April 24, 2007

National Blitz: Buckeyes load up on OL

There's no bigger story in the nation when it comes to recruiting than what Ohio State is doing at offensive line. After earning an early commitment from Dublin (Ohio) Coffman tackle Mike Adams, the Buckeyes continue to load up with commitments this week from Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater tackle Michael Brewster and Klein, Texas, tackle J.B. Shugarts, who is expected to commit Tuesday evening at his high school.


The three massive linemen give OSU seven commitments and arguably the best offensive line class in the country. Three other top targets along the offensive line, Miami (Fla.) Pace tackle/guard Greg Shaw, tackle Kyle Long from Charlottesville, Va., and Jefferson Hills (Pa.) Thomas Jefferson tackle Lucas Nix, are all very interested in the Buckeyes as well. There are others out there who will certainly be interested in possibly becoming part of history.


If the Buckeyes get one of their three remaining targets, they'll cement their slot at the top of the offensive line rankings this year. If they get two of the three, this could be one of the best offensive line classes of all time.


East


Florida State picked up another commitment when Philadelphia (Pa.) Roman Catholic safety Nick Moody told the coaches he plans on becoming a Seminole.


"I just felt such a level of comfort down there and I hit it off with the other players committing," said the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder. "My dad and uncle were down there and we had dinner with Myron Rolle and his parents and it seemed like a great fit."


Moody, who also boasts offers from Michigan State, Penn State, Georgia Tech and others, was noticed by FSU at summer camp last year.


"That's when they really started to show interest," he said. "They wanted to see how I developed my junior year, and once they saw the tape they offered. I grew up a big FSU fan for some reason, probably because they were always on TV. I went through a little Miami phase as well there, but FSU has been my favorite for the longest time."


Moody will play the Rover position that Rolle plays when he arrives in Tallahassee.


"Myron will be a junior by the time I get down there, so it will be great to learn under him for a bit and hopefully take over," he said. "He'll be a great person to learn from."


Rivals100 offensive tackle Lucas Nix added another big offer in the past week. The Jefferson Hills (Pa.) Thomas Jefferson lineman picked up a big-time scholarship from the ACC.


"I got an offer from Miami," he stated. "It's kind of big. It's one of the best schools to go to, but I'm going to keep waiting to see what happens."


Throughout the recruiting process, the 6-foot-6, 295-pounder has been leaning towards Pittsburgh. Is it fair to say that's still the case?


"Yeah, I guess you could say they are leading," he said. "I like the relationship I have with their team and the coaches. I also have my brother down there. The fact he's there is on my mind all the time, but it's nothing to make my decision over."


Heartland


With spring football beginning at many high schools, recruiting news has been picking up in the Heartland region over the last few weeks.


Houston Yates defensive end Damion Square appears to have his sites set on Miami after previously committing to Texas A&M in January.


"In my heart I'm orange and green, I love it," Square said about Miami. "UM is definitely on top. They're No. 1 on my list."


There is a connection there - Square's uncle played for Miami just a few years ago.


One of Square's teammates - Leroy Chevalier – apparently has also de-committed from the Aggies.


Chevalier says that he still "really loves A&M," but after receiving a new offer from Georgia, he explained that he was now reconsidering his commitment.


Miami is also sitting well with Sugar Land (Texas) Fort Bend Dulles cornerback Ugo Okpara. Okpara received a verbal offer from Miami this past week and is waiting on the written offer from coach Randy Shannon.


"If things go right after they get my highlight tape, I should be deciding real soon," Okpara said. "My parents, I told them and they know distance isn't a factor. Miami has everything I'm looking for. There's no point in waiting."


Celina (Texas) safety D'Anton Lynn is one of the fastest rising defensive back prospects in the region.


Lynn added three new scholarship offers this past week. Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, and Penn State are his newest suitors. Lynn also recently attended the Ohio State junior day. Though he didn't receive an offer from the Buckeyes, he says he enjoyed his visit.


Tuttle, Okla., tight end Cooper Bassett became the fourth commitment for Kansas State early this week. After attending the Wildcats spring game, he decided to go ahead and make his decision.



"I picked K-State because it's a great and promising program, period," Bassett said. "The coaches are top-notch and the facilities are new."


Bassett also reported that he received an offer from Kansas.


When you're one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, you're going to have a busy spring. For Ballwin (Mo.) Parkway West standout Blaine Gabbert, that busy spring has been mainly centered around unofficial visits to two of his top four teams for their school's spring games.


After visiting Nebraska two weekends ago, Gabbert was in Columbia, Mo., this weekend for Missouri's spring game.


"The visit just reinforced things, I had seen just about everything at Mizzou," Gabbert said. "I just wanted to get up there and hang out with the coaches and players."


Gabbert said he spent almost 2 hours hanging out with players after the spring game. He respected the way the Tiger players didn't put the full court press on him and try to get him to commit. He said most of the visit was spent talking with the players and getting to know them.


Most believe that Missouri is his leader. While his comments were definitely glowing about his time in Columbia, Gabbert said he's not sure if he's ready to call the Tigers the team to beat.


"I really couldn't tell you if they are my No. 1 or anyone is my No. 1 at this point," he said. "All four teams (Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Alabama) are still in the running. I just have to think things out and come to a decision on my own."



After visiting both Lincoln and Columbia the past two weekends the obvious question is how they compared head-to-head.


"They were dead equal," he said. "You can't go wrong with either school. Now, I'm just going to hang out and try and take it easy and hopefully conclude recruiting when I'm comfortable."


Gabbert has also visited Iowa this spring, but he's not been able to make it to Alabama for a visit. He said he's still trying to find a hole in his schedule to make it to Tuscaloosa sometime soon.


Mid Atlantic


Speedy tailback Lonnie Liggins from Baltimore (Md.) Hereford has opened a lot of eyes and garnered interest from several major programs. So far, Liggins is most impressed with the attention received by UConn.


"I attended their summer camp and the coaches all told me that they were very impressed by my speed and style," said the 5-foot-8, 175-pounder. "I fit the mold pretty good for tailback there because I run low to the ground and I'm quick. I feel my greatest asset is my vision, finding holes and picking up my blockers.


"Some people are surprised at my strength and my will to pick up extra yards after contact. I like to compare my style to my favorite NFL players, Warrick Dunn and LaDainian Tomlinson"


With UConn listed as Liggins' favorite so far, other programs are still considered to be "in the running."


"I went to Virginia recently and liked their campus and coaches, and I plan on going to Vanderbilt's camp this summer. I'm also interested in Boston College, Louisville, and Duke."


Upper Marlboro (Md.) Charles H. Flowers tailback Jarren Brown picked up his first offer last month.


"I got an offer from Syracuse on March 8," said the 5-foot-8, 188-pounder. "I'm really interested in Syracuse. They've been interested in me and want me to come up for a visit soon. I haven't really had time, but I think I'm going to try to take my first official there for their season opener."


Brown went on to discuss what he likes about the Orange.


"They've got good recruiting classes coming in, a new staff, they're rebuilding, nice uniforms and I like the dome," he stated. "It's also nice that they run the ball a lot.


"I've been in touch mostly with Chris White. I like how he stays after me with text messages. He really shows a lot of interest."


While Syracuse is the only school to offer, a few other colleges are thinking about it.


"Minnesota is considering offering me, but they want to wait until at least the middle of May," he said. "Boston College is interested too, but they want me to come up for a camp."


Midwest


As mentioned earlier, Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater future five-star prospect Michael Brewster committed to the Buckeyes. He officially revealed his decision Monday morning.


"When it came down to it, I just felt at home there," said Brewster, who recently ranked as one of the top five offensive linemen in the nation by Rivals.com.


A big part of Brewster's decision was Ohio State offensive line coach Jim Bollman, but he wasn't the only advantage Ohio State had in its corner.


"Coach Bollman really made a lasting impression," Brewster said. "I just love coach Bollman and coach Jim Tressel. I couldn't see myself playing for someone else. Football was just part of it of my final decision. I love Ohio State's campus. I love the Midwest. I'm from Kansas City. It will be good to get back up there."


Brewster had scholarship offers from Florida, USC, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, Florida State, Georgia and many others before he selected the Buckeyes.


"Florida was close behind, but the feeling was that Ohio State was just the right place for me," he said.


Along with Brewster, Ohio State is expected to land Klein, Texas, standout J.B. Shugarts on Tuesday, and they've moved into great shape with another standout lineman - Josh Jenkins of Vienna (W.V.) Parkersburg. Jenkins is currently committed to West Virginia.


The damage from Ohio State's weekend likely won't be limited to the offensive side of the ball. Several high profile defenders were blown away by their time in Columbus.


Washington (Pa.) Trinity linebacker Andrew Sweat said he was thoroughly impressed with Ohio State and might change his mind about the recruiting process.


"I'm pretty sure where I'm headed," Sweat said. "But I'll let the coaches come through in May and see if it changes my mind. Then I'll announce sometime in May. It will probably be around May 14. That's my mom's birthday."


Sweat has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Florida, Pitt and many others. But Penn State and Notre Dame appear to be the Buckeyes' only threats.


"I'm pretty much thinking Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame," Sweat said. "The attendance at Ohio State was pretty insane. People were randomly asking for my autograph. That was pretty incredible."


Southeast


It should come as no surprise that John Michael Boswell committed to Alabama this past weekend. The talented prospect lives in Tuscaloosa County.


Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons defensive end Jeremy Longo enjoyed an official visit to Wisconsin during the weekend. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder took in the Badgers spring game. "I had a great time up there. I learned everything about Wisconsin football," he said. Longo holds scholarship offers from the Badgers, UCF, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Purdue, Iowa, Kentucky and UConn.


Johnston (S.C.) Strom Thurmond quarterback Aramis Hillary was impressive at the Elite 11 regional workout Friday night in Atlanta, and also had a good outing at the NIKE Camp in Athens, Ga., the following day. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has excellent size and throws a nice ball. Hillary holds scholarship offers from East Carolina, Mississippi State and Division I-AA power Appalachian State. Right now, the Pirates are his favorites. "I really like what they do on offense," he said.


Tampa (Fla.) Middleton defensive lineman Moses McCray has been favoring Florida throughout most of the process, but a look around campus at Florida State before and during Sunday's NIKE Camp has the talented jumbo athlete thinking more about heading to Tallahassee. "I like FSU a lot, to tell you the truth," he said. Multiple programs, including the Gators, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and South Carolina have offered McCray. The Seminoles have yet to.


Sardis (Miss.) North Panola defensive tackle Templeton Hardy picked up an offer from UCLA last weekend.


West


Sometimes you have to take the extra step to achieve your dreams. That's the case with Los Angeles Crenshaw standout receiver Kemonte Bateman. The 6-foot, 171-pound blue-chip prospect has been long rumored to be a UCLA commitment, but what wasn't clear was whether the Bruins would have a spot for him because of some academic questions.


Bateman cleared the air about his status and UCLA's approach after he dominated at the recent Los Angeles NIKE Training Camp.


"The coaching staff sat me down and told me they know about my situation," Bateman said. "They set goals for me that I have to achieve. They (UCLA coaches) told me that they know I can do it. Now it's up to me getting the job done."


And he's working hard to follow the plan that's been laid out for him.


"Right now, I'm going to night school and getting tutored on the weekends," he said. "I'm also doing extra activities to get ready for UCLA. It will be an honor for me to go to UCLA. I'm doing all the things my parents are telling me to do. They want me to be able to follow my dream to go to UCLA. I will be the first child in my family to attend college. Going to UCLA is a real big thing."


Just in case things don't work out for Bateman and UCLA, there are several teams that are staying on him. He's also got an offer from Arizona State, and Oregon and USC are keeping an eye on him.


"USC is right down the street from my house, so I know the environment is good and so are their academics," Bateman said. "Their practices are really intense. Oregon's academics are good and the team is solid. The school also has a good environment."


Still, Bateman is focused on being a Bruin.


"I'm on UCLA and I'm going to work my tail off to the best of my abilities to be a Bruin," he said.

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