2013 4-Star Defensive Tackle Michael Hill Commits To Ohio State

2013 4-star defensive tackle Michael Hill has committed to Ohio State.

Hill had Ohio State at the top of his list even before he visited OSU in early June. He came back from the visit saying there was a 75% chance he would be a Buckeye.

Hill has a very impressive list of scholarship offers that includes Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Florida State, Tennessee, Clemson, North Carolina, South Carolina and Michigan.

Hill has made visits to a number of other schools including LSU, Florida, Alabama and most recently Clemson. But today Hill is a Buckeye.

The 6'2, 315-pound Hill has been a varsity starter since the beginning of his sophomore season. Hill made 79 tackles during his junior season including eight sacks. He had 27 tackles for loss and forced four
fumbles.

Hill is the No. 2 prospect in South Carolina in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 12 defensive tackle and the country’s No. 197 overall prospect.

This is a huge grab for the Buckeyes. It gives Urban Meyer a super tackle in Hill to complement the great group of defensive lineman Meyer signed in February.

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

2013 3-Star Athlete Darron Lee Commits To Ohio State

Lee is the 13th commit in the 2013 class

2013 3-star athlete Darron Lee turned in two very good performances at the Ohio State camps this month and has been rewarded with a Buckeye scholarship offer. Now it seems that it didn't take Lee long to accept.

Lee spoke to Luke Fickell on Monday and Fickell indicated an offer was likely on the way today. That became a reality as Darron not only received an offer, but committed almost immediately.

Lee becomes commitment No. 13 for Urban Meyer’s 2013 recruiting class - a class that is expected to number at least 20 come National Signing Day. 

The 6'3", 205-pound Lee played quarterback, wide receiver and safety during his junior season and also returned punts and kickoffs.

Lee was recruited as an 'athlete' that will likely play safety or linebacker for the Buckeyes. He also could be a factor on special teams.

Lee had at least 16 scholarship offers as well, with teams like West Virginia, Illinois, Arizona State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Purdue, Minnesota, Duke and Marshall vying for his services.

Darron is ranked 89th out of all athlete's in the country according to 247Sports and the 52nd best prospect in the great state of Ohio.

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

2013 Punter Johnny Townsend Commits To Ohio State

Meyer got the big leg he wanted

There have been many rumors swirling around the past couple of weeks that Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was looking for a punter to take in the class of 2013. 

It has now been confirmed that punter Johnny Townsend from Orlando, Florida, has just given Meyer his 12th commitment in the class of 2013. 

The 6'2", 200-pound Townsend also had a scholarship offer from Cincinnati, and preferred walk-on opportunities with Alabama and Florida. 

Townsend recently made the trip to Columbus to the Ohio State kicking/punting camp and made enough of an impression to earn an offer.

Townsend will be joining the Buckeyes as a punter, with no reason to not be the Buckeye's starter for 4 years.

Townsend averaged 40-yards per punt as a junior. Along with his punting duties, Townsend was splitting time at safety and outside backer on his high school team and also played baseball during part of the season.

Townsend will arrive at OSU in 2013 -- just as current starting punter Ben Buchanan wraps up his career as a senior in 2012.

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

Sitting Down With 2014 Offensive Lineman Jamarco Jones

More offers are sure to be on their way

As of right now, 2014 offensive lineman Jamarco Jones is not ranked by 247. It's no concern for us though, as Jones has the size (6'5", 290-pounds) and power for a solid blocker. Ohio State obviously realized this and reached out to Jones at the Ohio State camp on Sunday to give him an offer.

It's now only a matter of time until Jones will be ranked. On top of being an excellent athlete, Jones maintains a 4.8 GPA at his high school. Yes, you read that correctly, a 4.8.

With Jones attending more and more camps (MSU tomorrow, Notre Dame on 6/22 and Wisconsin on 6/25) he is sure to garner the attention of the coaches that will be in attendance.

Read the interview after the jump.

Sitting Down With 2014 5-Star Linebacker Raekwon McMillan

McMillan has top schools showing interest

With the 2013 class already rolling in big time commits and still about 8 months left to go until National Signing Day, Urban Meyer has been busy. Not only is Meyer dealing with the '13 class, but he already has his eyes set on the 2014 class.

This recruiting class has already received a lot of anticipation in what many hope is one of Urban Meyer's best classes, ever.

One of the top recruits in the country for 2014 is 5-star linebacker Raekwon McMillan. McMillan stands 6'3", weighs 233-pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds. Raekwon is the #2 linebacker in the country and #1 prospect in the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports Top 247. 

In his sophomore year, McMillan recorded 84 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss. 

After earning an offer from Ohio State, we spoke with McMillan about his thoughts on Ohio State and the recruiting process thus far. Join us after the jump for the interview.

Ohio State Offers 2014 4-Star Wide Receiver Johnnie Dixon

Dixon has Ohio State on his mind early

The 2013 recruiting season is far from over, but Urban Meyer takes a much different approach then the previous coaching staff in that he begins his recruiting ahead of schedule to try to gain an upper hand on recruits. 2014 recruiting has been underway for a while now and the offers are starting to pile up.

With the latest offer coming to 2014 wide receiver Johnnie Dixon (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer), this offer makes Dixon one of the first half dozen teams to offer him a scholarship.

Including Ohio State on his list, he has offers from Miami, Alabama, Florida, Florida State and South Florida.

The 6'0",180-pound Dixon caught 18 passes for 433 yards and four touchdowns during his sophomore season. While those numbers are not great, it did not take the Buckeyes long to know Dixon is an outstanding talent. Dixon has a tremendous amount of speed, which is one of the big reasons why he's on the offer list for Ohio State.

Dixon is using this summer to go to camps in the state of Florida. Next summer will likely be the Buckeyes’ turn. Dixon has been a Florida Gator fan, but says that won’t have an impact on his college choice.

Dixon is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings.

Dixon seems as if he is truly interested in Ohio State and a big part of that is Meyer. Since he is a big fan of the Gators, expect Urban Meyer to pull out some big stops with Dixon’s recruitment.

Ohio State Offers Tyquan Lewis, Jamarco Jones At Senior Camp

Lewis has a mean streak

Ohio State’s first Senior Advanced Camp concluded Sunday with two more offers as the Buckeyes reached out to 2013 three-star defensive end Tyquan Lewis (Tarboro, N.C./Tarboro) and 2014 offensive tackle Jamarco Jones (Chicago/De La Salle Institute) after impressive showings. 

From RecruitingNation:

"Being recruited as a hybrid by Ohio State, Lewis made the trip this weekend with the purpose of stitching up a few loose ends.

“It was a non-committable [offer], but now it is committable,” Lewis said. “Today it changed.

“This one means a lot. I’ll have to get my mom back up here. We’re going to sit down and we’re going to discuss this and we’re going to talk academics and things like that and see how everything else is.” "

The 6'3", 220-pound Lewis is still mulling offers from LSU, Ole Miss, Clemson and North Carolina, but he certainly put the Buckeyes in the mix after Sunday. Lewis registered eight sacks his sophomore season. He made 63 tackles with 12 sacks during his junior season.

“They’re up there pretty high,” he said. “I loved it here. This was a great visit. I don’t want to make a decision based on a place I’ve never been. [The facilities] are top notch. Everything is nice here.”

As for Jamarco Jones, who has offers from Illinois, Toledo and Vanderbilt, he thought much of the same after his trip to Columbus.

“It means a lot to me,” the 6'5", 285-pound Jones said. “They’re one of the premier college football schools in the nation, so I was pretty excited.”

Jones has hit the recruiting phase early, being a 2014 prospect. He has 2 more years in high school, meaning that although he's not ranked right now, he has plenty of time to establish himself as one of the better offensive lineman in this class.
Ohio State’s second Senior Advanced Camp is June 23.

2013 4-Star Quarterback J.T. Barrett Set Out To Prove Ability In Elite 11

Barrett is out to prove his ability

2013 Ohio State commit QB J.T. Barrett attended ESPN's Elite 11 camp in Dallas over the weekend. ESPN has video of Barrett talking about his skills as a QB as well as some of the Elite 11 coaches telling us what they think of the Texan quarterback.

When Barrett talked about himself, he mentioned that he wants people to recognize him as a quarterback because he can throw the ball. Most people that put him down as a dual-threat mostly believe that he's just a running threat, but Barrett disagrees. 

He also makes mention of how he didn't get recruited by Texas and how that has motivated him to do even better in college.

See for yourself about Barrett's playing style and the accuracy he can show when launching a football to receivers. This kid can be a pretty good player once he joins the college ranks. 

Video after the jump.

4-Star RB Dontre Wilson Down To Ohio State And Oregon

Wilson has 4.4 speed

DeSoto all-purpose back Dontre Wilson, the 2013 speedster from the Texas high school powerhouse, has come out of nowhere in the recruiting world of Ohio State. Wilson is a 5'10", 165-pound running back from DeSoto, TX. He is ranked No. 107 in the country by 247Sports.

Wilson is the No. 15 recruit in Texas (TX) and is the No. 10 Running Back in the nation.

Having the 2013 class mainly focus on Derrick Green, a fellow 4-star, Wilson seems to be more of a speed back in the mold of LaMichael James or DeAnthony Thomas for Oregon. It makes sense, then that the Ducks are in his final 2 selections of schools.

Originally slated to make a decision between Texas and Oregon at the Eagle spring game in late May, Wilson told the Ohio State Rivals site that he is down to the Buckeyes and Ducks ($), making no mention of the Longhorns, who were supposed to be where the Buckeyes are now: In the top 2 finalists in a report published on Wednesday. 

There had been some talk in recent weeks that Urban Meyer's squad was in the running for the 5-10, 175-pounder, but no one really paid attention, as we mentioned before it seemed the '13 class was focused on Green. This has seemingly come out of nowhere.

Here's the quote from Wilson via BuckeyeGrove.com:

"It's just Oregon and Ohio State, that's my top two. I'm not looking at any other schools right now, just those two."

Jalin Marshall Proves Skill At Elite 11 Regional, Nike Football Training Camp

Urban's future playmaker

Perhaps one of the most interesting prospects that the Buckeyes have in their 2013 recruiting class is Jalin Marshall. Over the weekend the 5-star athlete participated in two different camps. One of the camps was the Elite 11 Regional in Columbus, Ohio. The other was also in Columbus but for the Nike Football Training Camp.

Middletown High's star put forth a great performance at the Elite 11 Regional at Ohio Dominican University on Friday. Jalin has said many times that he would like to come into Ohio State competing as a quarterback. His day at the Elite 11 should only help him get that opportunity.

The 6'0", 190-pound Marshall was one of six quarterbacks recognized for accuracy at an event that featured the likes of Michigan bound signal-caller Shane Morris, Stanford commit Ryan Burns, Northwestern commit Matt Alviti, Notre Dame pledge Malik Zaire, Louisville bound Kyle Bolin, Kansas commit Montell Cozart, Purdue commit Danny Etling, Michigan State pledge Damion Terry and uncommitted four-star Mitch Trubisky.

Ranked as the nation’s No. 2 athlete prospect and No. 15 prospect overall according to 247Sports, the exciting Marshall could help a college football program at a number of positions.

“I’ll be competing for the (quarterback) job, but if they want me to get in there and run routes or take handoffs, that’s what I’ll do,” Marshall explained.

As a junior, Marshall used his 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash to rush for 1,972 yards and 20 touchdowns, while passing for 781 yards and six more scores. He got off to a slow start on Friday, but heated up as the day went on. During three-step, five-step and seven-step drop drills, Marshall was particularly impressive in delivering the ball on the money and with zip.

Marshall has also been putting out calls to potential future Buckeyes, trying to recruit the best talent in the country to come play for Ohio State.

“I’m trying to get Jaylon Smith, Robert Foster and Vonn Bell,” Marshall said. “I talk to them and tell them come play with me and it’s going to be the best time of your life.”

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."

2013 4-Star Outside Linebacker Alex Anzalone Decommits From Ohio State

Why the sudden change?

Linebacker Alex Anzalone made his third visit to Ohio State less than two months ago, when he attended the Buckeyes’ spring game on April 21. At that time he gave the Ohio State staff the good news that he was commitment No. 11 for Urban Meyer’s 2013 recruiting class.

The commitment did not last long.

“I de-committed from Ohio State,” Anzalone told Irish Sports Daily this afternoon. “Right now I'm digesting everything"

This is pretty dire news for Buckeye fans because when asked if he is still considering Ohio State, Anzalone said, “Not really.”

The 6'3" and 220-pound Anzalone had committed to the Buckeyes over approximately 30 other scholarship offers. Anzalone also said that he is considering five schools right now. Those schools are Penn State, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford and Florida.

As to why he is no longer an Ohio State commitment, Anzalone did not want to expound. Anzalone is the No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania, the country’s No. 97 overall prospect and the No. 6 outside linebacker.

Anzalone's decision is very shocking to say the least. This decommit has come out of nowhere. I have to agree with Eleven Warriors on the subject of the recent "Eric Charles Waugh" case. Like they said, there's no evidence to prove that it was the reason for the changing of Anzalone's mind, but can't have helped the situation any. 

Now, with the recent Lewis Neal news that he is looking at LSU, it means the Buckeyes will need to get back to work recruiting linebackers for their 2013 class. They have gone from commitments from two outstanding linebackers to no solid commitments at the position at this point.

The only good thing that could possibly come out of losing two linebackers back to back would be to land one of the top linebackers in the country: Jaylon Smith

3-Star OLB Lewis Neal Decommits From Ohio State

3-star outside linebacker commit Lewis Neal, who had just committed last week at the spring game, was offered by LSU today, and is opening his recruitment back up by committing from Ohio State. 

Lewis is still considering the Buckeyes, but with the recent offer from LSU, Neal's recruitment is about to heat up across the country. 

Here's what Neal had to say via Silver Bullet Recruiting:

"I don't know my scholarship is open he said (Coach Meyer), so I guess I'm not committed anymore, but I still consider them. I just don't think I was ready yet and took the right amount of time to think on my decision to be honest." 

"I just want people to understand what I'm going through that's all! It's hard! And I need time to think! I'm really still considering them though."

This leaves the Ohio State class at 12 total commits for the 2013 class. While Neal did change his mind, I think that this recruitment will still be open. If Urban and the rest of the recruiting staff like what they see more of next season at linebacker, they're going to go after him harder than anyone else.

We wish Neal the best of luck in his recruitment.

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

Tony Parker Chooses UCLA Over Ohio State

Headed to UCLA

As we mentioned earlier today, Tony Parker was rumored to be heading to UCLA. That's exactly what took place after an hour-long ceremony of his signing.

The 6'9", 270-pound native of Lithonia, Ga., chose the Bruins over Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, Georgia, and Memphis.

This past season, Parker averaged 16.8 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game for a Miller Grove (Ga.) team that finished 24-9.

"Duke, Ohio State and UGA: Those three schools were right behind. I love [Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski], I love what he had going, but I just thought UCLA was a better fit for me and the people I was coming in with," Parker said. 

"Ohio State, it doesn't get no better for a big man there. But I just thought I would have to work harder at UCLA and would probably come in with more of a chip on my shoulder."

While missing out on Parker does sting, an earlier commitment from Amedeo Della Valle helps ease the pain, if only slightly.

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

2013 3-Star OLB Lewis Neal Commits To Ohio State

Neal is the 13th commitment in the Class of '13

After landing a commitment from Alex Anzalone on Saturday and Joey Bosa earlier today, Urban Meyer has done it again as the Buckeyes’ boss has landed a star linebacker.

Lewis Neal announced on Twitter that he has picked the Bucks, making him the 13th commitment in the Class of 2013.

Neal committed to the Buckeyes earlier this afternoon, almost minutes after Joey Bosa had given his verbal commit to the Buckeyes.

After attending the Ohio State Spring Game on Saturday, rumors were floating around that Neal could commit to the Buckeyes before heading home on Sunday.

Obviously, it happened a little later than expected, but either way the Buckeyes have landed a solid player at the linebacker spot. Neal might even be considered underrated, while he's only 3 stars according to 247Sports, but he has started to shine at recent football camps.

The 6'2", 235-pound Neal has played mostly defensive end during his high school career. He played on the Hunt varsity during the second half of his freshman season. After a good sophomore season Neal was outstanding as a junior.

Despite missing three games, Neal made 88 tackles including eight sacks last season as Hunt finished 13-1 and made it to the regional finals.

Neal had ten scholarship offers before selecting the Buckeyes over Tennessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Clemson, East Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest.

Neal will most likely play linebacker for the Buckeyes. With Courtney Love committing to Nebraska over the weekend, this looks like a solid fill-in for Ohio State. 

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

2013 4-Star Defensive End Joey Bosa Commits To Ohio State

Bosa is #12 for the Class of '13

It doesn’t get much better than the defensive end trio Urban Meyer signed for his 2012 recruiting class, which included Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Se’Von Pittman that Urban Meyer landed last recruiting season.

Now, though, Meyer may just be outdoing himself as the Buckeyes added a fantastic defensive end earlier this afternoon.

Joey Bosa, the country’s No. 2 strong-side defensive end in the 247Sports rankings, has tweeted that he has committed to Ohio State. This makes Bosa the 12th commitment to Meyer and OSU's Class of 2013.

Bosa made his decision while visiting Ohio State over the weekend and attending the Ohio State spring game on Saturday. However, he waited - for good reason - to make his announcement this morning.

Bosa is more familiar with Ohio State football than most high school football players in the state of Florida. Bosa’s mother is from Chicago and his uncle Eric Kumerow was a high school star there before heading to Ohio State where he became a star defensive end for the Buckeyes.

The 6'5", 260-pound Bosa played in every game during his sophomore season and started two for one of the country’s top prep teams. He missed four games during his junior season with a concussion, but still made 50 tackles including eight sacks. Bosa had 16 tackles for loss as St. Thomas Acquinas finished with a 10-3 record.

Bosa picked Ohio State over an impressive list of scholarship offers that includes Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Boston College, Notre Dame and Iowa.

In addition to being the country’s No. 2 strong-side defensive end prospect, Bosa is the country’s No. 24 overall prospect and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Florida.

This defensive line recruiting is just getting out of hand - in the best way possible. This a fantastic pick up for Ohio State and one that they really wanted to add to their class. Now that they have him, they can focus more on the other key recruits. 

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

Scarlet Tops Gray 20-14 In 2012 Ohio State Spring Game

Michael Thomas making an impact early

New head coach Urban Meyer told everybody he planned to work on the passing game during Saturday’s Scarlet and Gray Game, and he wasn't joking.

What he didn’t say was the Buckeyes would be unveiling an up-tempo spread offense that left the Buckeyes working to run a new play every 25 to 30 seconds. As it turned out, it was largely entertaining even if there weren’t many points scored.

The Scarlet rallied for a 20-14 win over the Gray before an announced crowd of 81,112 on a raw 45 degree day at Ohio Stadium. (At least the rains subsided before the scrimmage began.)

Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller was 24 of 31 passing for 258 yards with an interception for the Scarlet team.

His top targets were freshman Michael Thomas (12 catches, 131 yards), Chris Fields (five catches, 72 yards) and Nick Vannett (four catches, 38 yards). Tailback Rod Smith had 46 yards on eight carries with a touchdown, while Carlos Hyde also had a TD run.

Miller said he has developed a special bond with Thomas, an early enrolling freshman who spent last fall at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy.

Gray team quarterback Kenny Guiton completed 16 of 24 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown with a critical late interception. He also rushed for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter.

Corey “Philly” Brown had seven catches for 90 yards for the Gray.

Unprompted, Meyer shared the team’s top playmakers – excluding the quarterback position -- in his opinion.

“Right now, the top playmakers in order would be Jordan Hall, Jake Stoneburner, Carlos (Hyde) and then Philly Brown, Michael Thomas and Devin Smith,” said Meyer, who watched the entire 91-play scrimmage on the field from behind the offense. “And then we have (Jeff) Heuerman right there and (Nick) Vannett as well.”

There were no kickoffs as each series at the start of a half or after a score started on the offense’s 35-yard line. There were four 10-minute quarters. The second half was played with a running clock.

The Scarlet team had the ball to start the scrimmage and went 65 yards in eight plays to a touchdown. Miller came out firing, completing all four of his pass attempts for 51 of those yards. He hit Thomas for 11 yards, Tyrone Williams for 6, Chris Fields for 25 and Williams again for 9. Carlos Hyde did the rest, going up the middle for the 1-yard touchdown behind a block from Jack Mewhort. The Scarlet led 7-0 with 7:43 left in the first half.

Guiton then led the Gray on a prolonged drive from the 35 down to the Scarlet 19. That included 12-yard runs by Guiton and Dunn. But Guiton’s third-down pass to Brown was broken up by safety Christian Bryant. Kyle Clinton attempted a 36-yard field goal – with Meyer standing right next to the holder – but it was wide right.

The Scarlet team then drove from its own 20 down to the Gray 24. Miller hit Fields for 21 yards on a crossing route. But the drive was stymied when Miller was sacked by Adam Bellamy. Drew Basil came in and hit a 41-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 9:47 left in the second quarter.

Meyer then had Basil attempt a series of field goals that did not factor into the scoring. He was good from 41, Bellamy blocked an attempt from 45, good from 45 and 53 and short on a pair of 58-yard attempts.

The next Gray series was marred by sacks by Michael Bennett and Ryan Shazier for the Scarlet. But the Scarlet gave the ball right back as Miller overthrew Vannett and was intercepted by Gray’s Adam Griffin. Later in the half, Miller had an apparent 49-yard completion to Fields – reminiscent of his heave to Devin Smith to beat Wisconsin –negated by an offensive pass interference penalty.

The Gray took over on its own 49 after a short Scarlet punt. Aided by a personal foul on Joel Hale, the Gray had a first down at the Scarlet 28. On first down there, Guiton threw down the middle perfectly to Smith on a crossing route. He hauled it in at the 10 and deftly split a pair of defenders on his way to the 28-yard touchdown that cut the Scarlet lead to 10-7 with 37 seconds left in the half.

Miller and the Scarlet moved quickly into field goal range as he hit four straight passes – 10 yards to Thomas, 11 and 15 yards to Vannett and 14 more to Thomas – to get out of bounds at the 15 and stop the clock with six seconds left. Basil’s 32-yard field goal capped the half and put the Scarlet up 13-7 at the break.

2013 4-Star OLB Alex Anzalone Commits To Ohio State

The 11th commitment for the Buckeyes

2013 4-star linebacker Alex Anzalone made his third visit to Ohio State is less than two months and as the old saying goes, “The third time is a charm," as Anzalone has confirmed his commitment to the Buckeyes.

Anzalone was back in Columbus today for the Buckeyes’ spring game and gave Meyer the good news. He becomes the 11th commitment in the class of 2013 for Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The 6'3" and 220-pound Anzalone could play inside or on the perimeter for the Bucks. Fickell and the coaching staff will have to decide where they want him.

Anzalone has over 30 scholarship offers including Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA before picking the Buckeyes.

Anzalone is the No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania, the country’s No. 96 overall prospect and the No. 5 outside linebacker.

Anzalone’s commitment is not surprising, as we told you on Monday that he was attending the Buckeyes spring game, but that doesn’t lessen its importance. He is another huge grab for the Buckeyes. 

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

Ohio State To Host North-South Classic, 3 OSU Recruits Will Be Playing

Ball will try to showcase his skills

The 67th annual OHSFCA North-South Classic will be held Friday at 4 p.m. at Ohio Stadium. 

The game will feature three future Buckeyes in Columbus DeSales RB Warren Ball and Steubenville DB Najee Murray on the South team and Cleveland Glenville DB Devan Bogard on the North team. (OSU signee OL Taylor Decker was selected to the game, but is ineligible since he subsequently enrolled early at OSU.)

Tickets will be available at the gate for $5 each. The game will be shown on a tape delayed basis on Sports Time Ohio at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Ohio North-South Classic is the nation’s longest continuously running high school football all-star game. This year’s game features no less than 26 players who signed to play at BCS schools. The North squad has 11 BCS signees with seven ticketed for Big Ten schools. The South has 15 BCS signees with seven headed to Big Ten schools.

The North owns a 38-25-3 lead in the all-time series. The South holds a 6-5 lead since the Classic returned to Columbus in 2001.

For Ball, it is a chance to play in a prestigious all-star game in his hometown as well as his future college stadium.  Bogard has played at Ohio Stadium previously for Glenville. He said he has big goals for his freshman career.

This is a pretty good warm up for tomorrow's Spring Game, so don't miss out!

2013 4-Star Quarterback JT Barrett Commits To Ohio State

Barrett is a huge grab for Ohio State

The good news has just gotten better. As the Ohio State recruiting machine continues to roll on, the country’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, JT Barrett, has committed to Ohio State, giving Urban Meyer his 10th commitment in the 2013 class.

Barrett visited Ohio State near the end of March and came away with a great feeling about the Buckeyes. 

He announced soon after that, that Ohio State, LSU, Texas Tech and Nebraska were his top choices at that time and he would make another trip back to Ohio State, most likely in the summer. Now, it seems the Buckeyes have earned the commit from Barrett.

Barrett’s list of scholarship offers included Ohio State, Nebraska, LSU, Texas Tech, Arizona, Illinois, Ole Miss, Baylor, Kansas State and Mississippi State before he selected the Buckeyes.

The 6'2", 205-pound Barrett completed 102 of 171 passes for 1,605 yards during his junior season. He connected for 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Barrett also rushed for 1,521 yards and nine touchdowns. Barrett also led his team to the fourth round of the playoffs as a sophomore and is one of the up and coming prospects in the 2013 class.

JT Barrett runs a 4.60 40, is a legit 6'2" and 205-pounds. Quicker than fast. Moves with a powerful quickness about him.

Barrett can be considered a true dual-threat QB prospect. A program can design a QB-run game (Urban/Tebow) with him. He has very good, quick and reactive feet.

Barrett is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 1 dual threat quarterback, the No. 38 overall prospect and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Texas.

Barrett’s decision is a huge one for the Buckeyes. With Braxton Miller just a sophomore, Cardale Jones a freshman, and Barrett headed to Ohio State, the quarterback position looks great for years to come. Of course, super athlete Jalin Marshall is headed to OSU. Marshall loves playing quarterback, but has the potential to be the Buckeyes' version of Percy Harvin. That's the role he will most likely take.