Empire Recruiting Ohio State Weekly Wrapup 7-28-12
It’s Friday, therefore we’re bringing you the roundup of recruiting news from the fine gentlemen at Empire Recruiting. Jarrid, Bret and Charles are doing a bangup job of trying to get you the most up to date information on all things Ohio State recruiting and with the Big Ten season officially underway, a lot of official visits will be on the horizon. Check back to Recruiting daily to get your recruiting fix.
Ohio State Staff To Check Out Pierce – Charles Doss
Basketball fans from across the nation know that Thad Matta can coach Bigmen. Over the last few years Coach Matta has had his fair share of talented post players and turned ballers Greg Oden, Kosta Koufus, BJ Mullens & Jared Sullinger into first round NBA Draft Picks.
The next player the Ohio State coach might have found to fit into that role is recently reclassified 2014 Ohio native Satchel Pierce. The 6’11 250lb Pierce who transferred from Akron St.Vincent St.Marys to Kiski Prep (PA) after last season uses his size and athletic ability well on both ends.
Empire Recruiting Spotlight: Vonn Bell – DB (Rossville, GA) - Jarrid McGuire
The focus of this week’s Empire Recruiting Spotlight is on Rossville, Gorgia’s Vonn Bell. Bell is a 4*/5* Safety prospect in the 2013 class who is about as high on the Buckeye’s radar list as possible. His recruitment has been carried out very professionally, and everybody is going crazy over this star safety.
Bell is a ball hawk who isn’t afraid to lay the wood. He flies around the field and looks so smooth doing it which is probably why his nickname is V-Smooth. Bell fits into what Ohio State wants to do with their defense, and he has the opportunity to come in and compete for playing time as a freshman. One article even brought up the idea of him being able to play on both sides because of how well he runs, and the exciting part about having Coach Urban Meyer is that he wants to get playmakers on the field. I don’t necessarily think we end up seeing Bell on the offensive side of the ball, but he is a playmaker that would be an upgrade for the Buckeyes in the secondary.
Ohio State Recruiting Week In Review: 9/17-9/23 – Bret Favachio
9/17/12
- Thad Matta visited 2013 PF Kyle Washington at Brewster Academy.
- Ezekiel Elliott commits to the US Army All-American game.
- 2013 PF Kyle Washington schedules visit to Ohio State for the weekend of October 20th. | UPDATE: Washington has committed to NC State. I am no longer sure if he will still visit.
- Ohio State showing interested in 2014 PG Kevin Zabo.
- 2014 OL Nick Padla has heard from Ohio State.
9/18/12
- 2013 LB Trey Johnson (Auburn commit) says he will visit Ohio State.
- 2013 SG Kameron Williams commits to Ohio State.
- Ohio State offers 2015 RB Jordan Scarlett.
- Ohio State in top 3 for 2013 S Vonn Bell. Alabama and Tennessee make the cut as well.
Weekly Ohio State Recruiting Mailbag: 9/23/12 - Empire Recruiting Staff
Any update on when Mike Mitchell will be visiting?
BF: Reports earlier in the week were that he has visits lined up for Oregon and Ohio State. The thought right now is that his visit will be for the Nebraska (10/6) or Michigan (11/24) game. Perfect situation for Ohio State. Nebraska under the lights or “The Game”, tough for any school to compete with that and having 2013 commits to help recruit him wont hurt either.
JM: At this point, Mitchell has cooled on committing; and he’s going to take his time with the process. Either game that Bret mentioned is a possibility, and both are obviously great games for a recruit to attend; but I wonder how full this class will be by The Game. The number of scholarships might be limited, so even though he’s a crazy good athlete; we’d have to make a decision about if we want to hold a spot for him. With a guy like Vonn Bell, it’s a no-brainer because we need that elite level player at safety. It’s something we haven’t had for awhile. We have a nice group of young LB’s, and we only lose one (Etienne Sabino) this year; so I’m getting less confident on Mitchell landing at OSU the longer this drags on. This is a guy that is hard to find a lot of information on, but we’ll do our best to keep digging and see if we can’t get a better feel for what direction his recruitment is heading.
The Newest Buckeye
Instant Impact: Tyquan Lewis Commits to Ohio State (9/20/12) - Jarrid McGuire
Buckeye Nation has grown stronger as the quest for an elite defensive line has taken another step in the right direction. The Buckeyes and Coach Urban Meyer have landed commitment #17 of the 2013 class from DE Tyquan Lewis of Tarboro High School in Tarboro, NC. Lewis announced his commitment this afternoon from his high school on his team’s bye week but has been ready to make the call for a few weeks now. Buckeye DB coach, Everett Withers, has a connection to the state of North Carolina; and that connection has continued to pay off as the Buckeyes land their first prospect from the Tarheel State in the 2013 class. The Buckeyes brought in one NC prospect in the ’12 class in DE/OLB Jamal Marcus, and now OSU has received the commitment of another defensive stud from Withers’ old stomping grounds.
The consensus 4* Lewis plays as standup DE in high school, so the immediate impact of his commitment has to be in his ability to bring athleticism to the Buckeye line. Watching Lewis’ Junior Year Highlights, his pass-rushing skills are most notable. Lewis does a good job getting leverage while rushing the passer which is an area that the Buckeye defense has had struggles with over the past few seasons. He uses his excellent hands to break away from blockers but also can dip his shoulder and turn the corner on a tackle when rushing the passer. Lewis’ aggressiveness and high motor are notable as well.
