While our series, Filling Out The Rosters, has traditionally broken the Class of 2009 down by position, our fourth version of the segment will instead focus on the recent news of who is out of the fold, who is still in, and who is on the outside looking in. We will take a look at the rational behind each players realistic chance of becoming a Class of ‘09 Buckeye and predict who will fill out the rest of the class. With 24 commitments already issued to the stafff, room is tight, and the Buckeyes will probably only take (at most) four more players in this class. Let’s have a look:

Who’s Out?

There has not been too much news this off-season about Buckeye targets committing elsewhere, but recently two players that were offered scholarships by the staff decided to spend the next four years outside Columbus.

• Chris Watt, OG- Watt recently gave his verbal pledge to Charlie Weis and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Watt was said to be down to Ohio State and Notre Dame for a while and pulled the trigger on the Irish, shortly after Sam Longo became commitment number 24 for the Buckeyes. While it was said the staff was holding a spot open for the Glenbard, Illinois native, it seems either the ship sailed on Watt after the Longo commitment, or he knew of his decision to commit to the Irish, leading to OSU offering Longo.
• DJ Hunter, DB- The secondary situation was just too much and the feeling of “no love” lead DJ Hunter to pledge his services to Phillip Fullmer and Tennessee. I always though Hunter was just a notch below the other defensive back prospects we were chasing and clearly so did the staff. If we really wanted Hunter we would have got him. Instead, he will try to make a name for himself and prove the Bucks wrong in Knoxville.

Who’s Still In?

• Jaamal Berry, RB- Berry is one of two or three players who the Bucks will wait on no matter what. The highly regarded running back prospect is a tremendous can’t miss talent that currently has the Buckeyes on top of his list. He will be making trips to various schools in the south this month with Miami business man Brett Goetz (former mentor of Etienne Sabino) and will try to stop back in Columbus in late July. He says he will take his OSU official for the Michigan game, but a decision may come before football season.
• Marcus Hall, OT- The Glenville product will probably not decide until after football season, but Hall is another player who the Bucks will wait on. His teammate Jonathan Newsome has already committed and all signs (so far) point to Hall continuing the Glenville Pipeline down I-71 to Columbus.
• EJ Banks, DB- The cousin of Joey Galloway has made it no secret that Ohio State and Notre Dame are his top two. I think if OSU did not have 7 defensive backs already committed Banks would be a done deal to OSU, but the crowded secondary may lead him to South Bend. Supposedly a spot is being held for Banks, but don’t be surprised to see him pass up the opportunity.
• Brandon McGee, CB- After taking a 5 hour visit to Coral Gables, Florida on the campus of the University of Miami, McGee announced he would be making his college decision on August 11. He has said his final 5 schools (in no order) are Miami, North Carolina, Ohio State, Florida State, and Tennessee. Don’t be surprised to see McGee commit to Miami, but the Buckeyes had a great first impression on the Florida athlete and he has stated that he doesn’t care about competing for playing time.
• Vlad Emilien, S- Emilien may have been a little too slow in pulling the trigger and some feel the offer to Emilien is being put on hold. In layman’s terms, the Bucks will take Emilien if they have room, but told him for now they can’t accept a commitment. I believe this to be true as Vlad has said the Buckeyes have been his leader the whole way, but now all of a sudden is taking a harder look at some schools down South. With Bradley McDougald and Jamie Wood already committed, and Banks ahead of him on the food chain, look for Emilien to wind up down south.
• Corey Adams, DT- Adams has confirmed that he will be taking one of his five official visits to OSU this fall (most likely for the Michigan game) and will most likely make his decision after his season. Adams is another player with strong Ohio roots that may have a spot waiting for him, despite the Buckeyes already having four defensive linemen in the class already. He is said to be favoring OSU and USC with Arizona State lurking as well.
• Dion Sims, TE- The tight end from the state up north is highly regarded, but I’m just not sure there’s room in this class for another tight end. The Buckeyes originally wanted two tight ends, but with the way the class filled up, things are not looking good for another commitment at the position.
• Ra’Shede Hageman, TE- See Dion Sims above.
• Tyrone Ezell, DT- The big lineman from Pennsylvania says he is down to OSU and Pittsburgh, but wants to wait longer on his decision. It will be questionable if there will be room for Ezell, but there is no questions about the potential this raw talent has. I think he will end up in Pittsburgh, but only because he will really have no choice.
• Pat Muldoon, DE- Muldoon may have been out of the fold since Adam Bellamy committed to the Buckeyes, but he is certainly a player that the staff would want to take if room permits at the end of the recruiting season. Muldoon has been following the tick of his own watch during this whole process and it would not surprise me to see him playing in a place like Wisconsin next year.

Who’s Looking In?

• John Martinez, OG- It is unclear if the Utah product currently holds an OSU offer, but he still lists the Bucks in his top 4 with USC, UCLA, and LSU. Watt committing to Notre Dame can only mean good things for Martinez, and time will tell if the Buckeyes are a true player for his services.
• Marlon Brown, WR- The top wide out from Tennessee still has not narrowed down a large lists of offers and the Buckeyes are still one of his “top” schools. It would be hard to say no to a talent like Brown and there is a very small chance he ends up in Columbus.
• Kraig Appleton, WR- Appleton is another prospect who has been rumored to have and not have an OSU offer. He is a very good talent from East St. Louis, Illinois, that has plenty of options ranging from LSU to Texas Tech. I don’t see Appleton ending up in this class in this year, but he would have been a sure-fire top target any other year.
• Frankie Telfort, S/LB- A Miami, Florida star, Telfort will probably move from linebacker to safety at the next level. Many fans love his motor and ability to make the big play, but will there be enough space for Frankie in C-bus? Telfort could be a nice late addition to this class if there’s room or if another player doesn’t pan out.
• Cornelius Carradine, DE- Carradine, also referred to as Tank, is a Cincinnati native who has had academic concerns. There is probably not room for him and players like Adams, Ezell, and Muldoon are all ahead of him on the Buckeyes recruiting board. Could end up having a nice career at another Big Ten school (Illinois?) or at Cincinnati.
• Roderick Sweeting/Travis Hawkins, DB- I put the Georgia native, Sweeting, and the Maryland native, Hawkins, in the same listing here because both have the same situation: Offers early from OSU that they did not jump on fast enough. Look for both of these players to end up elsewhere. At the least their attention from OSU probably landed them some bigger offeres from other programs.
• Anthony Fera, K- This kicker from Texas lists Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State as the three schools he would like to boot it for in the future. He says he was an Ohio State fan growing up and is close to the Shugarts family. An OSU offer is not likely, but Fera could be a gray shirt candidate or even a preferred walk-on who could land a scholarship later on. Fera can punt as well and if he were to end up in Columbus, could be a nice compliment to Ben Buchanan.

 Predictions

I think with 24 players already on board the Buckeyes will take four more in this class. The way I see it, there are probably three or four players with spots being “held” for them in Berry, Hall, Banks, and possibly Adams. Out of those four I believe that Berry, Adams, and Hall will  become Buckeyes, joined by either John Martinez or Frankie Telfort. I also think there is a strong chance that Fera ends up in Columbus, in some way or another. This recruiting season has been crazy for OSU and we can only wait to see what turn it will take next. Stay tuned to DTI for all the recruiting news and updates as it comes.