 recruiting class, heading into spring football as well as the 2013 season.

Graphical Views Of The 2013 Ohio State Recruiting Class

Ohio State signed 24 players for its 2013 recruiting class.  While missing out on punter Johnny Townsend, who signed with Florida instead of Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to fulfill a variety of needs, especially along the defensive line and at the wide receiver position.  In addition, three players were designated as athletes, meaning these players could be tried out at various positions.  These players are Gareon Conley, Darron Lee, and Dontre Wilson.

Below is a quick visual snapshot of the 24 players, displaying how many players were signed at specific positions.

While not signing all of the top players in the state of Ohio, Coach Urban Meyer and his staff did recruit and sign eleven players for the Buckeyes.  Below is a quick graphical reference to the various states representing the 2013 Ohio State recruiting class.

 Lastly, I would encourage anyone who views this blog article to click on this link.  It will take you to a truly creative graphical view on www.elevenwarriors.com to show off how Coach Meyer and the coaching staff "planted the flag" in their quest to add talent to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Quick Thoughts On Ohio State's 2013 Recruiting Class

First and foremost, congratulations to Coach Urban Meyer, the Ohio State coaching staff, recruiting support staff, and everyone else involved in the 2013 recruiting class.  I hope each of them are enjoying a cold beverage tonight for a job well-done, and I hope they all get a good night's sleep, as I doubt any of them have in the days leading up to today.

I have said before, and today is no exception, that I truly do not concern myself in terms of overall recruiting rankings.  Please do not  misunderstand me - I want Ohio State to have top recruits, as I believe just about any other college football fan wants their respective teams to have top recruits.  I certainly understand that having top talent is an essential ingredient in order to win and compete and the highest level.

I simply do not stress about if a player is a five, four, three star, as evaluated by Rivals.com, Scout.com, or 247Sports.com.  I truly believe that Coach Meyer, as Coach Tressel did before him, have done their respective due diligence on a player, before offering them a scholarship to Ohio State. 

More importantly, I am always curious to find out which other programs are going after the same player.  Finding out that incoming freshman safety Vonn Bell was heavily recruited by Alabama and Tennessee gives me a good barometer of what other highly-valued programs think of this young man's potential.  Same for just about all of the other players who signed with Ohio State today.

My biggest concern for 2013's recruiting class?  Not enough offensive linemen.  Even Coach Meyer acknowledged today that offensive line will have to be of the highest emphasis for 2014's recruiting class, as the Buckeyes will lose four starters after next season.

I will be posting more about Ohio State's 2013 recruiting class in the next day or so, but I will say that I am anxious to see incoming freshman safety Darron Lee on the field.  Considering Lee earned his scholarship through stellar performances in Ohio State's summer recruiting camps, and played a little of everything in high school, I am curious to see how well and quickly he transitions to playing for Ohio State.

The Big Ten's 2013 Recruiting Classes: Ohioans Are In Strong Demand

I may have written how Coach Urban Meyer and his staff are taking a more national approach to recruiting than Coach Jim Tressel and his staff did from 2001-2011, but make no mistake - Ohio State football will still have a very strong Ohio flavor.

Barring any unforeseen developments, and until all of the faxes have been received, nobody knows, but below is a visual indication to let you know how many Big Ten teams have signed/will sign Ohio high school players with their respective 2013 recruiting classes, starting on February 6th, 2013.

Of the current Big Ten teams, Penn State is the lone team that did not/will not sign any Ohio high school players.  Future Big Ten members Maryland and Rutgers do not/will not have any Ohioans either, but it bears watching for 2014 and beyond to see how much of an effort these teams will make to recruit Ohio talent as they will be joining the conference for the 2014 season.

Ohio State 2013 Recruiting: They Scaled Around The Wall, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I wrote about three position areas that contained Ohio players who had Ohio State offers, but chose to go to other programs.  This post will continue with that theme, focusing on Ohio players who had Ohio State scholarship offers, but are choosing to sign with other programs.  Will these players wind up coming back to haunt Ohio State in future seasons?

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3.  Wide Receiver:  Ever since Coach Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus, the Ohio State coaching staff has lamented the lack of a true burner wide receiver to compliment Coach Meyer's spread option offense.

Enter Shelton Gibson of Cleveland Heights.  Or not?

Gibson was offered by Ohio State as a junior, almost as soon as Coach Meyer was hired by Ohio State in November 2011.  Throughout the 2012 season, rumors that Gibson would eventually commit to Ohio State were persistent.

And Gibson committed...to West Virginia.

Yes, Ohio State has verbal commitments from players such as Jalin Marshall, Taivon Jacobs, and Corey Smith at the wide receiver position.  And players such as Devin Smith, Corey Brown, and Evan Spencer will all return at the position in 2013.  It will simply bear watching to see how Shelton Gibson performs at West Virginia, instead of Ohio State.

2.  Defensive Back:  Ohio State enters into 2013 with a talented secondary, headlined by cornerback Bradley Roby, who returned to Ohio State instead of entering the NFL Draft.  The concern is beyond 2013, when players such as Roby, Christian Bryant, and C.J. Barnett will no longer suit up for the Buckeyes.

Incoming freshmen who have already signed include Cam Burrows and Eli Apple at the cornerback position.  Other players who will project at defensive back include Gareon Conley and Jayme Thompson.

The most notable player who will not sign with Ohio State?  Dymonte Thomas, who has already signed with Michigan.  Thomas is the highest-rated Ohioan with an Ohio State offer who is choosing to go elsewhere, with Ohio State landing the top three players in the state.  Thomas ranked fourth.

1.  Linebacker:  The biggest area of concern of Ohio State's position groups heading into the 2013 season, losing starters such as Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino, a backup in Storm Klein, and depth with Connor Crowell.  Crowell's career has ended because of ongoing injury issues.  Ohio State has secured verbal commitments from linebackers Trey Johnson, Mike Mitchell, Christopher Worley, and athlete Darron Lee.  Lee could wind up at linebacker, or at the hybrid Star position for Ohio State.

Which Ohioans did the Buckeyes lose out on?  Michael McCray, Ben Gedeon, and Courtney Love.  McCray and Gedeon will sign with Michigan, while Love will sign with Nebraska.

Yes, both Trey Johnson and Mike Mitchell are highly rated.  I simply find it concerning that Ohio State was not able to land three highly-touted Ohio linebackers, especially considering the state of the current depth chart.  Michael McCray's father played for Ohio State in the 1980s and was a captain, and yet his son is choosing to play for the Wolverines.

Yes, Coach Meyer has focused on the top talent in the state of Ohio, and it is extremely difficult to keep all Ohio players from possibly going elsewhere.  Will the loss of these players to other programs come back to Ohio State in 2013 and beyond?  Buckeye fans will have to wait and see.

Ohio State 2013 Recruiting: They Scaled Around The Wall, Part 1

During Jim Tressel's tenure as Ohio State's head coach from 2001 through 2011, keeping the top players in the state of Ohio was paramount to Ohio State's recruiting strategies.  Throughout the decade, only a few Ohio players that Ohio State offered went elsewhere - Jeff Backes went to Northwestern in 2002.  Shawn Crable and Prescott Burgess went to Michigan in 2003.  Brady Quinn went to Notre Dame in 2003.  Michael Massey went to Michigan in 2004.  Mario Manningham went to Michigan in 2005.  Justin Boren went to Michigan in 2006, but came to his senses following the 2007 season and transferred to Ohio State for the remainder of his career.

Coach Urban Meyer has maintained the philosophy of identifying and targeting the top players in the state of Ohio, but has not offered scholarships to as many Ohio players as the previous regime would have.  Many of these players will go on to play in The Big Ten, and elsewhere throughout the country.

This two-part series will examine the players who scaled around the figurative Ohio wall to go to other programs.  I will rate the position groups based on areas of Ohio State's needs as I perceive them, as well as offer thoughts on whether these Ohio players will come back to haunt the Buckeyes in seasons to come.  I hope you enjoy it.

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5.  Running Back (Honorable Mention category):  I am listing this category as an honorable mention, because technically the player I am most concerned about is not from Ohio, but from the state of Virginia.  Let me explain further.

RB DeVeon Smith of Warren Howland was offered a scholarship by Ohio State, but never truly considered the Buckeyes.  Considering the glut of running backs Ohio State has for 2013 (Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, Rod Smith, Bri'onte Dunn, and the redshirted Warren Ball), as well as probable signee Ezekiel Elliott of Missouri, Ohio State is loaded at the position.

The running back I am concerned about missing out on?  RB Derrick Green of Virginia.

Green recently gave a verbal commitment to Michigan, and should be a contributor as a freshman.  Why am I concerned, if the running back position is so loaded?

Because Green grew up an Ohio State fan, idolizing former Buckeye Eddie George.  Green wears #27, in honor of George.  Green could be a throwback to the way Bo Schembechler used to build offenses during his tenure as Michigan's head coach.

While Ezekiel Elliott may be a perfect fit for Coach Meyer's offense, a big bruising back like Green represents what Big Ten football is usually associated with during the blustery fall games in late November.  Ohio State fans will have to trust that Coach Meyer and his staff chose wisely by focusing on Elliott versus Green at this position.

4.  Quarterback:  Ohio State has landed Texas QB J.T. Barrett at this position.  Barrett has already enrolled at Ohio State, and will probably redshirt during the 2013 season.  Barrett sustained a serious knee injury during his senior season, which will keep him out of contact drills during upcoming spring drills at Ohio State.

The Ohio quarterbacks Ohio State missed out on, by focusing on Barrett?  Mitch Trubisky of Mentor and Malik Zaire of Kettering.

Both quarterbacks were offered scholarships by Ohio State, but neither were truly sought in high demand by the Buckeyes.  Zaire has already enrolled at Notre Dame, while Trubisky will sign with North Carolina. 

Why do I rate this position low in terms of concern?  Because Ohio State will only face these Ohio players in a bowl game.  Throw in the fact that Braxton Miller has two years of eligibility, Kenny Guiton, Jr. has one year of eligibility, plus Cardale Jones has four years, and you can understand why Ohio State can focus upon J.T. Barrett's rehab at a casual pace this coming season.

Part two of this series will focus upon the three position areas, as well as Ohio players who are going elsewhere, that could impact the Buckeyes for seasons to come.

Leroy Hoard & "Three To Remember"

Saw this on ESPN.com's "Outside The Lines" and thought it was worth sharing to the blog.  Leroy Hoard may have played for That Team Up North, but was a fixture of the old Cleveland Browns during the 1990s.  Former Buckeyes Robert Smith and Keith Byars are both instrumental in helping Hoard deal with his multiple injury issues that are detailed throughout the video clip below.