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.

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.”

Former Ohio State Receiver DeVier Posey Drafted By Texans

Posey was the 2nd Buckeye drafted on Friday

Despite only playing three games as a senior due to two five-game suspensions, DeVier Posey was drafted Friday night with the fifth pick in the third round by the Houston Texans. 

The Texans were obviously looking for someone who could really get down the field to help get some pressure off of Andre Johnson.

Posey's draft status doesn't appear to have been too negatively affected by his challenges with Tatgate or the Bobby DiGeronimo scandal that followed. 

He arrived at Ohio State in 2008 and played right away, finishing with 136 catches for almost 2,000 yards despite that abbreviated senior season (in which he almost took the team lead for season receptions in just those three games).

His 18 career touchdowns rank seventh all-time in school history, and his game-sealing touchdown catch in the 2010 Rose Bowl will always be a treasured moment in Buckeye football history.

Posey enters the NFL with a nice opportunity after many thought he might be going much later in the draft. Now he has a chance to really show what he can do as a play maker. 

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

2013 5-Star Quarterback/Athlete Jalin Marshall Commits To Ohio State

The versatile Marshall is #2 in 2013

According to the Middletown Journal, 2013 5-star QB/ATH Jalin Marshall has committed to Ohio State. Marshall has said that playing for the Buckeyes is a "childhood dream". This gives Urban Meyer the 2nd commitment for the class of 2013, and this is a HUGE grab for Ohio State. Jalin Marshall is the #1 prospect in Ohio for 2013, as Urban is once again starting to build that fence around the Buckeye state.

Ranked as the nation’s top athlete and the No. 5 prospect overall, the 6-foot, 190-pound Marshall joins four-star safety Cameron Burrows in giving his word to Ohio State, choosing the Buckeyes over offers from the likes of Notre Dame and Tennessee. During the fall, Ohio State and Notre Dame were running even for Marshall’s services, but when former Irish assistant coach Tim Hinton left South Bend for a job with the Buckeyes, it tipped the scales in the home-state school’s favor.

As a junior, Marshall rushed for 1,972 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he also passed for 781 yards and six more scores. He will begin his Ohio State career as a quarterback, which is very important to him. Along the way, both the coaches and Marshall may decide his talents best fit at slot WR, where many hope they will see him don the scarlet and gray.

To read more about Marshall's talents, we point you in the direction of one of our Recruiting Profiles. 

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.

2013 Recruiting Profiles: WR Jalin Marshall

Marshall runs a 4.4 40

Although the 2012 recruiting class has not yet been finished, with the recent hiring of Urban Meyer, 2013 has already perked some interest into Buckeye fans across the country. With that said, here are our efforts to give you the in-depth knowledge about who Ohio State's top targets are.


When we told you about Robert Foster, and why he was leading our '13 recruiting profiles was because he was the big threat wide receiver. If, in fact, we do land Foster our next prospect would be a perfect fit into the type of offense that Urban Meyer is looking for. John Peterson, the current Ohio State recruiting coordinator who also coaches tight ends has been the one to personally recruit 5-star recruit Jalin Marshall, a 6'0'', 190 lb Quarterback/Athlete. Marshall hails from Middletown, Ohio and earned some serious offers, and more importantly, gained the interest of not only Ohio State, but of upper tier teams like Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama, and West Virginia.

While Marshall doesn't have the offer list that Foster does, he is certainly not far off, with offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Pitt, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, and UCLA. Jalin is ranked as the #1 Athlete overall in the class of 2013, and #1 overall recruit in the state of Ohio. Nationally, Jalin Marshall is the #5 recruit overall in 247's ranking. He's a 5-star recruit on all boards, and is another recruit you simply cannot say no to. He's already visited Ohio State unofficially twice, and it is safe to say that the Buckeyes are the front runner for Marshall's talents. He's also visited Tennessee and Notre Dame, which were both unofficial as well.

Though he plays quarterback in high school, Marshall projects to be a star wideout or defensive back in college. His more than 1,400 rushing yards prove why. With the ball in his hands, he is one of the nation's most exciting players, owning both the creativity and versatility to burn by over-matched opponents. Jalin was selected as a Middletown Journal All-Area First-Team, D-I Southwest District Special Mention and Greater Miami Conference First Team in 2010 (his sophomore year). Also a standout on the track, Marshall was a state qualifier in the 800-meter relay and high jump in 2011.

2013 Recruiting Profiles: WR Robert Foster

Foster has it all

Although the 2012 recruiting class has not yet been finished, with the recent hiring of Urban Meyer, 2013 has already perked some interest into Buckeye fans across the country. With that said, here are our efforts to give you the in-depth knowledge about who Ohio State's top targets are.

There's a reason that '13 wide receiver recruit Robert Foster starts off our 2013 recruiting profiles: He's simply the best of the best. The junior from Central Valley has already been offered from a multitude of schools, including our very own Buckeyes. Ohio State isn't the only one noticing the game-breaking receiver, as Foster currently holds offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia, Rutgers, Pitt, and Purdue.

At 6'2'', 175 pounds, Foster could very well be one of those few players that you don't say no to. All-State in Class 3A as both a wide receiver and a punt returner during his sophomore season, he put up some serious numbers: 45 carries for 406 yards with 3 rushing touchdowns, and 25 receptions for 520 yards. As a junior, Foster did a little bit of everything in helping the Warriors finish 11-1. He caught 37 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns, including a long of 99. He rushed another 36 times for 419 yards and two scores, including a long of 55.

Ohio State Names Zach Smith Wide Receivers Coach

Next to join the Buckeye staff

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has recruited an assistant from his Florida staff with the announcement today that Zach Smith would join his Ohio State coaching staff as a wide receivers coach. Smith was wide receivers and special teams coach for the past year at Temple University, which won nine games this season, including its first bowl win (37-15 over Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl) in 32 years.

Smith spent five years as a graduate assistant and quality control assistant for Meyer at Florida, during which time Florida won a pair of national championships while producing some of the best offensive and special teams units in the country. Smith was a special teams quality control coach for three years (2005-07) and an offensive graduate assistant for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He assisted with coaching the UF wide receivers, quarterbacks and special teams during his time in Gainesville.

Smith left Florida to work on Doc Holliday’s staff at Marshall for the 2010 season. He then moved on to Temple when Steve Addazio took over that program this year. He was coach of the wide receivers and special teams at both schools.

Marshall’s receivers totaled 152 catches for 1,824 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2010 and featured all-Conference USA performer Aaron Dobson. Temple’s receivers managed 66 catches for 961 yards and eight touchdowns despite the Owls featuring the seventh-best rushing offense in the country and the top unit in the Mid-American Conference.

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.

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.

Why Was Sanzenbacher A Snub?

The attitude of #12 earned respect from his teammates

From humble beginnings as an unheralded receiver from Toledo Central Catholic, Sanzenbacher made his way to Ohio State to try and make a name for himself. He came to Ohio State as an unknown who had to fight for everything he got, and what he got was being a 4 year starter, and a lot of love coming in all directions. The way he ended his career, by putting all that motivation into one great performance against Arkansas, was simply spectacular. Most Buckeye fans will remember the Great Dane for his excellent route running, superb hands, and always, always, being in the right place at the right time. 


The way he played was 110% effort no matter the down, quarter, or game. You might hear of Ray Small or DeVier Posey dogging it a couple of plays, but they were the big time talents, right? I think more receivers should be like Sanzenbacher, who wasn't always the deep threat, even with his decent speed. No, he was more of a possession receiver that went for the extra yards, the receiver that wasn't afraid to go down the middle. The 5'10" Sanzenbacher reminded some people of Wes Welker, who is still a key receiving component for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.


Perhaps that is why when the 2011 NFL Draft was upon us, many saw Dane going in the later rounds, but certainly being an absolute steal for any team.

Stan Drayton Is Hired

Welcome Coach Drayton!

As we reported earlier last week, Stan Drayton may be on his way to accepting the vacant WR coaching spot on the Buckeyes. The former Florida RB coach, the move was different, but welcome among fans. Not only can he teach the players, but recruiting is a big part of this. As of right now, Curtis Grant and Jajuan Story are picking between Florida and Ohio State. Signing Day is coming up, and this hire may just help the lean towards OSU.

This story was confirmed by the excellent writers at the Plain Dealer,  With his extensive ties to the Florida prep community, this hire could start to pay big dividends right away, especially if Story decides to follow Drayton to Columbus.

Recruiting Update: JaJuan Story

Fans, get to know this wide receiver. The #33 ranked WR in the '11 class, according to Scout, just finished his visit to Ohio State, and you may be wondering how it went for the Florida commit:

"2011 WR JaJuan Story says his #OhioState visit is "amazing" so far.#gators #Oregon"

via Laura McKeeman 

Ohio State still has a chance with the 6'4'' 192 receiver, and Buckeye fans can only hope for the announcement they are looking for. Laura also dropped the bomb that an update would be given, saying "Florida fans won't be too happy".

Story is one of the more physically imposing receivers in the country, and has all the tools to be a great receiver on the college level with excellent size and speed. He needs to work on honing his skills and the finer points of the position as his routes can be loose and he needs to recognize coverage better. His hands will get better with more experience as should the rest of his game.

Duron Carter Won't Come Back

For a while, it seemed Duron Carter was going to be the next big thing at Ohio State. Now it is announced that Duron Carter will not be re-joining the team, at all.

"Dulin said the reasons Carter is not returning to OSU, “are the same as before,” but did not want to elaborate. Recently, Carter indicated on his Twitter account that Ohio State was not allowing him to return.

Dulin said Carter currently is at home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., taking Coffeyville classes online and hoping to earn his associate’s degree.

Dulin said he’s not sure where Carter might go, but that Miami is an option."

It seems that academics played the final role in the factor, but now that he is pretty much officially gone, it's too bad for a kid who had such a big future. I wonder if Cris Carter will have anything to say about this move for his son. If he does end up in Miami, that would be pretty disappointing to see for Ohio State fans in general. Wherever he ends up, though, I wish him the best of luck.