National Signing Day for college football is now just four days away on Wednesday, Feb. 1, with Urban Meyer seen raking in what is believed to be possibly a top 5-rated or better group of high school gridders for his first Ohio State recruiting class.
One of the latest 2012 Buckeye verbal commitments was Rivals.com's No. 1 college recruit in Massachusetts, linebacker Carmen Williams from Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Williams was a Boston Globe All-Scholastic linebacker this past fall with 119 tackles in nine games. He was headed to Penn State until the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal broke and he decommitted to the Nittany Lions.
So far, not including the six 2012 recruits already enrolled at Ohio State who started winter-quarter classes this month, a total of 23 players are expected to sign binding letters-of-intent with the Buckeyes Wednesday.
Two five-star, or top-level, recruits head up the OSU list with a pair of defensive ends, Noah Spence (6-4, 245) and Adophus Washington (6-4, 230), rated by Rival.com as the best two players available respectively at that position nationally.
Thirteen, or the majority, of the Buckeyes' recruits, though, were deemed four stars by Rivals.com, including Williams and the No. 6-ranked defensive tackle in Tommy Schutt as well as the the No. 8 defensive end in Se'von Pittman. Most of the four-star recruits were on the defensive side of the ball at end, linebacker and in the secondary, but also where help is needed on offense at running back, wide receiver and on the line.
Eight three-star recruits round out the class, with the emphasis again on offense with two linemen, a quarterback, tight end and wide-out.
And some of these players who are officially becoming Buckeyes next week could, if they're good enough, be seeing playing time when Ohio State kicks off the 2012 season Sept. 1 versus visiting Miami of Ohio.
OSU plays its first four games, all non-conference contests, at home with Central Florida, California and UAB following on Sept. 8, 15 and 22 before hitting the road for its Big Ten opener at Michigan State Sept. 29.
The Buckeyes face the same eight conference opponents they did last season with the four teams they played on the road coming to Columbus this fall, but then Ohio State also having to tackle its four home foes from last year on the road this season.
So after MSU at East Lansing, OSU meets Nebraska in Ohio Stadium for the first time in 56 years on Oct. 6. The Buckeyes are 2-1 versus the Cornhuskers with two home wins in 1955 and 1956, but a loss last season at Nebraska in the 'Huskers' first year as a member of the Big Ten.
The rest of the 2012 Ohio State schedule is: Oct 13, at Indiana; Oct. 20, Purdue; Oct. 27, at Penn State; Nov. 3, Illinois; Nov. 17, at Wisconsin; Nov. 24, Michigan.
Last season in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes were 2-2 at home with wins over Indiana and Wisconsin and losses to Michigan State and Penn State, and 1-3 on the road with a win over Illinois and losses to Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan.
Contact Steve Hemmelgarn at shemmelgarn@newsandsentinel.com
