It was this kind of game. Sully probably earned a bruise for every point he scored, but he left UMADison with a win. Dealt with.

Jared Sullinger played a full game in beast mode, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, leading No. 3 Ohio State (20-3, 8-2) to its first win at Wisconsin’s Kohl Center since 2000, 58-52. Wisconsin shooting just 18.5% (5-27) outside the arc, and hitting only two baskets in the final four minutes, was very helpful in snapping the nine game road skid in Madison. The Buckeyes had a lot to do with that, playing their best overall defensive game of the season, but even when the looks were open, the Badgers couldn’t knock down their shots. Ohio State didn’t fare particularly well outside the circle either, hitting only 14.3%, but the Buckeyes attempted only seven bombs all night. The Badgers (18-6, 7-4) defended as if Jon Diebler and David Lighty were still on the team. The OSU guards got the ball inside and Sully and DeShaun Thomas did most of the damage, scoring 40 of the team’s 58 points. You could say that Sully’s play hocked a gigantic figurative loogie on Badger Nation.

Wisconsin’s big outside threats simply didn’t threaten. Jordan Taylor, Jared Berggren, Josh Gasser, Ben Brust and Mike Bruesewitz combined to go 4-22 from long range. Some of those shots were well-defended, some were forced and some were rushed, but enough of them were open to easily overturn a 6-point final margin. Ohio State and Wisconsin played the slow-paced Badger style of basketball, but the Buckeyes did it better, attacking the rim and winning the rebounding battle (30-25, 9-7 on the offensive glass). Thomas’ 16 points were nice, but it was the six rebounds (four offensively) that really helped. William Buford took way too many shots to earn his 11 points (4-15), but he played great defense and hit a clutch triple and two big free throws down the stretch to keep Ohio State in front. He also grabbed six rebounds.

The Buckeyes and Badgers traded the lead throughout the first half, as Ryan Evans led Wisconsin with 10 points. Thomas seemed to be indecisive on whether to try to come out and risk the drive or play off and give up the jumper. Generally, he chose the latter and Evans made the Buckeyes pay on 5-8 shooting. Ohio State cleaned that up in the second half and Evans had only four more points after the break. Taylor failed to explode as he did in the second half of last year’s game in Madison, scoring only 12 points, despite opening the game with a bomb. Aaron Craft hounded him throughout the contest and forced him to use a lot of energy. Taylor had gone almost four full games worth of minutes without a turnover, but had three in the second half against Ohio State. Gingerwitz scored 11, mostly in the second half, to go along with 11 boards, and Berggren chipped in 10.

Though Ohio State did fail to do some of the things I thought they had to do to win, it was offset by poor long-range shooting by Wisconsin. Sully scored Ohio State’s first nine points, trading hoops with Taylor and Berggren, giving Ohio State an early 9-8 lead. Thomas hit sandwiched two buckets around an Evans jumper and Sullinger’s layup put the Buckeyes up 15-10 by the under-12 timeout. The Badgers came out of that timeout strong, scoring the next eight points. Berggren scored four of those. Sully and Buford fueled a 9-2 run to erase the Wisconsin lead. Ohio State’s four-point lead held at the half as the teams traded two baskets each and Brust missed a deep three at the buzzer.

The basket trading continued after halftime, only with more fouls and misses by both teams, until Berggren’s triple pulled Wisconsin within 32-31. Thomas scored the next four points and Sully drained two freebies to put OSU out front, 38-31. Bucky cut the lead to four before Lenzelle Smith Jr. hit a layup and-one. As the clock wound down under five minutes, the lead fluctuated between seven and four points. But Evans’ layup and Bruesewitz’s bomb brought the Badgers within one, 51-50. Things looked worse when Craft missed the front end of a one-and-one on the next possession, but Taylor made a rare turnover to give it back. Buford then hit his clutch triple and the crafty one hit his next two freebies to make it a six point game in the final minute. Taylor made a tough layup over Craft and Smith, but Buford then knocked down his free throws and Wisconsin could get no closer.

Thad Matta finally has his first win at the Kohl Center and the Buckeyes got a huge road victory in the race for the B1G regular season title. Matta reached 20 wins as a head coach for the 12th straight year. Ohio State gets back after it on Tuesday at home against Purdue.

Notes: Ohio State is now 5-2 against ranked teams this season and 1-2 on the road…The loss snapped Wisconsin’s six-game winning streak. The Buckeyes now own the B1G’s longest current streak, with five consecutive wins…Ohio State is 83-65 in the all-time series against Wisconsin, 28-43 in Madison, and 6-2 when both teams are ranked…Buford passed Jay Burson to move into seventh on the all-time OSU scoring list, and is now 19 points behind Jim Jackson for sixth…Ohio State has 20 wins for the eighth year in a row, tied for the second-longest streak in B1G history. Illinois has won 20 or more nine straight times once (1982-83 to 1990-91) and has another streak of eight (1999-00 to 2006-07) – h/t @BTNSportsGuy.

Wisconsin grad Don Ameche was Mortimer Duke. He’ll bet you one dollar the Badgers win. His cousin Alan won a Heisman Trophy at Sconnie.

No. 3 Ohio State (19-3, 7-2) tips off the more difficult second half of the B1G schedule at the Kohl Center in a 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon date with No. 19/20 Wisconsin (17-5, 7-3). The streaking Badgers have won six straight games, after starting the conference slate 1-3. Wisconsin has the longest current winning streak in the B1G. Ohio State is second, with four in a row. You’ll no doubt remember the last time the Buckeyes visited Madison. Jordan Taylor went HAM in the second half, the Badgers overcame a 15-point second half deficit, and someone spit on Jared Sullinger. In the wake of the Buckeyes having their 24-game winning streak snapped last year, Badgers coach Bo Ryan suggested Sully “deal with it” in regards to being spit on. Oh yes, there is so much hate right now between these teams and these schools. Bret Bielema’s recent remarks about Urban Meyer are not likely to lower the boil, and I really hope someone brings an umbrella for Sully after what happened last year. Dave O’Brien and Dan Dakich will call the war game.

The teams each won at home last year and the Kohl Center is a beast that Thad Matta has yet to tame. You have to go all the way back to March 14, 2003 for Ohio State’s last win in Madison, a 58-50 final in which Sean Connolly’s 21 points and Brent Darby’s 16 helped upset the No. 18 Badgers. The Kohl Center may be a tough nut to crack, but the Badgers have been unusually vulnerable there this season, losing three times at home already—to Marquette, Iowa (yes, Iowa), and Sparty (in overtime). The Marquette loss snapped a 23-game home winning streak. The Buckeyes are 82-65 in the all-time series, with a 27-43 mark in Madison. Ohio State is 5-2 against Wisconsin when both teams are ranked. Jared Sullinger averages 20 points and 10 rebounds against Bucky, with William Buford adding 12.7 points and five boards. Still, not many expect the Buckeyes to escape the Kohl with a W.

The Badger offense starts with senior point guard Jordan Taylor (#11) and his team-leading 14.1 points per game. He also distributes the ball well, with 99 assists against only 32 turnovers, second in the B1G only to Nerdwestern’s Dave Sobolewski in assist/turnover ratio. Taylor is a good defender, with 23 steals on the season, good for second on the team, and 4.2 boards per outing. The other main concern for Ohio State will be the emerging Jared Berggren (#40), who scores 10.5 points and pulls down 5.1 rebounds per contest. His 25 steals leads the team and the 6-10 redshirt junior forward/center is emerging as the new Jon Leuer, with his triple-threat ability to play in the paint, cut to the basket or drain a three-pointer (35.5% this season). Berggren is third in the B1G in blocks with 37. Junior guard/forward Ryan Evans (#5) adds 9.8 points per game and is fourth in the conference in rebounding (6.7 per game), with 5.1 of those coming on the defensive glass.

Starting sophomore guard Josh Gasser (#21) adds 7.7 points per game and is the B1G’s third-leading long-range shooter, hitting 28-57 (49.1%) beyond the arc, but fellow sophomore Ben Brust (#1) has drained 44 treys this season (38.6%), the fifth-most in the league. At 9.3 points per game, Brust is easily Wisconsin’s most dangerous bench player. Mike (Gingerwitz) Breusewitz (#31), who has shaved off the ginger clown hair, rounds out the starting lineup with 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Ohio State wins if: it plays well for 40 minutes (meaning very limited turnovers, a good shooting percentage—probably above 50—and lock-down defense) and gets offensive contributions beyond Sullinger, Buford and DeShaun Thomas. The Buckeyes need Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr., or someone off the bench to provide some unexpected points to survive the Kohl. That building has been a house of horrors for Ohio State and I’m honestly not expecting a win the way Wisconsin has been playing defense, but a victory is possible if the Buckeyes play hard throughout and execute on both ends of the floor. This means they can’t afford to waste possessions. If pressed for one guy who can turn the tide, I’d say Lenzelle Smith Jr. has to have a big game for Ohio State to win it.

Wisconsin wins if: it maintains the status quo on defense, hits a decent percentage from three-point range and rebounds well. The Badgers will ride the momentum of their home crowd as they often do, which means Ohio State will need to just stay in the game in the first half to have a chance. It’s tough to beat the Badgers if they build a big lead, because they have that watching-paint-dry, clock-bleeding style of deliberate offense and they play very good defense. Surprisingly, Wisconsin is 11th in the B1G in steals despite being a good defensive squad. If the Badgers force more than 10 turnovers, it would probably spell disaster for Ohio State.

Notes: The Buckeyes are 4-2 against ranked teams this season, but both of those losses were on the road (Kansas, Indiana)…A win would give Matta 12 consecutive 20-win seasons…Buford needs two points to pass Jay Burson for seventh on the all-time OSU scoring list. In sixth is Jim Jackson, who is 30 points ahead of Buford.

In the Hive

Oh, hi. Didn’t see you there. Sorry. As long as you’re here, let me welcome you to your Friday Morning Hive. If Tom Hanks was right and there’s no crying in baseball, we feel there certainly shouldn’t be any crying in football. Some B1G coaches feel a little differently about that and we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, there’s still time to bask in the glow of an exciting and fulfilling National Signing Day. The college football equivalent of Christmas, where you can never be too sure what you’ll find under the tree (or fax machine) came and went on Wednesday, and we saw a couple of important recruits commit to be part of Buckeye Nation. Also…why do they still make fax machines? Why are they used? Is the Pony Express no longer viable? Anyway…let’s get started

A Little Light Reading

Many of you may have already done this, but I’m a little tardy, so cut me some slack. I’m referring to studying up on our new coach by reading his biography, Urban’s Way. I’ve been meaning to get around to reading this book since Ohio State gave Meyer the coaching job, but for one reason or another, I couldn’t get around to it. I’m like Burgess Meredith on The Twilight Zone, lamenting the lack of time to read all that I want to. I have a pretty big appetite for the written word and always have a book going, and usually a magazine as well. So now I’m reading a book about our new head coach. I’m not very far along into it yet, but one thing I’ve noticed is that Buddy Martin uses some of the cheesiest similes I’ve ever read anywhere. Another thing I’ve learned already from Buddy is that unlike every other coach out there, Urban Meyer uses his right brain to be creative. He’s unique, Martin asserts. Come on, Buddy. There’s poetic license and then there’s simply being a goofball.

There are some interesting tidbits, however. One of the interesting factoids Martin drops very early in the book is that journalist Mike Freeman, who is now with CBS Sports, referred to Urban as “Urban Liar” for refusing to be forthcoming about player injuries. This was while Freeman was a columnist with the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. You may remember that Freeman is the guy who lied about having a college degree, costing himself a job at the Indianapolis Star. Yeah, that Mike Freeman: the confessed liar who said the Colts would be a laughingstock if they hired Jim Tressel. Because…you know…he lied. I found it funny. Apparently Freeman has a thing about dishonesty. At least in others.

Apart from that, some of the things I found interesting were:

Special teams players are treated “special” since Meyer himself is their hands-on coach.

And…

In what might look reckless and almost crazy at the time—but is actually calculated and well thought out—Meyer has been known to call trick plays (he calls them “special plays”) in big games, when the odds look heavily stacked against him. And they usually work.

If you’ve read my “The Way I Saw It” series this past year, you’ll note my contempt for the lack of trickeration over the course of an entire season by Jim Bollman’s offense under Luke Fickell. I equate unconventional plays as an essential part of any game plan. You run certain plays, whether they work or not, to give the defense a look and set up chances for big plays from them. I also think they show an aggressive mindset. Plus, the players love them. They get excited about running them. They respond when coaches show confidence enough to call those plays in key situations. I have no doubt that we’ll see more of these under Meyer. That said, neither of the above quotes are terribly surprising or unearth any secrets about Urban Meyer. I just thought it was a good thing to point out to anyone else who hadn’t read the book yet.

Bret Bielema has a sad

Bielema's tears, when combined with the tears of Brady Hoke, form the batter you use to make Cinnabons.

One thing I have yet to come across, and I must reiterate that I’m still not very far into the book, is that Meyer makes other coaches cry. Obviously wrecked by Kyle Dodson’s commitment reversal, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema spoke out about how mean old Urban was doing mean things, and DADDY, YOU HAVE TO TELL COMMISSIONER DELANEY ON HIM! Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Pat Narduzzi also weren’t big fans of Urban’s recruiting methods, after losing Se’Von Pittman to Ohio State. Of course, we all know that there would be no way in hell those two kids would have committed where they did had it not been for the extenuating circumstances of Jim Tressel’s firing resignation retirement whatever. Both kids wanted to be Buckeyes first and foremost and who are Bert and Dino to tell them they’re stuck with their verbal commitments? The Jim Tressel era is over, folks. There are no more gentleman’s agreements. Meyer isn’t going to steer kids to Sparty to keep them away from Michigan, because he’s too busy getting ALL OF THE RECRUITS. And he’s certainly not losing any recruits to Bucky anytime soon. For those thinking they had an extended break from the Buckeyes and that Ohio State was just going to go away for awhile like TTUN, it’s a sad awakening.

Aaron Craft is smart, but you already knew that

Ohio State point guard and dream boat Aaron Craft is a smart guy. The rosy-cheeked one was one of four B1G men’s shooty hoops players named to the Academic All-District team. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the teams yesterday. The Crafty one is joined by Drew Crawford of Nerdwestern (naturally), Wisconsin’s Jared Berggren, and Zack Novak from TTUN. The four advance to the Capital One All-America Team ballots.

Spiteful Les Miles is spiteful. Hatters gotta hate.

No! No, Les Miles. That’s not ok. You don’t rip a kid (in this case Gunner Kiel), even if you don’t say his name, just for changing his commitment and going to another school. You’re completely doing it wrong. By the way, what does it mean that he “doesn’t necessarily have the chest” to lead a “progrum?”

Jim Tressel is basically not permitted to live anymore

By the measurable butthurt on Twitter yesterday, it’s clear to me that James Patrick Tressel is not allowed to live anymore, except in the harshest, most vile conditions. It’s just what liars are entitled to. They certainly aren’t permitted to take administrative jobs at Akron. Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch—a basketball writer who covers Ohio State, mind you—tweeted “Guess it does pay to lie.” Yes, Bob.  It does pay. It pays much less. Tressel’s new salary of $200K as Akron’s Vice President of Strategic Engagement pays $250K less in a year than the bonus alone he would have received Tuesday if he’d still been at Ohio State. Let’s say that again: Tressel will make a quarter of a million dollars less in one year in his job at Akron than the bonus he would have made in one day at Ohio State. Professional troll Dennis Dodd tweeted erroneously (naturally) that “Tressel has “enforcement” in his new title #giggle.” Well, aside from the creepiness of a grown man using a hashtag to admit that he giggles like a fifth grade girl, the word does not, in fact, appear in Tressel’s title. Meanwhile, Joe Schad was doing Joe Schad things by tweeting that Ohio State didn’t comment on Tressel’s hiring at Akron. It’s hard to imagine why the university would take any position on a former employee two jobs removed and in an entirely different line of work. The vitriol for Tressel seems excessive only because it is. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, Jim Tressel did not intentionally wrong YOU. It’s time to move on and find another punching bag. Even convicted felons are allowed to be employed.

OSU Signing Day war room. What? No Jaegerbombs in front of VraBRO?

Just like a bunch of guys sitting around a bar, weighing in with their opinions on the 2012 National Signing Day, several websites from what we’re calling the Buckeye Blogger Network will be sharing their thoughts today on what transpired yesterday in high schools and on antiquated fax machines throughout Ohio and all over the country. You can find our thoughts on three basic signing day questions after the jump. You can check out opinions on the same questions from The Buckeye Battle Cry, The Buckeye Blog, Buckeye House Call, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, and The Silver Bullet. Think of it as an extended round table discussion that includes multiple blogs. Did we just blow your mind? #DogsAndCatsLivingTogether #MassHysteria

Even if Urban Meyer doesn’t add another player to the 2012 recruiting class, by any objective measure you’d have to say that what he has done in his two months at Ohio State is nothing short of amazing. Meyer’s inaugural OSU class brings in just about everything you could ask for, except maybe a game breaking talent on the offensive edge (so far – Davonte Neal and Stefon Diggs are still out there). Vico laid out the particulars on the newest Buckeyes yesterday. We all look forward to the 2012 edition of his Better Know a Buckeye series—his award-winning ongoing narrative about the guys who will wear the scarlet and gray. What’s that? It’s not? Well it SHOULD be award-winning, dammit. The man does a fine job telling you about Ohio State’s recruits, where they are expected to fit in and what the chronology of their recruitment looked like. On to our thoughts:

Who are you most excited to see in the Scarlet and Gray?

We’re excited about several of these guys. But if we have to narrow it down (and apparently we do) we’re going with Noah Spence, but we’re also intrigued by Bri’onte Dunn and Michael Thomas. Spence is one of the nation’s premier pass rushers from the 2012 class. Ohio State fans and coaches alike lamented the lack of sacks from the 2011 season. The lack of pressure from the defensive front in 2011 exposed holes in the linebacking corps and defensive backfield. The simple arithmetic of allowing quarterbacks fewer seconds to make their reads and deliver an accurate pass will reap benefits for every level of the defense. It will be interesting and exciting to see if Spence can have an immediate impact in that area, and whether he can provide help for the returning Nathan Williams. Thomas is an interesting young receiver in a position of need. Several former and present Buckeyes have been promising big things from Thomas on Twitter and he certainly appears to be the class at his position of the incoming freshmen (so far, at least). Dunn is completely different from what Meyer’s offenses have had to work with in the past from the tailback position. If Meyer’s offense can get the ball to Dunn in space, he has the ability to become an immediate impact player, despite the presence of Carlos Hyde and Jordan Hall in front of him.

Who makes an immediate impact from the 2012 class?

Oh, just Taylor Decker signing stuff on National Signing Day, that's all. (h/t Marcus Hartman)

If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you know that we’ve been on a NEED MOAR TACKLES crusade for quite some time, and we think that Taylor Decker and Kyle Dodson could immediately step into the two-deep and perhaps push for extended playing time in their first year. Meyer was effusive in his praise for the two incoming twin tackles. If you combine their talent with the fact that the position has been criminally under-recruited by the previous regime, it becomes obvious that they have a chance to be important players very early in their OSU careers. Other potential first-year contributors include Spence, linebacker Camren Williams and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt. Like offensive tackle, linebacker is a position the Buckeyes find thin at the moment. Ryan Shazier contributed significantly as a freshman and it’s conceivable that a guy like Williams could be this year’s Shazier. Likewise, Schutt could be this year’s Michael Bennett.

Who do you wish that OSU hadn’t “missed” on?

It’s hard to really say that Urban missed on anyone, given the class he put together in the last two months. It seems more appropriate to say that Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Notre Dame are the ones who “missed,” in light of some of the flipping that occurred. You could lament that he wasn’t able to sway Kyle Kalis back from the dark side in light of our NEED MOAR TACKLES problem. But that might only have served to cast doubt on whether Urban was really human. You might shoot for the stars and say it would have been awesome to have landed Dorial Green-Beckham or Jameis Winston. Green-Beckham would have been ridiculous in Urban’s offense. Instead, he’ll merely be “diculous” in Missouri’s. In the end, we’re going to take the easy way out and say we wish we hadn’t “missed out” on signing Stefon Diggs on National Signing Day, although he could still end up in scarlet and gray later. Diggs would fit the lone remaining hole in the recruiting class that Meyer touched on in his press conference yesterday—the need for game breaking speed from the skill positions. We’re still hopeful that Diggs can join this class when he announces on Feb. 10, but as of this moment, we’re not sure if there is any room. It should be pointed out that Meyer and his assistants alluded yesterday to being at 81 scholarship players, which would leave one remaining slot in light of the NCAA reducing the scholarship number by three per year over the next three years. It is unclear how the coaches arrived at this number given what news has been officially released to date, but presumably there is more information to come regarding Jaamal Berry and perhaps at least one other player. We won’t speculate about attrition among upperclassmen, but the next week and a half should be interesting as we lead up to the announcements of some recruits who remain undecided—at least officially.

Don’t miss our Buckeye Blogger bros and their take on these three questions:

The Buckeye Battle Cry - Three Questions from Ohio State’s 2012 Signing Day 

The Buckeye Blog - It’s a Great Day for Ohio State: Thoughts on Signing Day

Buckeye House Call - National Signing Day – The New Beginning

Men of the Scarlet and Gray - National Signing Day: The Aftermath

The Silver Bullet - Family Feud: Three Questions from Ohio State’s 2012 Signing Day

In the Hive

It’s Thursday Morning, and man is it a great day to be a Buckeye fan. Yesterday Urban Meyer and Co. received 25 signed National Letters of Intent, giving Ohio State a recruiting class that’s almost universally ranked in the top 3-5 nationally. There are a lot of cynics out there who will tell you that National Signing Day is a farce. “Many of these kids will never play meaningful downs for the team that they sign with,” they say. And in some cases they’re right. Others feel the need to state the glaringly obvious by warning fans to temper their enthusiasm saying, “You really won’t know which classes are good for another few years.” They’re right too, to an extent.

I look at it differently, though. How many life-changing days does a person typically have? A handful? For these signees, yesterday was one of them. It’s the same for programs. How many days can you wake up knowing that a team is measurably better than it was when you went to bed the night before? In college sports, National Signing Day is pretty much it. Will Brionte Dunn ever rush for 1,000 yards in a season? We don’t know. We also don’t know if Kyle Dodson will ever earn a starting position or if Noah Spence will ever record a sack. What we do know is that the Ohio State football program is in better shape today than it was this time Tuesday, and I think that that’s pretty cool.

I thought about using the Thursday Morning Hive to recap how Ohio State closed out its recruiting class, but I decided not to. By the time this hits the Web, most of you will already know. In fact, on this very site, Vico has already done an outstanding job of outlining everything that happened Wednesday. Instead, I’m going to highlight five(ish) smaller stories from National Signing Day. It will be a mix of OSU news and some other items that I found either interesting or amusing. So without further ado, let’s join together and embrace the morning after.

Dude, You’ve got to Ask your Parents First
This afternoon linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, Georgia’s top-ranked prospect, committed to the Bulldogs. It was a huge score for Mark Richt who beat out a gaggle of SEC and Florida schools to land Harvey-Clemon’s services. Unfortunately, Josh is only 17 years old, so he can’t sign his own NLOI. His grandfather and legal guardian has to sign for him. This presents a problem for the Bulldogs, because Josh’s grandfather went MIA after his announcement and is refusing to sign the document. It seems that something like this happens every year, and it’s a bad situation for all parties involved. The saga is still unfolding and the Atlanta Journal Constitution is providing up-to-the minute updates. Check out the article, then sit back and appreciate that most of Ohio State’s NLOI’s were received by 10:00 a.m. yesterday.

Few Tears are as Sweet as Bielema Tears
Get used to hearing this guys: Another Big Ten coach is upset with Urban Meyer. This time, it’s Bret Bielema (again). Earlier this summer Bielema complained about the access Meyer had to the Badger program when he worked with ESPN. Yesterday, he complained about Meyer’s recruiting. More specifically, he said that he had “issues” with Meyer’s recruiting, even tossing around the word “Illegal.”  Here’s more on the story from CBS Chicago. Obviously, he wasn’t taking the loss of 4*OL Kyle Dodson very well. I say Bravo Urban. When you land a top recruit and tick off the second most ridiculous coach in the conference, you have done well. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If opposing coaches are mad now, how bad do you think that it’s going to be when Meyer actually starts coaching games. One more thing before I move on… In honor of Bret Bielema, I present this gratuitous Braxton Miller TD video!

He Moves Like He’s in a Video Game
The problem with National Signing Day is that once a recruit signs his NLOI, it is months before fans will get to that recruit in action. Well, most fans anyways. Not University of Washington fans, though. Husky fans who are itching to see Shaq Thompson in action need wait no longer. The school has released a series of “Virtual Highlight films” featuring the 2012 recruiting class. These are essentially “Create-a-Players” built using NCAA 12 and given a recruits name. It’s pretty odd, and I’m surprised that they did it, but the nerd in me still finds it kind of neat. Check out the Video below to see Thompson take one to the house against the Oregon Ducks.

One Spot Left, Two Options to Fill it
Throughout the day yesterday, it appeared that Urban Meyer might have ventured into Nick Saban territory and oversigned by one scholarship. As it turns out, there are actually a few transfers that haven’t been publicly announced yet, and the Buckeyes have one scholarship remaining (81 of a possible 82 are filled). The two names that are circulating in regard to the final spot are Davonte Neal (WR 4* scout) and Stefon Diggs (WR 5* Scout). Both are shorter (Neal is 5’9” and Diggs is 6’0”), fast receivers that would seem to fit the “Percy Harvin” mold. If I had to put my  money on one of the two signing it would be Diggs. Diggs visited OSU last weekend, and by all accounts the trip went well. Furthermore, there is a rumor floating around that Neal was ready to commit to OSU, but was told that there was no longer a spot available for him. Again, the story hasn’t been confirmed by anyone not named “anonymous source,” so take it with a grain of salt.

Wait, This One’s Not About Football
You know I couldn’t let a Thursday Morning Hive go by without mentioning the Buckeye Wrestling team. This week’s dual meet is a showdown with #12 Michigan. The match will be held at 6:00 Friday evening at St. Johns Arena. Luke Fickell, a former 3x OHSAA wrestling champion at heavyweight, will serve as Honorary Coach for the evening. The match will be broadcast live on the Big 10 Network, so if you can’t be there in person, at least check it out on TV. This is a tough, young Buckeye team, and I’ve got a feeling that they’ll do us proud.

A Few Quick Hits for the Road
In a stunning turn of events, Michigan has been removed from Ohio State’s 2012 football schedule…kind of. The final slot on the official 2012 schedule reads simply “Nov. 24 – That Team up North.” As with all things rivalry (including Brady Hoke’s refusal to call the Buckeyes anything but “Ohio,” I approve. After all of the NLOIs were in yesterday, Urban Meyer held court with the press. The Ozone has an outstanding summary of what was said. Finally, I’ve got a really good feeling about OL Recruit Kyle Dodson. While some recruits bring live animals to the stage to announce their college choice, Dodson brought his high school teammates. Check out the video below to see how the whole thing went down.

If one thing is for certain about Dodson, it’s that his teammates care for  him, and that bodes well as he moves to the next level. The difference between a successful college career and a disappointing one is often in a player’s head, and it seems that Dodson’s is on perfectly straight.

This has been one of the most exciting Buckeye signing days in recent memory, and with Neal and Diggs still out there, it may not be over yet. I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve got my Spring Game tickets, and April can’t get here fast enough.

Kyle Dodson chose Ohio State over USC, Miami, Michigan State.

Ohio State fans accustomed to mostly uneventful signing days were in for a bit of a treat this year.  The previous regime under Jim Tressel largely pursued prospects they believe could commit before the signing day hoopla, making signing day rather standard fare for Ohio State football fans.  The current regime under Urban Meyer made today far more exciting, getting two commitments on top of the 23 the Buckeyes already had entering today.  Jamal Marcus — a linebacker from Durham, North Carolina — and Kyle Dodson — an offensive tackle from Cleveland, Ohio — announced their decisions to enroll at Ohio State today, totaling 25 commitments for Ohio State in 2012 and securing the school’s position within the top 5 nationally for all recruiting classes.

Marcus was not a name I had anticipated to select Ohio State.  A late addition into Ohio State recruiting circles, I expected Marcus to stay closer to home and sign with East Carolina.  That Marcus was ostensibly choosing between East Carolina and Ohio State suggests a lower end talent, though that is not quite the case.  He is a 3 star talent, but with an intriguing offer sheet from the likes of Southern California, South Carolina, Florida and Auburn, among many others.  Further, Urban Meyer was apparently enamored with his film, putting Marcus on the list of high end prospects like Perkins and Williams.  This is mostly measurables.  At 6’2, 230lbs, Marcus is reported to be a sub 4.6 40, giving him a nice combination of size and speed.  He is certainly a player that will help bolster Ohio State’s outside linebacker rotation, a position that had become fairly thin recently.

Kyle Dodson selected Ohio State today during his high school’s ceremony, which saw the school lead with girls’ lacrosse signees and end with Dodson’s high school football teammates helping him announce his decision to attend The Ohio State University.  This was a curious recruitment, to say the least.  Dodson chose Wisconsin late spring in 2011 as part of the fallout of Jim Tressel’s resignation and the scandal that bogged down Ohio State athletics through the calendar year.  Further, the top flight in-state was curious not recruited very heavily by Jim Bollman, because that’s just how Jim Bollman rolled (see also: Taylor Decker).  Dodson wanted to attend Ohio State, and certainly help Ohio State’s razor thin depth at offensive tackle (thanks again, Jim Bollman), but chose Wisconsin and its well-regarded offensive line development program instead.  However, when Chryst and Bostad left for Pittsburgh, Dodson, now being recruited by Urban Meyer and company, reconsidered.  Though this is fairly standard procedure for most recruitments, it was the presence of an influential assistant coach on Cleveland Heights staff that was trying to push away Dodson from Ohio State.  That assistant coach is Dontez Sanders, a former Wisconsin Badger and brother of former Ohio State tight end Darnell Sanders.  Sanders’ distaste for Ohio State is well-established, even manifesting in a public dance on Ohio State’s Block O after the Badgers beat the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium in 2004.  Cleveland Heights coach Jeff Rotsky had kind words for Ohio State and Urban Meyer, though Sanders remained the “devil in Dodson’s ears”, so to speak.  Undeterred, Ohio State finally secured the commitment of Dodson, allowing his grandmother — who raised him after his mother was killed — more access to see him play.

The turnaround of this recruiting class cannot be overstated, nor can the qualitative difference between the “Loyal Eleven” and Urban’s Blue Chippers.  What was a workman class with some nice pieces like Najee Murray, Warren Ball and Bri’onte Dunn has become a star-studded class.  The Buckeyes’ recruiting class would still likely have been #2 in the B1G TEN, though that is not saying much with how the other non-TTUN programs finished their recruiting classes.  It is now, perhaps unarguably, the best recruiting class in the conference and a near consensus top 5 recruiting class nationally.  That is not to discount what the Wolverines acquired, but simply to marvel at what Urban Meyer, Mark Pantoni, Luke Fickell, Mike Vrabel, Everett Withers, Tim Hinton, Ed Warriner, Stan Drayton, Zach Smith, and Tom Herman have done in the past two months.

However, I cannot be completely effusive in praise with how this class developed since a little bit of it must be attributed to the fact that Ohio State has oversigned, so far, by one.  Ohio State will have a max of 82 players on scholarship this year as a result of the final sanctions given to the Buckeyes by the NCAA; it now has 83 on roster.  This number, 83, already considers David Durham’s announcement that he intends to transfer, the fact Roger Lewis will not be signing with Ohio State, and that Jaamal Berry has likely played his last down for Ohio State.  My understanding is that Berry’s legal problems have even kept him from participating in off-season workouts, though I have not confirmed that much.  All else equal, oversigning by one with an incoming coaching staff is not a terribly big deal.  Attrition happens all the time under these circumstances.  However, the widespread abuse of roster management practices like that seen by Alabama, Louisiana State, South Carolina and ArKansas has drawn attention to the fact that leveraging the scholarship maximum is an ugly, ugly thing with very real competitive advantages gained by the coaching staff that engages in this practice.

The B1G TEN has devices in place to prevent this and Ohio State, at just one over 82, will not run afoul of the conference’s extended grace.  Still, even one over the maximum is one too many.  Urban Meyer and Ohio State had its opportunity to officially announce Berry’s departure and has not done so yet, making any movement after February 1st seem forced.  Plus, that still means one other person has to go off scholarship in order to make the numbers cap at 82.  Simply put, this can’t happen again, and it’s curious why it did happen now.  Urban Meyer never came close to oversigning at a school and conference that would allow him to do so, why do it at a school and conference that won’t tolerate it?

Shifting gears to the recruiting class itself, Urban Meyer and company did the program a considerable service by correcting glaring roster deficiencies created by normal attrition and the inadequate recruitment of offensive linemen (and offensive tackles, in particular).  Ohio State did not need a quarterback in this class, but honored the promise to Cardale Jones to reserve a scholarship for him should he attend prep school to up his academic profile.  This is especially noble consider that Jones is probably not a quarterback Meyer and Herman would have offered if they had they chance.  Quarterback is not a position of need for Ohio State; Braxton Miller will enter his sophomore season in 2012.  Still, Jones gives them something, albeit not a quarterback that entirely fits the mold.

Ohio State should be happy with its tailbacks, Warren Ball and Bri’onte Dunn.  Both are top 20 prospects nationally at the position, with Dunn at #11 and Ball at #16.  I’ve indicated this before, but Ball and Dunn will constitute a serious challenge for Urban Meyer.  Meyer never got great production at the tailback position while head coach of the Florida Gators, certainly not between the tackles.  In fact, it was Tim Tebow’s ability to run the ball between tackles through QB Power that compensated for the inability to do the same with the 5’8 “edge guys” Meyer typically recruited.  This needs to change for Meyer at Ohio State.  The state of Ohio is good for producing some of the best tailbacks in the country.  An ability for Meyer, Herman and company to signal to these tailbacks that it knows what to do with them will drive them to rival schools in the conference whose offenses are more traditional.  Ball and Dunn are great talents and Urban Meyer is fortunate to have them.  Now, Urban Meyer will need to get serious and know what to do with them.

As of right now, Ohio State’s wide receiver haul is a bit underwhelming.  A lot of it is simply not knowing how these guys will fit into Ohio State’s system.  Michael Thomas, of Woodland Hills, California in the San Fernando Valley — the BEST valley — is our best get at the position.  He was an Under Armour All-American as a senior in high school, ultimately delaying the college football selection process, going to prep school with Cardale Jones and following him to Ohio State.  Suffice to say, as a fellow valley guy, I’m pulling hard for him.  Beyond Thomas are Frank Epitropolous and Ricquan Southward, two total unknowns in this recruiting class.  In the case of Epitropolous, we do not know if he is ultimately a wide receiver, a safety, or even a punter for Ohio State.  In the case of Southward, we know almost nothing about him.  I think fewer things have been said about Southward than any other person in the recruiting class.  He committed to Ohio State as a surprise and, just as soon as he appeared on our radar with a verbal commitment, he slipped back to the state of Florida to discreetly finish high school.  Ohio State could still secure Davonte Neal or Stefon Diggs; both of whom have deferred commitments.  At this point, I’m more concerned with being oversigned.

Ohio State was on the verge of having an offensive line haul that would make us arguably the worst at the position in the entire damn conference.  Fortunately, that was the old regime that hung its hat on in-state “reaches” and minimal offers to the most important damn position on any college football team.  What was once going to be only Pat Elflein and Jacoby Boren (interior OL at that, mind you) has rounded out to include Taylor Decker, Joey O’Connor and Kyle Dodson.  O’Connor is likely a tackle/guard, or “move down”, prospect that will start as a tackle and finish as a guard.  Decker and Dodson, both “flips” from Notre Dame and Wisconsin respectively, give Ohio State much, much needed depth at the offensive tackle position that Jim Bollman kinda, sorta forgot to recruit.  Decker and Dodson are well-regarded prospects — #23 and #16 nationally among all offensive tackles — but this position is notoriously difficult to project.  It is why you have to give the team options to safeguard against the prospect of recruiting a bust.

I don’t have much to say about the lone tight end in the class other than to note Blake Thomas could perform quite capably in the new offense.  At 6’4, 240lbs, Thomas is more flexible as the “H-back” than he is as a conventional tight end.  This could end as a favorable signing for Ohio State in the grand scheme of things.

The strength of the defensive signees, and perhaps the entire recruiting class, is on the defensive line.  Ohio State hit home runs across the board with the likes of Se’von Pittman, Noah Spence, Tommy Schutt, and Adolphus Washington.  Schutt is the lone defensive tackle in the class and should compliment a guy like Mike Bennett rather nicely.  He is a space eater and will play at over 300lbs, something Ohio State fans have wanted for some time and now finally have in Hungry Hungry Hankins.  Schutt won’t be the best defensive tackle signed by a B1G TEN team; that goes to That Team Up North with Ondre Pipkins.  Still, Schutt is a nice addition.  The names that get your attention are all at defensive end: Pittman, Spence and Washington.  Pittman, a “flip” from Michigan State, was another guy, like Kyle Dodson, that committed to a rival B1G TEN school in the wake of the Tressel scandal, but ultimately came back to the Buckeyes.  Both Spence and Washington are the marquee names, both being our only 5-stars (per Rivals.com) in the recruiting class.  Both excel at different things.  Spence is a pure speed guy to pass rush off the edge.  Washington is a little more wide-bodied and gives the Buckeyes are more “power” option at the position.  We are obviously excited to see what both can do in Columbus, Ohio.

If defensive line is not  what you would consider the strength of the recruiting class, then linebacker probably is.  I didn’t think the need at linebacker was as great as the coaching staff felt it to be, but the coaching staff added several great prospects.  Luke Roberts is the middle linebacker of the group, a straight-forward downhill guy with the obvious athletic limitations that follow.  David Perkins, Josh Perry and Camren Williams are all exceptional athletic talents that will contribute to the outside linebacker rotation.  Adding any one of those to the two-deep with a guy like Ryan Shazier makes for a potent group of linebackers.  With that in mind, Josh Perry is a bit of a wild card in the group and could matriculate to the LEO spot in Ohio State’s defense.

Ohio State has four defensive backs to complete the recruiting class.  After booting Dominic Clarke and Derjuan Gambrell from the team, Ohio State needed a few cornerbacks to add to the team.  Travis Howard will graduate after this year and Ohio State can probably build around next year sophomores Doran Grant and Brad Roby.  Still, the Buckeyes needed depth and got it with Armani Reeves and Najee Murray.  Reeves is a tried and true cornerback whereas Murray will be moving from high school safety to cornerback.  Murray is another one that intrigues me, namely in that he hits with extreme prejudice.  Neither Reeves nor Murray have someone like Howard or Roby’s imposing size at the position, but both are good enough hitters to be a factor at corner.  De’van Bogard and Tyvis Powell, true members of the “Loyal Eleven” who committed or stayed with Ohio State through the scandal, will factor into the safety rotation for Ohio State.  Powell is probably the name you know — the most vocal member of the Loyal Eleven and already a fan favorite.  Bogard is the Tarblooder in this class, continuing the tradition of Tarblooders who find their way to Ohio State.

Minus the new emphasis on wide receiver depth at Ohio State, and finding a suitable playmaker for that “A-back” position in Meyer’s offense, Ohio State has signed a great class in 2012.  I would never have expected in May and June to be this excited to better know the new Buckeyes.

In the Hive

As national signing day approaches, all of the experts are busy ranking the recruiting classes that have already been put together.  While the individual rankings vary a bit, what is obvious is that Ohio State and TTUN have put together classes that are among the best in the nation and are ranked much higher than everyone else in the Big Ten; Rivals has Ohio State ranked 3rd, Michigan ranked 8th and Nebraska as the next best conference team at 30th.  This, along with Michigan’s success in Brady Hoke’s first season and Ohio State’s hiring of Urban Meyer, have lead numerous people in the media to ask whether we are about to see the Big Ten return to being the ‘Big 2 – Little 10′ like it was back when Woody and Bo roamed the sidelines; though to be correct back then it was the ‘Big 2 – Little 8.’

This seems like a preposterous question to ask at this point for several reasons, the biggest being that things have changed drastically since the days of Woody.  The introduction of the 85 person scholarship limit and the revenue sharing and increased revenue from BTN and ESPN contracts have fundamentally changed and leveled the playing field.  The scholarship limits prevent teams at the top from stockpiling talent like they used to while the increased money from tv contracts have allowed the rest of the conference to do a great job of improving their facilities so that the teams at the top no longer enjoy such a big advantage in those areas.  The end result of this is that the gap we see in the recruiting rankings now is still a much smaller talent disparity than what existed back in the late 60s and the 70s.

The other factor that makes this seem like a ridiculous question is that it is based more on one recruiting class than on any on the field performance.  While I understand that recruiting class rankings are important and they can be an indication of future success, recruits do not always pan out according to their rankings.  There have been plenty of 5 star prospects that never live up to the hype and even more 2 and 3 star prospects that turned out to be All-Americans.  While it is important to bring in highly ranked recruits, how those players develop over time are far more important.  OSU and Michigan will likely do a fine job of developing their players but there are plenty of other Big Ten teams that have successful and player development.  Wisconsin has a history of doing more with lower ranked recruiting classes, though they still end up choking in big games.  Mark Dantonio at Michigan State has done a phenomenal job of identifying underrated talent and developing it.

If you look at one the field performance in recent years it is hard to see the conference being completely dominated by Ohio State and Michigan.  Michigan State is an up and coming program that seems to have shaken off it’s reputation of finding spectacular ways to blow big games.  Wisconsin continues to be a contender despite Brett Bielema and while Penn State will be down for a few years due to the scandal, they have too much tradition to stay down for long.  And of course we can’t forget Nebraska who will likely be an annual contender, especially once they adjust their recruiting to focus on a Big Ten style of play rather than a Big 12 style.  If we are to end up with a ‘Big 2 – Little 10′ conference my money is on it involving Ohio State and a team from that state up north, but my guess is it would be Michigan State and not Michigan.

Men’s Tennis Receives Honor

Sophomore tennis player Ille Van Engelen was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week, the first such honor of his career.  Van Engelen won the honor after helping the #3 Ohio State tennis team defeat #29 Indiana 4-0 in the championship match of the 2012 ITA Kick-Off Weekend.  The Buckeyes now will advance to the 2012 ITA National Team Indoor Championship which will take place in Charlottesville, VA on February 17-20.

Mixed Results on Ice

The men’s hockey team continues to struggle, loosing 1-0 to Lake Superior State last Friday before earning a tie on Saturday night, unfortunately the Buckeyes lost the shootout.  After rising to #2 in the country, OSU has now gone winless in their last8 games.

The women’s hockey team had a better weekend, splitting the two game series against fifth ranked North Dakota.  The Buckeyes won 6-2 on Friday before losing 5-2 on Saturday.

In the Hive

Good morning Hivers and welcome to Tuesday morning! I hope everyone enjoyed the cheese Danishes I brought in. Coffee is brewing and as you settle in for the long day in your cube, guard shack, or lifeguard tower, let the smooth stylings of Our Honor Defend ring in the day. As I write this, The Best Damn Band In The Land is playing Carmen Ohio to an audience of one. The song makes me think of all the great men and women that have graced the halls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and have left their mark on the school that they loved so dearly.

From Archie Griffin and Eddie George on the gridiron, to Jim Jackson and Jerry Lucas on the hardwood, from Jesse Owens to Paul Pooley, countless legends have donned the Scarlet and Gray and worn it with honor, prestige, and class. Perhaps none have done it more with less recognition from the University itself than Dennis Hopson, all time leading scorer in men’s basketball history.

I’ll be completely honest with you. Up until about a month ago, if you had said “Dennis Hopson” to me, I would have looked at you with a quizzical dog look and wondered who you were talking about. That’s extremely indicative of two things: how little I followed OSU basketball until just a few years ago, and how little the University has done to honor him. Sure, Hop has a picture up in the halls of the VCA. Yes, he’s a member of the Varsity O Hall of Fame. But when you walk into the Schott and look up at the lone championship banner and #5, #11, #22, #30, and #35 the one thing that you don’t see is #32.

That’s because while Dennis became the all time leading scorer in school history with 2,096 points, he never won a National Player of the Year award. Some might ask, “Well, why does that matter?” The simple reason is that Ohio State requires a player to win the award in order for their number to be retired. With the exception of Havlicek (#5), all of those numbers in the rafters at the VCA have won NPOY awards. Evan Turner’s #21 will likely be joining the revered four men and  one woman within a few years, and no one can say that Turner doesn’t deserve it.

It was almost like Dennis never had a chance. He played in David Robinson’s era. Hop had his best season the same year that The Admiral was the prohibitive favorite for the Wooden Award. Did Dennis complain as he went on a tear en route to being the #3 pick in the NBA Draft? No. He suited up, came out with his teammates, and simply played ball. He did it without being flashy. He did it without being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He did it knowing that he would never be called the National Player of the Year. And so he did it with the knowledge that his number would likely never be lifted above the court for all to see and revere.

Does this bother Dennis? As our friends over at Buckeye House Call note, it doesn’t bother him one bit. As he told Grant

“…if mine never is (retired) it’s not going to change me. I’m going to continue living my life the same way I do now as a blessed, humble guy.”

That’s not to say that he wouldn’t be honored if the University and the Athletic Department changed their policy, as the University of Texas has done in recent years.

“It would be such a special moment for me. To walk into the arena and see your own number in the rafters would mean everything…So what would it mean for them to retire my number? It would be a very special moment for me.”

It is for these reasons that the Buckeye Blogger Network has joined forces to attempt to convince the University and the Athletic Department to change their, quite frankly, draconian policy. In this era of one and done players, the odds that there will be another like Dennis Hopson is extremely slim. William Buford was looking to close in on the scoring record, but will ultimately fall short. To grab that record, you’ve got to stick it out 4 years, be a prolific scorer, and be consistent. All the things that Dennis Hopson did in his tenure at the University.

It is high time that Dennis gets the recognition he deserves. It is with this goal in mind that I ask you to sign the petition at Change.org. Donate if you can. I’m throwing down close to $600 to outfit the NutHouse in #Hop2TheRafters t-shirts for an upcoming game. The least that you, or anyone who purports to bleed Scarlet and Gray, can do is to throw your support behind a living Buckeye legend.

Jalin Marshall

Cam Burrows has some company in Ohio State’s 2013 recruiting class.  Two weeks after Ohio State secured a verbal commitment from Cam Burrows, the Bucks get another blue chipper who wants in.  Jalin Marshall, an athlete from Middletown, Ohio, committed to Ohio State over regional offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Indiana, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and Tennessee.¹ The 2013 class of prospects promises to be deep in the Buckeye State and, to that end, Ohio State is already off to a great start.  Burrows and Marshall are 1-2 in preliminary rankings for 2013.

Marshall is listed as an athlete and will certainly finish top 10 nationally — maybe top 5 — in that “catch all” category among the recruiting services.  With that in mind, it is unclear what position for which he projects for Ohio State.  He is the quarterback for his Middies program and, apparently, will get his first look there.  Failing that, or if Meyer and company want a way to get him on the field sooner, he could project as a slot receiver (or “A receiver/back” in that language).  With Marshall as just one of a handful of 5-stars this early into 2013, it is clear that Marshall projects as a player that should have his hands on the ball routinely.  That type of “all-purpose back” in a Percy Harvin-type role, however unhelpful it is to make those comparisons, is what we hope to get from Jalin Marshall in a Buckeye uniform.

Marshall’s commitment is a bit premature, in that he wanted to hold off this announcement until tomorrow morning.  January 31st is his father’s birthday.  Marshall wanted the announcement of his son going to college to be a birthday present of sorts for his dad, though local media outlets and the ubiquitous tweets and message boards spoiled the fun.  Still, we’re happy.

Junior year film comes after the jump.

1. Yes, Tennessee is a bit “regional” these days given their northern push for talent.

Armani Reeves

Under Jim Tressel, Ohio State was rather notorious among Buckeye recruitniks for having very uneventful buildups to signing day.  The approach by Ohio State was mostly satisfied with recruiting players (and good players) they felt could credibly commit early in the process.  Further, many of us just assumed that those that would hold out until the 11th hour perhaps wanted to hear something in particular that Tressel and company just couldn’t tell them.  So, Buckeye fans are not terribly accustomed to getting good recruiting news so late into the process.  The verbal commitment of Armani Reeves — via Twitter, no less — is peculiar for Ohio State fans, but certainly welcome.

Reeves is yet another former Penn Shtate verbal that Ohio State has snatched from the Nitts, joining Joey O’Connor, Tommy Schutt and high school teammate Camren Williams.  That said, the recruiting battle that emerged late was between Ohio State and That State Up North.  Reeves had already formally decommitted from Penn Shtate, though well after we knew he was going to be shopping for a new college.  Though Camren Williams, whose father is Reeves’ godfather, had firmly committed to Ohio State in advance, there was a real threat of the Wolveereenies getting him.  That Team Up North even sent Greg Mattison to his West Roxbury home, no small gesture considering Mattison might be the Wolvereenies’ best recruiter (in addition to being far and away their best assistant coach).  Still, Reeves to Ohio State seemed like the safe pick to make and it was the one that Reeves ended up making.

Though a bit undersized, Reeves is well-regarded as a cornerback prospect.  Scout.com is more keen on him (#6 overall CB) than Rivals (#17 overall CB), but the Buckeyes get a quality cornerback to factor into a rotation that lost Dominic Clarke and Pee Wee Gambrell to team rules violation and will lose Travis Howard to graduation.  With Camren Williams also in the fold, it appears Ohio State will have more players on scholarship next year from Massachusetts than it probably had in the past 40+ years.

Film is below.