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I have not done a hot list for some time. There has been signficant movement since the last time, most of it in a very positive direction.
1. Seantrell Henderson - My sources tell me this one has become very focused. It is Ohio State or USC. I don't think anybody but a true homer would say Notre Dame is anything but on the outside looking in. Distance always matters in recruiting. Columbus is a lot closer to Minneapolis than Los Angeles. The further he is away from his USC before his decision, the better for us. I think it is too close to call a clear leader but I think the Buckeyes win this one.
2. Sharif Floyd - The nations number one defensive tackle and the nations number one defensive tackle to the same school??? Get outta Dodge. I think the odds of it happening are good. Floyd came off as an enigma early on. Sources tell me this is just a smart and mature kid. He has had it tough. Lives with his granny. Dad was killed when he was a baby and mom does not appear to be involved in his day to day life. Kids coming out of that kind of
situation veer one way or another. They grow up quick and become men before their time or the mean streets claim another victim. He is the former. I keep getting one thing back. This is a mature kid that is going to make a practical decision and is not going to get too far away from home.
3.LaMarcus Joyner - I think the Buckeyes land him. Florida State was always the school I feared. Distance does matter in recruiting. I didn't like that a school he was high on was right around the block. That situation has gone from bad to worse. This started to crack in my mind when a Florida State decision maker said Bowden should retire. Then Mickey Andrews announced his retirement at the end of the year. That is a soup sandwich down there. He doesn't know what is going to happen by the time he gets there. He supposedly liked his Notre Dame visit best. Weiss is likely gone. He comes across as another mature kid. I don't see him getting into either messy situation. He wants to play safety. You has to see the opportunity to play right away here. He loves Ohio State anyway. The smart money is on the Buckeyes.
4. Matt James - I forgot to mention him when I talked about players I saw last weekend. I forgot how good he is. Great body. Great feet. With a gun to my head I would say Cincinnati but I at least feel more confident that the Buckeyes have a shot. I would say the Buckeyes would be number two over Notre Dame. Not a surprise. Weiss is in trouble. Number two with a bullet? Maybe.
5. Latwan Anderson - Zoomed up this list with the best performance I have witnessed this year versus St. Ignatius. He played the game like you want a free safety to play it. Read the game then break on the ball. Dynamic with the ball in his hands. Great kick returner. I have had real questions about the kid but I don't see JT signing off on an offer to a kid he thinks has questionable character. I don't see Sr selling JT on him either. He didn't try with Mike Edwards last year and he is not going to mess up the relationship with the Buckeye program for one kid. A sure Buckeye if his grades are in order.
6. Christian Bryant - The quietest great senior year that I can remember. Anderson is so dynamic and so is Shane Wynn. You have the hottest junior prospect in the state under center. All Bryant does is make great plays as well as the every down ones. Could be a safety. Could be a corner. Don't worry about it. Just smile when his LOI comes through the fax machine at the WHAC.
7. Jon Hankins - Reports are all over the place on him. He definitely will be a Buckeye. He is definitely not going to be a Buckeye. The only thing that is sure is it will come down to grades. Hope that he does. The kid can play.
8. Jordan Hicks - I feel very confident this one comes down to Ohio State or Florida. I think Texas finishes third in this derby. His talent has no bearing on why he is down this low on my list. It is a matter of a loaded depth chart. He is a special talent but with what the Buckeyes have on campus right now, the odds he sits his first year are very high. We don't need Hicks but you always want a talent of this caliber.
Updates on a couple of already committed players. One is a surprise. The other is not. Both are at Fork Union. I will jump on the bandwagon as someone who has confirmation that Carlos Hyde is on schedule to qualify for admission this winter. The surprise is how well Jamel Turner is doing. I hoped for the best but prepared for the worst with him. I saw a maybe in the class of 2011. I feel confident he will be in Columbus in 2011. It is the longshsot of longshots but still in the realm of possibilities that he could make it here for 2010. I don't know why I counted him out. When he was in a different environment he was in good shape. When that changed, so did Turner. Now back in a supportive and positive environment, he is thriving again. Like I said before, cheer for this kid. When you see him run out of the tunnel for the first time, get on your feet. That he would pull himself up to be in that situation is a major success story. A number of people who will always choose to remain anonymous, you know who you are, should be applauded for stepping forward and salvaging a kid that that on his way to a bad place. Jim Tressel is a public figure. He should be applauded for not standing around and watching a kid fall through the cracks.
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The one issue I question is that if James is interested in Cincy and ND, and Weis gets fired but Kelly gets hired at ND, does he immediately sign off on ND? Additionally, how does that affect kids like Henderson and Joyner, who may have had good visits but don't want to jump on a sinking ship? Does Kelly to ND seal the deal for them, or do they stick with the proven commodity?