2013 4-Star DB Eli Woodard Commits To Ohio State

Woodard is Meyer's 4th commit in 2013

Voorhees (N.J.) Eastern four-star cornerback Eli Woodard committed to Ohio State last Friday, and went public with his decision six days later via Twitter. 

The future U.S. Army All-American is the fourth commit for Coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes in the class of 2013, joining five-star athlete Jalin Marshall and four-star safety Cameron Burrows and four-star defensive lineman Billy Price.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Woodard has been an Ohio State lean throughout the recruiting process, and chose the Buckeyes over offers from the likes of Alabama, California, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Wisconsin.

All four of Ohio State’s commits are ranked inside the Top247, with Woodard checking in as the nation’s No. 5 cornerback and No. 82 prospect overall. He joins Cameron Burrows as the second cornerback to commit to the Buckeyes, and will look to make an instant impact. 

If it wasn’t for the coaching turnover and the NCAA cloud that was hovering over the program during the 2011 season, Woodard says he may have given his pledge sooner. That spells out a true Buckeye, and we can't wait to see what becomes of this talent.

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.

2013 4-Star Defensive Back Cameron Burrows Commits To Ohio State

Burrows is the first '13 Buckeye

4-Star cornerback Cameron Burrows has just committed to Ohio State via a press conference at his school, giving the Buckeyes their first commitment to the 2013 class. He selected Ohio State over LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Burrows is a 6-2, 195-pound cornerback from Dayton, OH. He is ranked No. 30 in the country by 247Sports. Burrows is also the No. 2 recruit in Ohio (OH) and is the No. 2 Cornerback in the nation.

Cameron is every bit of his listed 6'2'' and 195 pounds. Prospects with that size usually get projected to safety, but Burrows is a lockdown cover corner with great speed and quickness. He played cornerback and saw spot duty on offense as a wide receiver for a Trotwood-Madison team that took home the Division 2 state title this past fall and finished with a perfect 14-0 record. 

On defense, Burrows finished with 26 solo tackles, 20 assists, 12 pass breakups and four interceptions, including one he returned 80 yards for a touchdown in a state semifinals win. He also added eight receptions for 198 yards and a touchdown. 

Cameron gives Urban Meyer his first commitment in the 2013 class, and could be a huge asset coming in after the recent news of Dominic Clarke and DerJuan Grambrell being released from the Buckeyes. A very good start to the class of 2013, and we at ITS would like to welcome Cameron to Buckeye Nation!

DerJuan Gambrell And Dominic Clarke Released From Ohio State Scholarships

Clarke released from OSU

According to Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, an Ohio State spokesperson has stated that defensive backs DerJuan Gambrell and Dominic Clarke have both been released from their scholarships to the Ohio State football team for violations of team rules. Gambrell is facing an assault charge, while earlier this week, Clarke was arrested for driving under the influence.

Clarke, a redshirt sophomore from Frederick, Md., has been charged with drunken driving as stated above, and also had been arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after allegedly discharging a BB gun on campus. No one was hurt in the latter incident.

Gambrell, a freshman from Toledo, was also discharged for a "violation of team rules," but Ohio State did not specify what that violation was, but as mentioned above, it's believed to be an assualt charge. It's too bad these guys couldn't stay out of trouble, and the cornerback position doesn't have a lot of depth as it stands. The only upside to this is that it opens up 2 more scholarships for Urban's recruiting efforts.

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

Dominic Clarke Suspended For Illinois Game

According to Bill Rabinowitz, cornerback Dominc Clarke is suspended for this weekend's game against the Fighting Illini. The suspension is coming after a reported "violation of team rules". Rumor has it that Clarke was causing some sort of disturbance at an on-campus restaurant. 

While Clarke wasn't a starter, he did get in on many snaps in relief of Bradley Roby or Travis Howard, and provided much needed depth at the corner position. He was also expected to help control the Illini passing game this Saturday, so they could minimize the offensive production of Nathan Scheelhaase and the rest of Illinois offense. Clarke is expected to return to the team next week when the Buckeyes host the Badgers. 

This is just more awful news in a never ending train of sadness and disappointment for Ohio State this year. 

Tyvis Powell Commits To Ohio State

Time for some good news amongst all the bad news:


Ohio State has landed verbal commitment No. 8 for the class of 2011 yesterday as defensive back Tyvis Powell has joined the program. At a press conference at his high school of Bedford, Ohio, the three-star safety prospect announced his verbal commitment to Ohio State eight days after landing a scholarship offer from his dream school. In the process, he becomes the eighth member of the class and the first one to join since head coach Jim Tressel resigned Monday morning.


Powell is a tall corner, 6'4'' 180 lbs, and has excellent coverage abilities. This is a defensive back coaches dream player as he comes in with a lot of excitement. This is also Luke Fickell's first recruit since the Tressel resigning. This is a great pick up for Fickell and the rest of Buckeye Nation because we can tell already that Powell fit in just right. A huge hump, as well, to get over the Tressel retiring because recruiting will now start to become a bit of an issue. Players might be thinking about stability of coaches, and how good the team can actually even be.


"I’m ready to be a Buckeye and won’t let you down. We’re going to have some fun and I’m going to give you your money’s worth! Get the popcorn ready."
- Tyvis Powell, 8th verbal in the 2012 class


After the jump, we have some eye candy of Mr. Powell.

Spring Finals: Cornerback

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is the Cornerbacks.

The cornerback position is important because they are the first protection when it comes to the passing game. Ohio State has been blessed with loads of decent, top tier corners including Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Shawn Springs, and many others. This season the spot holds one of the deepest positions which contains two seniors starting, and a sophomore backing them up when things get too rough.