Ohio State Is Still In The Running For Alex Anzalone

The Buckeyes are still in the running

Friday afternoon was unpleasant for Buckeye fans as Alex Anzalone had announced his decommitment from Ohio State. Along with the announcement, Anzalone's father Sal Anzalone, had made some discouraging comments about OSU:

"You don't want your son to go to a place where there's a potential issue (like this)," Sal Anzalone said. "You expect the (football) staff to have some sort of control on how things are handled with recruits when they visit. This is ridiculous.

"I was concerned with what recruits do, and with them being allowed to visit these kind of places where it puts kids at risk. That's the issue. You entrust people (at the school) to do the right thing."

Media all across the nation picked up on Sal's comments criticizing Ohio State for allowing his son to come in contact with, and be photographed with, a known sex offender who is Buckeyes football fan. 

Now, though, Sal wants to clarify that he doesn't hold Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer, his staff or the university responsible for what happened during Alex's recruiting visit to Columbus, Ohio, April 21.

"I want people to understand, I have no beef with Ohio State, at all," Sal Anzalone said. "My issue is not with Ohio State: It's a great institution, they have a phenomenal president, Urban Meyer is nothing but a class act to me.

"There's nothing wrong with Ohio State; it's a great institution. When I said there was something wrong with Ohio State, I was talking about the visit - there was something wrong with the visit, not with Ohio State."

Monday's Buckeye Bits

Another week has arrived Buckeye fans, and the last bits of recruiting in the 2012 class have come to a close. Let's pretend that there wasn't a basketball game this weekend. As you know by now, Stefon Diggs chose Maryland over Ohio State, Florida, and Auburn. What's interesting is that he's the second top 10 receiver in this recruiting class to stay home over so many great other offers.

The other, Dorial Green-Beckham, chose Missouri over many different schools including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, and Florida. I guess I can't say I'm surprised about these top receivers staying close to home, but it is a bit curious as to why they wouldn't want to take their talents to an even bigger school. Oh well, let's get on with the Bits!

Time For 2013. The 2012 recruiting class ended with 25 members, with 6 of them being enrolled. Urban was really able to turn this class around with only a couple of months to do it. Now, 2013 will solely be Urban's recruits. He's started off very well, with two commits that both come from the Buckeye state in 5-star QB/ATH Jalin Marshall and 4-star cornerback Cameron Burrows.

Urban is upping the ante as he's already proved in 2012, but is continuing to do so in the 2013 class. Often times, Jim Tressel and Jim Bollman would not get too ahead of themselves when it came down to offering athletes in future classes, but Meyer has already started with 55 total offers as it stands.

4-Star Offensive Tackle Kyle Dodson Commits To Ohio State

#25 in '12 is a huge one for the Buckeyes

4-Star offensive tackle Kyle Dodson switched his commitment from Wisconsin to Ohio State today during National Signing Day, in a move that was an absolute great grab for Urban Meyer's class of 2012.

Even though he committed to Wisconsin during the summer, Dodson made official visits to Ohio State, Michigan State, USC, Auburn and Wisconsin. Dodson's commitment gives the Buckeyes their 25th commitment for the 2012 class.

This past Sunday he was back in Columbus for an unofficial visit as the Ohio State staff had a huge junior day and the Buckeye basketball team took on Michigan. By far the biggest grab for Ohio State today, Dodson has a lot to like about.

The 6-foot-6 and 310-pound Dodson is one of the country’s premier offensive tackles. He had over two dozen scholarship offers including Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Auburn, USC, Michigan, Illinois, West Virginia, Louisville and Connecticut.

Dodson is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the No. 12 prospect in the state of Ohio, the country’s No. 24 offensive tackle and the No. 224 overall prospect.

Scouting Report: Dodson has the upper body playing strength to dominate opponents as an inline drive blocker, but also has the size with enough athleticism for the offensive tackle position at the major level of competition. However, defensive speed could become a challenge down the road; if this occurs, a move inside to guard could be in his future. Either way, he's a great asset to any team, and the Buckeyes are grateful to have him.

2012 4-Star Cornerback Recruit Armani Reeves Commits To Ohio State

Reeves is the 24th commitment in '12

2012 4-star cornerback Armani Reeves has just committed to Ohio State via Twitter, giving Ohio State it's 24th commitment.

Reeves picked Ohio State after decommitting from Penn State along with fellow Buckeye Camren Williams, and then choosing over the Wolverines, who were the only other choice besides OSU.

It has been a very busy week for Reeves. Last Saturday Michigan coach Brady Hoke visited him. On Monday, Urban Meyer, Everett Withers, Mike Vrabel and Luke Fickell met with Reeves. Then on Tuesday Michigan assistant Greg Mattison met with Reeves.

In addition to all of the football visits, Reeves is in the middle of his high school basketball season.

The 5-foot-11 and 180-pound Reeves made 57 tackles and intercepted a pass playing cornerback during his senior season. He is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings, the country’s No. 82 overall prospect and No. 7 cornerback, and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Massachusetts.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest updates, news, and opinions on Ohio State Athletics.

'12 WR Recruit Roger Lewis Not Expected To Be A Buckeye

Pickerington Central's Roger Lewis

According to the Dispatch, 2012 Buckeye commit Roger Lewis might not be a Buckeye based off of what his high school coach has told the media. According to the coach, Lewis is not expected to sign his national letter of intent to Ohio State on Signing Day, due to not having the requisite pre-enrollment test scores and that he now is exploring other options.

Lewis's coach also stated, Lewis visited Ohio University this weekend, and said he also is considering Marshall and Bowling Green.

That leaves the OSU 2012 class, the first by new coach Urban Meyer, at 22 members, including the six players who enrolled at the start of the winter quarter.

Roger Lewis is a 3-star wide receiver commit, and with the recent struggles at wide receiver, the coaching staff made a priority of trying to get some athletes that can play the receiver position. While losing Lewis is not a huge deal, it does put a bit more pressure on Meyer to land either Davonte Neal or Stefon Diggs.

It sounds like Lewis doesn't have the test scores, and there's no chance anything can change. Especially coming from the coaches mouth, it looks like Lewis's time as a Buckeye commit will end short.

4-Star Outside Linebacker Camren Williams Commits To Ohio State

Williams is the 23rd 2012 commit

It's been rumored for a while now that 4-star OLB Camren Williams was going to decommit from Penn State and become a Buckeye, and even hinted his Buckeye lean in our interview with Camren a while back. As of today, Camren has officially given his commitment to Urban Meyer and Ohio State via Twitter, giving the Buckeyes their 23rd commitment in the 2012 class.

During Wednesday and Thursday, Meyer had played host to two super prospects visiting Ohio State over the past two plus days, which of course included then-Penn State commit Camren Williams but also was hosting William's teammate, Armani Reeves.

The 4-star linebacker and 4-star cornerback flew to Columbus on Wednesday morning and finished their visits this morning. Reeves was accompanied by his aunt and was on an official visit to Ohio State. Williams was an unofficial visit, but it was to bring his mother to the campus and see what Ohio State had to offer as a school, not just a football program.

The 6-foot-2 and 217-pound Williams made 119 tackles with two interceptions playing mostly middle linebacker during his senior season. Williams is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the No. 2 prospect in the state of Massachusetts, the country’s No. 15 outside linebacker and the country’s No. 174 overall prospect.

Reeves made 57 tackles and intercepted a pass during his senior season. He too is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. Reeves is the No. 1 prospect in the state of Massachusetts, the country’s No. 7 cornerback and the country’s No 82 overall prospect.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest updates, news, and opinions on Ohio State athletics. 

4-Star Outside Linebacker David Perkins Commits To Ohio State

Perkins becomes #22

According to 247Sports, 4-star outside linebacker David Perkins has committed to Ohio State. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Perkins is ranked as the nation’s No. 16 outside linebacker and No. 177 prospect overall. Perkins did have future officials scheduled with Oregon, Illinois and California, but will no longer be taking those trips.

Perkins is the 22nd commit to Ohio State in the class of 2012 and the eighth ranked inside the Top247. He previously took an official visit to Missouri, and also held scholarship offers from the likes of Arizona, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Tennessee and Notre Dame, where he originally committed to during the summer before reopening his commitment during the season.

As a senior, Perkins earned First-Team All-State as a running back, but was also a standout defensively. He finished with 191 carries for 1,311 yards and 15 touchdowns, and also caught another 19 passes for 275 yards and three scores. On the other side of the ball, Perkins racked up 103 tackles including 24 stops for loss and seven sacks. He also forced eight fumbles, recovered five and intercepted two passes.

Perkins helped lead Washington to the class 4-A state championship game this season, and had eight tackles, with three coming for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss to Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates, and opinions on Ohio State athletics.

4 Star Offensive Tackle Taylor Decker Commits To Ohio State

Commit #20 is a big one for Ohio State.

According to Scout.com, 4-star offensive tackle Taylor Decker has decommitted from Notre Dame and has committed to Ohio State and Urban Meyer. Taylor Decker is a 6'8", 315-pound Offensive Tackle from Vandalia, OH. He is ranked No. 266 in the country by 247Sports. Decker is the 20th commit in Ohio State's 2012 class.

Taylor Decker is the No. 14 recruit in Ohio (OH) and is the No. 31 Offensive Tackle in the nation.

This commitment is huge for Ohio State, as they are in desperate need of offensive linemen, especially in the tackle area. Decker has prototypical size for a tackle, and will most likely play at left tackle, and that is a huge thing for the Buckeyes offensive line.

Decker is just finishing his weekend visit, along with 3 other recruits. Decker plans to major in zoology and reports a 3.7 core GPA and 25 ACT.

Video highlights after the jump.

Sitting Down With 2012 Offensive Lineman Commit Jacoby Boren

The third Boren to come to OSU

Our coverage of the recruiting front continue with another interview.

This time Jacoby Boren, a 3-star offensive guard, answers our questions. Boren is the youngest of the Boren brothers, with former Ohio State offensive lineman Justin Boren and current OSU fullback Zach Boren.

Jacoby committed to Ohio State well before Jim Tressel was forced to resign (December 4th to be exact), but has stayed true to his commitment to the Buckeyes. Now with a class that is depleted in offensive line recruits, Urban Meyer has made it a priority to try and land top offensive linemen across the country. Keeping Boren is just as important, and Meyer proved it by calling Boren up recently.

We talked with Jacoby on Wednesday night to get his thoughts and feelings on Ohio State and his recruitment overall.

Sitting Down With 2012 Linebacker Recruit Camren Williams

Williams is down to two schools

The 2012 recruiting class took a huge momentum shift nationally, when Urban Meyer raced into the picture for Ohio State. Enough cannot be said about how Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel continued to recruit, and recruit well. Before Meyer came onto the coaching staff, Fickell had wrapped up 9 recruits on his own, and had picked up some pretty decent players.

Once Urban stepped in though, the bar was set a couple of feet higher. Recruits are gaining interest fast, and now are taking a serious look at where they stand.

Now another recruit has joined the mix, and we didn't have to wait long to hear from another star prospect.

That prospect is Camren Williams of West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial. Williams, a 6-2/200 linebacker, is a four star recruit that is currently committed to Penn State. He the brother of current UNC offensive lineman Brennan Williams.

We talked with Camren on Tuesday night, and he gave us the latest info on his recruitment and thoughts on Ohio State.

5 Star Defensive End Noah Spence Commits To Ohio State

Spence is ready to rumble

Urban Meyer has done it again. This time the Ohio State Buckeyes landed their 19th commitment in the 2012 class, landing 5-star defensive end Noah Spence. Spence took an official visit yesterday, the 17th. The official visit was Spence’s first and last. He picked Ohio State over scholarship offers from LSU, Florida, Maryland and Penn State, his other finalists.

Braxton Miller, Curtis Grant and Chase Farris played host to Spence and Spence made the trip to Columbus with his father Greg and mother Helen.

The 6'3" and 235lb Noah Spence has been a varsity starter for one of the top prep football programs in the country since his freshman year. He made 42 tackles including 8.5 sacks that season, and then made 55 tackles with 8 sacks his sophomore year, before a spectacular junior season. In his junior year, he made 102 tackles and had a whopping 22 sacks last season.

This season, as a senior, he led Bishop McDevitt to the state championship game. Although they lost the title game 52-0 on Friday night to finish with a 13-3 record, Spence was still dominant all season long. Urban Meyer was even on hand for the contest.

In addition to being the country’s No.1 weakside defensive end, Spence is the No. 1 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania and the country’s No. 15 overall prospect. His list of dozens and dozens of scholarship offers includes the five schools mentioned as well as USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, North Carolina State, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois, Pitt and Rutgers.

See him in action in video highlights after the jump.

Brionte Dunn Reinforces His Commitment To The Buckeyes

Soon to be in the Scarlet and Gray

According to many reports, with Dustin Fox being the first, Brionte Dunn has officially backed Ohio State after an in-home visit that was after an already sweet official visit to Ohio State itself.

While Dunn had never really de-committed from Ohio State, he himself told the media that he would still be taking visits to Michigan, and he was re-thinking the Buckeye commitment, saying he was now only a "soft" commit. Now, there's no need to worry about him ending up somewhere else, as he had announced he will not be taking any more visits, and that he is 100% Scarlet and Gray.

Dunn had said he had some questions he wanted answered including how he would fit in when it comes to Meyer’s “spread” offense, and between the official visit and Meyer’s in-home visit those questions have been answered to Dunn’s satisfaction, it appears.

The 6'1", 220lb RB rushed for 1,700 yards this season despite missing a couple games with a fractured pelvis. He rushed for over 2,000 yards his junior season.

The Urban Meyer pain train continues, as he is just barreling over any Big Ten coaches that stand in his way. 

Recruiting: 5 Star DE Noah Spence Set For Official Visit

Playing opposite of Washington?

Bishop McDevitt five-star defensive end Noah Spence is busy enough preparing for the District III Class AAA title game on Friday night against Lampeter-Strasburg, but he has also made time for several college coaches to come through and make their pitch.

Spence is a pure pass rusher to play in the state in a long time. He has a long wing span and uses his hands well. He is well versed in a number of pass rush moves. He gets a good up-field push and always seems to be a disruptive force in the backfield. Of course, he's also an athlete (4.50 40-yard dash) and is outstanding in pursuit from sideline to sideline.

Imagine this: With Ohio State having already locked up Adolphus Washington, having another 5 star DE on the other side of the ball could be an offensive nightmare for quarterbacks and opposing offense's in general. I'm sure that both together could be dominate. 

The former Penn State commit has been talking with a number of different schools and coaches, but since Urban Meyer has been hired at Ohio State, Spence has announced his interest in the Buckeyes. That interest, is that Noah has Ohio State as his #1 school as of right now. That can change at any time, but I have a good feeling it won't.

Here's his thoughts on Meyer at OSU:

"Urban Meyer has done a lot of great things, a lot of players have developed and succeeded under his tutelage and guidance. His personality is wonderful, very down to Earth, easy to talk to and energetic with myself and my son. He let us know that he was very interested in Noah as a young man and a prospect as a rush end for them. We listened and Noah left the conversation very excited with having spoken with coach Urban Meyer."

Ohio State assistant Luke Fickell will be swinging through Bishop McDevitt on Thursday, while Spence will head to Ohio State for his official visit on December 12th, which is this Monday.

Recruiting: 3 Star Wide Receiver Ricquan Southward Switches Commitment To Ohio State

Coming to Ohio State

3 Star wide receiver recruit Ricquan Southward has decommitted from Miami (Fl.) and has verbally committed to Ohio State. This is a pretty good get for Ohio State, as they recently missed out on Dwayne Stanford to Oregon. Southward, who is 6'2'' 190 lbs, was committed to Miami until his official visit to Ohio State, which took place on November 20th. From then on, rumors and whispers occured about Southward perhaps changing his mind on the Hurricanes, in favor of Ohio State.

When Dwayne Stanford committed to Oregon, that left the door wide open for Ricquan, He was recruited primarily by Stan Drayton, who is expected to remain on Meyer's staff next season. In addition to OSU and Miami, Southward had interest from Ole Miss, USF, Florida State, Mississippi State, Maryland, Florida, Texas Tech, Georgia, and others.


This might be the first recruit that had influence from Urban Meyer coming to Ohio State. Stan Drayton and Urban Meyer are normally after wide receivers of Southwards talents, and could come into Ohio State knowing that Urban is the man at the helm next year. This is the 16th recruit to join the 2012 Ohio State class. 


Video highlights after the jump.

WR Michael Thomas Official Commitment Gives Ohio State #13 In 2012

Game face

A week ago, we told you that wide-out Michael Thomas was just about set in stone to come to Ohio State. Now, that's been confirmed after his official visit to Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes hosted the Badgers in a 33-29 upset win. After the game, Thomas said that he was going to announce his commitment officially sometime this weekend. Michael is currently enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy, with fellow Buckeye commit Cardale Jones.

Christian Bryant and Braxton Miller were the ones that hosted Thomas on his stay at Ohio State, and Thomas said that there were many reasons for staying,  as he was noting the tradition OSU holds with the country, and he knows there's a great opportunity to come in and start right away next year. Thomas is 6'4'', 200 pounds who runs great routes, and has outstanding explosiveness.

Ohio State's 2012 class of recruits is already a fantastic bunch, and Thomas is the 13th commit, with that number expected to rise to 18 by National Signing Day.

Are Adolphus Washington And Dwayne Stanford Coming To Ohio State?

Washington looks ready to go

According to Cincinnati News, the seniors from Cincinnati Taft, Adolphus Washington (DE) and Dwayne Stanford (WR) are making their announcement of where they plan to go to their choice of schools on the same day at the same time, 10 a.m. on November 9th.

Washington's "Top 5" include:

- Ohio State, Michigan State, Alabama, Kentucky, and Oregon. All in no particular order.

Stanford's "Top 5" include:

- Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, LSU, and Arizona State. All in no particular order

Washington had made an official visit to Michigan State when the Spartans hosted TTUN. That game, of course, resulted in a big upset for the Spartans after knocking off an undefeated, Denard Robinson-led team. After the visit it appears Washington was actually impressed with the way the defensive staff switched in many different defensive linemen in and out during the game, but luckily, as we all know, Ohio State does almost the same exact thing. I'd have to say that Washington is a lock, because it sounded like he was all Ohio State before the visit, and after the visit he's said that Ohio State is still #1 in his mind, and likely won't change.

As far as Dwayne Stanford goes, my guess is that with the recent "addition" of Michael Thomas, and the already committed Cardale Jones (currently at Fork Union to help grades, etc) Stanford will follow where Washington goes, and all signs point to Ohio State. Those 4 players right there are huge for the Buckeyes as the wide receiver spot is thin, and these guys are good. We'll find out on November 9th, where we hope to announce the addition of 2 new Buckeyes to Buckeye Nation.

Video highlights of both after the jump

WR Michael Thomas "Commits" To Ohio State

Dude's got hops

According to Bucknuts, Michael Thomas, a 6'4'', 203 lb wide receiver has committed (Ed. Note: Sounds like Thomas hasn't officially committed, but it HAS been said that his mind is made up, and that it's "just a formality") to Ohio State as a part of the class of 2012. He was originally a part of the 2011 class, but due to poor academics, Thomas chose to go to Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA) to help out his grades, and show more of his talent on the field. Ironically enough, Cardale Jones is currently at Fork Union for the same exact reason. Jones came into this class as a nice combo with Braxton Miller, but with the QB situation playing out like it has, Jones next season could be the #2 guy behind Miller.

The nephew of NFL star Keyshawn Johnson originally visited Ohio State back in the summer of this year, and will be taking an official visit to Ohio State on October 29th, when the Buckeyes host the Badgers of Wisconsin. This is a huge get for Ohio State's recruiting staff, as the wide receivers are thin, and very young and inexperienced.

Coming in next year, Thomas could have a chance to play right away, and I'm sure that appeals to his nature. Thomas has fantastic hands, and a very strong route runner. He has very good awareness, and is good at catching the ball at its highest point while catching in traffic as well. While he doesn't have break-neck speed, Thomas does have some above-average speed, and can still get around most corners or safeties, and his hands make up for what his feet can't do.

Class of 2012: Recruiting Breakdown

Dunn leads the way in 2012

The nightmare might finally be over. Currently, the Buckeyes sit with 11 commitments, and only lost one that had been previously committed. It seems it is not the doom and gloom it's made out to be right? The Buckeyes are loading up on in-state prospects, some of the sleeper variety, but all of the "football player" variety. A smart move. This class started off with flash and through the summer, they added some toughness and intangibles. 


Perhaps the most important get in this class is Brionte Dunn, at tailback. To get one of the state's best was significant. Since then, there have been rumors aplenty that he may look elsewhere, and he did, in fact, visit rival Michigan. Through it all, the Buckeyes have solidified their position with him and he continues to reaffirm his commitment. The "get" was big, the "hold" has been even bigger. The only real loss in this class was Kyle Kalis, which in my opinion is a gigantic loss. Ohio State hasn't done the best with recruiting offensive linemen, and the recruiting staff had finally landed one with some serious skill and strength. When he de-committed and headed to Michigan, his legacy was sealed, and now he has had to take the backlash for his choice to head to Ann Arbor.


With Dunn and four-star Warren Ball, the Buckeyes have two stud tailbacks. The concern with Ball has been injuries and that he may not be a 25 carry a game back. That's just fine, because Dunn is, and I think they'll complement each other perfectly. Ball has great athleticism, balance, and good speed for a bigger guy. Dunn is a pounder with good lateral agility for a battering ram type.

Fickell And The Buckeyes Grab 2 More For 2012

Luke Fickell and Ohio State have picked up 2 more recruits for the 2012 season. Luke Roberts, a linebacker from Lancaster, and Patrick Elflein, an offensive lineman from Pickerington North, called coach Luke Fickell with the news that they want to be part of the 2012 class.


Elflein, 6 feet 3 and 285 pounds, reacted almost immediately after being offered a scholarship yesterday in the wake of Lakewood St. Edward lineman Kyle Kalis decommitting from OSU and pledging to Michigan last week. That gives Ohio State two offensive linemen in the 2012 class from Pickerington. Elflein, who was also courted by Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana, will be joined by Jacoby Boren of Pickerington Central.


Roberts, 6-2 and 225 pounds, was offered on Monday, discussed it with his parents and "prayed about it," he said, before making the call yesterday. Roberts, who has a 4.3 grade-point average, received offers from Purdue, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and six other schools. He said two factors swayed him.