Our Honor Defend

The coaching staff is beginning to compensate for the 2010 class, which featured only one offensive lineman when 3-4 was optimal.  The Buckeyes added Chris Carter and Antonio Underwood (and DerJuan Gambrell, a cornerback) on the same day; both appear to be guard prospects.  Now, they have added their target at center.  Brian Bobek, of Palatine, IL, was a Buckeye lean as soon as he got his offer.  Even as late as today, he affirmed he was strongly interested in Ohio State while simultaneously being tugged by a Michigan State program that intrigued him.  However, it appears that verbal commitments are contagious.  Seeing the Buckeyes add two interior linemen into their class in a single day, Bobek decided to throw his name in as well. Verbal commitments: all the cool kids are doing it.

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A lot can happen in a few hours in the world of college football recruiting, as we are seeing at the moment. Yesterday, the Buckeyes got a verbal commitment from offensive lineman Chris Carter.  As it turned out, that just got things started.  They have since added commitments from offensive lineman prospect Antonio Underwood (brief video) and defensive back DerJuan Gambrell (brief video).

Antonio Underwood’s commitment caught me by surprise.  I like to think I have a fairly accurate knowledge of everyone that Ohio State is recruiting, but I did not come across his name until his decision was made public yesterday.  Underwood, an interior lineman prospect — and, from the looks of it, a potential offensive guard, was on campus with his grandfather the same day as Chris Carter and received a written scholarship as well.  He, like Carter, liked the visit so much that he could not see himself at any other place and committed shortly thereafter.  Combined, Underwood and Carter’s commitment goes to great lengths to rectify the dearth of offensive linemen in last year’s class.  However, neither adds to the offensive tackle position, where I think the need is the greatest in this year’s class (looking ahead to replacing Adams and Shugarts).  Further, it is unlikely either will be a future center for the Buckeyes, though you never can say never.  The Buckeyes are in very good position with Brian Bobek of Illinois, who, it appears, the Buckeyes are looking at as a center.

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Selection Monday for the women’s basketball team and Selection Sunday for the men’s basketball team yielded similar results.  The women, like the men, are a 2-seed in a Midwestern regional that includes the tournament’s number one overall seed.  Unlike the men, the 1-seed Connecticut Huskies look unbeatable.

The good news is that, should UCONN and Ohio State play shooty hoops in this tournament, it will be in nearby Dayton, Ohio.  Therein, Buckeye fans can (and absolutely should) flood the place to make the atmosphere as intimidating as possible for the undefeated Huskies.   The bad news is that the road out Pittsburgh to Dayton is fraught with peril.  As a 2-seed, the Buckeyes will probably not sweat their first round opponent — the15th-seeded St. Francis (PA) Red Flash — too much. The winner of the 7-10 matchup between Mississippi State and Middle Tennessee State is a little more daunting.  The Mississippi State Bulldogs, you may remember, were that pesky 11-seed in last year’s tournament that upset the 6-seed Longhorns to face the 3-seed Buckeyes in Columbus.  The Buckeyes dispatched them, but had to work for it.  Their common opponent, Ole Miss, does not seem to shed a light on this picture one way or the other.  The Buckeyes eeked out a victory against the Running Akbars in Oxford whereas Ole Miss and Mississippi State exchanged wins at home.

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The absence of offensive linemen options in the 2010 class, given the late decisions of Matt James and Seantrel Henderson, put the Buckeyes a little bit behind the 8-ball in that position, making it a focus for the 2011 class. Today, the Buckeyes secured a commitment from offensive lineman Chris Carter (no relation), of John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, to add to the position going forward.

The commitment comes as I was remarking to myself yesterday that there was surprisingly little to report on the recruiting front.  With respect to Chris, I was a little unsure of his offer status.  I thought he was still in that “verbal offer” territory, since the last update I read regarding him featured him discussing the direct interest in him from Ohio State’s coaching staff as well as their advice to focus on his GPA and test scores to secure admission to college.

Apparently that changed today.  He made an unofficial visit to Ohio State’s campus, and loved what he saw.  With an official offer in hand, committed as soon he arrived back at home.

Chris Carter (sometimes seen as Chris Carter Jr.) is the third commitment in the 2011 class, behind Kenny Hayes and Steve Miller.  Steve Miller, easily my favorite recruit in the class so far for the obvious reasons, recently made a bit of a splash by announcing he will take official visits to other schools, Tennessee among them, despite being, as he insists, firmly committed to Ohio State.  Chris Carter stands out for more reasons than his 6′5 330lb frame.  A student at John F. Kennedy HS in Cleveland’s Senate League, I struggle to think of the last Senate League kid, who was not from Glenville, that managed to come to Ohio State on a football scholarship.

(Brief) film after the jump:

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Ohio State is dancing, having secured their bid into the tournament as regular season and tournament champions.  Their prize: the second seed in the Midwest region.  The Buckeyes will start in Milwaukee and, should they make it through the first weekend, continue dancing in St. Louis.  The issue?  The Buckeyes find themselves in, after a cursory glance, the bracket of death in this year’s tournament.

Midwest Region

Oklahoma City
Thursday, March 18
(1) Kansas vs. (16) Lehigh
(8) UNLV vs. (9) Northern Iowa

Spokane
Friday, March 19
(5) Michigan State vs. (12) New Mexico State
(4) Maryland vs. (13) Houston

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