National Signing Day is in the books and Ohio State fans can roll out of bed today with a smile on their faces. The Bucks signed 23 players to their recruiting class of 2011 already, and are just awaiting Jim Tressel's decision on previously committed Chris Carter Jr., who fell into a bit of trouble yesterday, before closing things up on this year's fresh meat.
No matter what happens with Carter, this is an excellent class that filled many needs and provides the Bucks with enough fire power to continue to reload over the next four to five years. Jim Tressel often gets criticized for "not being able to close" when it comes to recruiting, but six Big Ten championships in a row and continuous top five finishes nationally make me think he knows a lot more than any of us when it comes to this whole recruiting thing. Sure there are some misses, but there are also some big hits too, and at the end of the day I'm sure glad that The Vest is leading my college football program.
Without further adieu, it's time to wrap-up what was a whirl wind of a Signing Day Wednesday and take a look at some news to catch up on outside of the Buckeye recruiting world.
Curtis Grant can keep a secret. While he was thought to be a Buckeye lean since his official visit in December, it was still unknown where Curtis Grant would attend college until his announcement at 1:50 PM ET yesterday afternoon. Well, at least we didn't know. Laura McKeeman of Scout.com seems to have a way of getting info out of recruits (take a look and you can figure out why) and it appears she sat down with Grant to film this video before he went public with his decision. Grant seems to be a great fit for OSU and you really get a feel for his sense of humor after watching this clip. I'm glad he's going to be a Buckeye and you can bet he'll represent Buckeye Nation well both on and off the field. Oh yeah, and if you missed Curtis committing on ESPNU yesterday, you can catch it here.
Cardale's dream comes true. When Jim Tressel sees something he likes, he finds a way to get it. That certainly didn't change with Cleveland Glenville QB Cardale Jones. At one point it looked like Braxton Miller would be the only quarterback the Buckeyes took in 2011, despite excellent camp performances in Columbus and a stellar senior season by Jones. There were questions of academics and room in the recruiting class and as time went on, Jones appeared destined for a landing spot outside of Columbus. Clearly stating his desire to be a Buckeye, Jones waited and waited, and finally his patience paid off as OSU found a way to make Cardale's dream come true, while making things work out on their end as well. Jones will be off to prep school (think Hargrave or Fork Union) and then will enroll in winter quarter 2012 at Ohio State. He can then redshirt in his "freshman" year and create two years of separation between Miller and himself. This is the route Todd Boeckman took and in this case, it looks like it will work out again for Ohio State, as the quarterback position seems to be in good hands with a lineage of Pryor-Miller-Jones over the next six or seven seasons.
Walking out on the Buckeyes. The Glenville pipeline was kept alive by Jones, but three key Tarblooders will not make the trip down I-71 in the fall. Shane Wynn (Indiana) and Andre Sturdivant (Toledo) were not offered scholarships by the Buckeyes, so their commitments were not expected. On the other hand, Aundrey Walker was considered a "lock" to be a Buckeye about a month ago, but spurned OSU for Southern Cal on Signing Day. Walker would have been the best offensive line prospect in the Ohio State class of 2011, but now that position is the weakest link in this class, especially since Chris Carter is not currently on board either. I don't think losing Walker as a player is actually that big of a deal, but I couldn't agree more with Doug Lesmerises when he talks about the loss hurting the Bucks bad because they are so thin on the offensive line. The good news for Buckeye fans is that the 2012 class in Ohio is loaded with talent and a few very special offensive linemen.
A Hurricane coming. When Duron Carter tweeted this yesterday he may have just been having a little fun with fans. Or he may have been serious. Either way, the tweet confirms reports that Miami (FL) could be a landing spot for the former Buckeye who is in the process of obtaining his Associate's Degree from Palm Beach Community College. I am sticking by my opinion that Duron will wait it out until summer to return to OSU if that possibility is available, but if he wants to stay local and get a fresh start (both academically and lifestyle), The U is the likely spot he will end up.
Signing Day Wrap. To wrap things up, here are some class rankings from various outlets. ESPN has the Buckeyes at #7, Scout has the Bucks at #4, Rivals has them at #10, Athlon Sports has OSU at #8, Sporting News ranks them at #7, and Max Preps has Ohio State at #9. Looks like we'll be reading lots of Scout this year!
