Most people say that ESPN recruiting rankings are the worst in the industry among the main 4 services. It is hard to argue against that theory since they arguably have the most power and money to be the best but use neither to further tis area of the company. But it is news and needs reported so here are a list of the OSU commits who are in the top 300.

COMMITS

Raekwon McMillan- 5 star and 13th overall

Johnnie Dixon- 4 star and 34th overall

Marshon Lattimore- 4 star and 45th overall

Damon Webb- 4 star and 58th overall

Jamarco Jones- 4 star and 74th overall

Dante Booker Jr- 4 star and 130th overall

Curtis Samuel- 4 star and 153rd overall

Jalyn Holmes- 4 star and 166th overall

Demetrius Knox- 4 star and 172nd overall

Parris Campbell Jr- 4 star and 178th overall

Erick Smith- 4 star and 183rd overall

That is 11 of 21 commits in the ESPN 300 rankings…. here are the rest.

Kyle Berger- 4 star

Noah Brown- 4 star

Malik Hooker- 4 star

Terry Mclaurin- 4 star

Dylan Thompson- 4 star

Kyle Trout- 3 star

Sam Hubbard- 3 star

Marcelys Jones- 3 star

Sean Neurenberger- 3 star

Stephen Collier- 3 star

TARGETS

Solomon Thomas- 25th

Damian Prince- 26th

Thomas Holley- 51st (PSU commit)

Malik McDowell- 60th

Myles Autry- 249th

Derrick Nnadi- 253rd

Today we got the final 247sports top 247 rankings and some moved way up and some moved down. This is not the composite rankings which gives you a ranking based on all 4 major recruiting sites. This is their own rankings they use to add to the composite rankings. Here are how OSU recruits fared.

COMMITS

Dante Booker- 5 star, 13th overall, Stayed the same

Raekwon McMillan- 5 star, 28th overall, stayed the same

Damon Webb- 4 star, 43rd overall, moved up 28 spots

Marshon Lattimore- 4 star, 44th overall, moved down 10 spots

Curtis Samuel- 4 star, 27th overall, moved down 17 spots

Jalyn Holmes- 4 star, 51st overall, moved up 41 spots

Erick Smith- 4 star, 61st overall, moved up 226 spots

Johnnie Dixon- 4 star, 62nd overall, moved down 7 spots

Jamarco Jones- 4 star, 75th overall, moved down 11 spots

Sam Hubbard- 4 star, 123rd overall, moved up 100 spots

Parris Cambell Jr- 4 star, 128th overall, moved down 11 spots

Kyle Berger- 4 star, 133rd overall, moved down 10 spots

Demetrius Knox- 4 star, 159th overall, moved down 11 spots

Terry Mclaurin- 4 star, 187th overall, stayed the same

Noah Brown- 4 star, 206th overall, down 7 spots

Marcelys Jones- 4 star, 214th overall, down 73 spots

Kyle Trout- 4 star, 245th overall, down 4 spots

That is 17 of 21 commits in the final Top247 for the 2014 class. Other commits not in the top247 include…

Malik Hooker- 4 star

Dylan Thompson- 3 star

Stephen Collier- 3 Star

Sean Nuernberger- 2 star

TARGETS

Malik McDowell- 4 star, 38th overall, up 4 spots

Damian Prince- 4 star, 40th overall, down 8 spots

Solomon Thomas- 4 star, 41st overall, down 6 spots

Derrick Nnadi- 4 star, 79th overall, up 56 spots

According to Pete Thamel at Sports Illustrated, Ohio State will hire current Arkansas defensive coordinator, Chris Ash, as a co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Also, Larry Johnson, Sr. looks to be part of the defensive staff, as well.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Chris Ash has accepted a position as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach with the Buckeyes, according to a source. Penn State assistant coach Larry Johnson has accepted the Buckeyes’ defensive line coach position, according to a source. SI.com reported Monday night that Johnson and the Buckeyes were close to a deal. Johnson accepted Tuesday morning. The deals are expected to be formally announced later this week.

In what would be the kind of coup that is truly Urban Meyer’s style the Buckeye Coach is close to landing longtime Penn State DL coach Larry Johnson per a report from Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated and here is what he had to say..

Ohio State is on the cusp of poaching one of Penn State’s key assistant coaches, as the Buckeyes are close to finalizing a contract with longtime Nittany Lions’ defensive line coach Larry Johnson, a source confirmed to SI.com on Monday.

For 19 seasons at Penn State, Johnson established himself as one of the country’s most prolific East Coast recruiters and a top-notch defensive line coach. Johnson has been a linchpin of the Penn State staff for two decades, spending the last 15 seasons as the Nittany Lions’ defensive line coach.

Johnson is considered an elite teacher of defensive linemen, as he developed seven first-team All-Americas at Penn State, including Jared Odrick, Tamba Hali and Courtney Brown, the No. 1 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

As you can see Larry Johnson is an elite DL coach with a lot of success. What he also brings to the table is a real knack for recruiting. Long considered the best recruiter on the PSU staff he would be a huge hire just for his ties in the Pennsylvania and Maryland and Washington DC area that is ripe with highly rated recruits.

You can read the rest of Mr. Thamel’s report by clicking “Ohio State close to landing former Penn State assistant Larry Johnson”.

The fictional character John Winger from the movie “Stripes” may have been speaking of the end of the college football season when he made this statement…At least, that is how I usually approach the end of any college football season.

Yes, I know recruiting is still going strong for Ohio State, and will culminate in another highly-ranked class coming to Columbus under Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer. Yes, I know that Ohio State fans, such as myself, have the spring game to look forward to on April 12th in Ohio Stadium.

Before concluding the 2013 season entirely, a few random thoughts have crossed my mind about college football in general. The motivation for this post came from watching the various bowl games, and above all…

1. The Bowl Season Proved A Playoff System Is Overdue ~ Anyone who knows me, or has read any of my posts, can easily recall how many times I have advocated for a playoff system. Yes, I know a four-team playoff will begin next season, and I am happy that it is on the horizon. I will simply argue that four teams will not be enough.

Think about what you and I witnessed this past bowl season. In the BCS bowl games, perceived underdogs all performed well – Michigan State, from the weak B1G, took down a Stanford team that was considered national championship caliber by the media. Central Florida, from the weak AAC, defeated a Baylor team that the media contemplated as a possible national championship contender. Oklahoma of the Big 12 was going to be crushed by SEC juggernaut Alabama in The Sugar Bowl…Whoops. And in a classic BCS Championship Game, Florida State rallied to defeat Auburn.

My point? These are games that were voted upon, instead of settled on the field. Does anyone out there think Michigan State would not want a shot at Florida State? Why not have a system where a champion is settled on the field?

Yes, I know…a four-team playoff is a step in the right direction. I will continue to argue that giving every conference champion a shot at the title is the proper step, not only the right one. Mark my words – the teams left out of the four-team playoff, rated fifth or sixth, will howl loudly next December about this system. It will pale in comparison to…

2. The New Playoff System Will Struggle With Ticket Sales To The Bowl Sites ~ Yes, I would be excited if Ohio State was one of the four teams selected to play for the title. I am not sure how, or if, I would go to The Rose Bowl as one of the playoff sites.

Why? I made this point back in 2012, when it was decided not to use the campus sites as playoff sites. It is too expensive for the average fan to attend.

If you think fans were reluctant to go to The Orange Bowl this season, just imagine what you will be reading next season when fans are asked to go to The Rose Bowl or The Sugar Bowl, then turn around to fly to Dallas for the national championship.

3. Get Ready For “Strength Of Schedule” To Be At The Forefront ~ As well it should be. I have been hoping Ohio State will beef up its future schedules, believing this will be the focus of the new playoff system…or at least hoping it will be.

Instead of a cupcake, Ohio State will travel to play the Naval Academy in game one of the 2014 season. Wisconsin will take on LSU in Houston. Alabama takes on West Virginia in The Georgia Dome.

Week two is just as compelling. Michigan State travels to Oregon. Ohio State comes home for its opener versus Virginia Tech.

Instead of week after week of cupcakes, teams have recognized the necessity of scheduling challenging opponents. Why was Stanford well-regarded this season, even after losing to Utah? Look at their 2013 schedule. Why was Ohio State not well-regarded this season, even after going undefeated in the regular season? Same reason – look at their 2013 schedule.

Will there still be cupcakes? Absolutely. Will there be fewer and fewer, as the playoff system evolves? Absolutely.

The 2013 college football season has come and gone, but 2014 will be here soon. Not soon enough, but soon. The new playoff system, ticket sales for the playoff games, and schedule comparisons will be the focus and topics of the new season that kicks off in late August.

Well you can chalk today up as good news and bad news….

Mike Vrabel just confirmed that he is leaving OSU to take a position with the Houston Texans in the NFL. What a wonderful opportunity for our beloved Buckeye. Although it will hurt recruiting and our Buckeye hearts it does help him and his family so much.

Braxton Miller as we repoted last weekend has confirmed that he will be back at OSU for his SR season and that is great news for OSU fans. He is needed so much to help the young QBs learn the system and give them another year in the system to learn it and prepare to take over for him when he graduates next year.

We will have more on both these stories as they progress.

Good morning Buckeye Nation. Back by popular demand and an easy schedule I am here to help you get all caught up on Buckeye news.

So Close: Last night the Men’s basketball team fell to Michigan State in OT. Our Tony Rice did a nice recap last night after the game. The game seemed like it was going to get out of hand but the Buckeyes refused to give up. I for one am going to miss the kid with the scarlet cheeks and what he brings to this team.

It was nice to see positive things being said about the team following the loss not like after the B1G Championship game against the same team that had the same result. Heres a great tweet from a female fans view that has the scarlet and gray running through her veins:

New Rivalry: I have to say and I am sure others feel the same way about the new rivalry that has been born between Columbus and East Lansing. Don Mekka lets us know how we are pretty much feeling this morning:

Controversy brewing: Not sure how many folks caught this last night but is this acceptable or did Izzo cross the line. let me know your thoughts.

Another Tool: Yup it never fails when the Buckeyes lose in football tools come out of the woodwork to get their web hits up and show their hater nation colors. Shaun Heidrick decides it the right time to drive up traffic for Yahoo and blast Urban Meyer for losing two games in a row. It says that Shaun has followed the Buckeyes for 25 years while I am sure this is true to come out and say that Urban is falling Ohio State is an overstatement. While everyone is entitled to their opinion please come out with something that isn’t so over dramatic. The Buckeyes lost 2 games in a row after winning 24 that’s big I don’t care if they didn’t play anyone or what they won those games. Michigan State and Clemson exposed the weaknesses of the Buckeyes defense and that’s what great teams do. As a fan yes it hurt to see my favorite team lose but I’m not burning everything down with hate.

Growing up: Eleven Warriors brings us the tweets from WR Michael Thomas being a child. The only reason I say this is I feel as if he kind of threw his teammates under the bus. What do you think?

Until next time Buckeye Nation…

Don’t forget drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.

So the 2015 class got underway a few months ago and top Ohio athlete Eric Glover-Williams was the first 2015 kid to commit to OSU. Now there is a report from Todd Porter saying the offer may be pulled by OSU for “off the field issues”…

Glover-Williams was offered — and verbally accepted — a football scholarship to Ohio State. However, that may be in danger of being pulled. A source with knowledge of Ohio State’s recruiting efforts said the team is looking into “off-the-field issues” and investigating Glover-Williams. The source would not comment on whether the offer has been pulled.

Ohio State is not allowed to comment on recruits until they have signed a letter of intent, which can’t happen until February of Glover-Williams’ senior season with the Bulldogs.

McKinley head football coach Todd Filtz has heard there could be problems, but he hasn’t received any concrete information. Filtz has been out of town since Dec. 12 when his wife delivered the couple’s first child, a daughter.

“I haven’t been in town,” Filtz said. “I have received text messages and I hear things as well, but I don’t know what’s official and what’s not. I haven’t been in town to really know, so I’m not going to comment.”

Also from the article was this from OSU head coach Urban Meyer..

While Meyer is not permitted to talk about recruits, The Repository asked him how important it is to the university to monitor young players’ development and behavior off the field.

“When I first started 20 years ago, you didn’t know much,” Meyer said. “You know everything now. I have people where it’s their full-time jobs … that’s what they do. They monitor Facebook and Twitter and tweets and all that stuff. We have to find out — I want to know because we’re held responsible for all those guys.

“This is an era, a generation that … 18, 19, 20-year-olds, we know everything that’s going on every day because of what goes on these cellphones. Think about that for a minute, 18, 19,20-year-olds. So it’s a big part of what we do. Huge.”

Meyer knew the question was coming from a reporter in Canton. He had a slight smirk on his face when it was being asked.

You can read the entire article by going here…