Gainesville, Fla.- Ohio State is looking for at least one more win over Florida before the national championship game.
With the Buckeyes' list of oral commitments for the 2007 recruiting class now at 13, the biggest in-state name still out there is defensive end Ben Martin of Cincinnati LaSalle.
Martin, who said Friday night he felt he had an "average" year on the field, isn't in a hurry even though he may be the player who can make Ohio State's
I've got a lot of things to consider right now," Martin said. "I'll take my time, and whenever I feel like it, I'll make my decision."
But his high school coach, Tom Grippa, said he doesn't expect Martin to remain uncommitted much longer. Grippa said he believes Martin is still considering all four of his finalists - Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee.
"He's going home over Christmas break and he'll meet with his mom and then during this break he'll decide . . . " Grippa said. "In his mind, he might have it narrowed down to one or two, but he has not made that clear to anyone at LaSalle."
The Gators would love to snag Martin after the Buckeyes pulled two players out of Florida in the last two weeks. First, linebacker Brian Rolle of Imakolee High chose the Buckeyes over Florida, Wisconsin and LSU after an in-home visit from OSU coach Jim Tressel on Dec. 12, canceling a visit from Gators coach Urban Meyer that was scheduled for the next day.
Then, defensive back James Scott of Daytona's Seabreeze High shocked the crowd at his team's football banquet last Sunday with his announcement that he'd chosen Ohio State. He told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he actually told Florida coaches a week earlier that he'd be a Gator before changing his mind.
Safety Major Wright is one more major Florida prospect, from Fort Lauderdale's St. Thomas Aquinas, who has apparently narrowed the field with the Buckeyes and Gators in the lead. But Martin, who played linebacker this season but projects as a defensive end, is the man of the hour, especially since defensive end Martez Wilson of Chicago, who once considered Ohio State, committed to Illinois on Thursday.
"It has everything to do with the fact that he's a difference maker," recruiting analyst Duane Long of Ohio High Magazine said of Martin. "Ohio State has good depth there, but he's the best defensive end I've seen in Ohio."
Martin is 6-5 and 230 pounds, with a 40 time of 4.5. Recruiting service rivals.com ranks him as the No. 37 prospect in the country, while scout.com ranks him 38th.
Nine of the 13 players to pledge to the Buckeyes so far are from Ohio, seven of them ranked among the top 13 players in Ohio, according to rivals.com. Safety Eugene Clifford is No. 1 on that list, with Martin at No. 2.
Long said defensive tackle Joseph Barksdale of Michigan and offensive lineman Anthony Davis of New Jersey are the two out-of-state players still highest on Ohio State's list, and they both would fill positions of need. The class so far is high on speed and small on size, with six defensive backs, two receivers and two running backs.
Long believes if the Buckeyes can add Martin, Barksdale and Davis, the Buckeyes would finish with a class ranked among the top 20 in the country.
From the Plain Dealer
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http://www.cleveland.com/osufootball/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1166867261220980.xml&coll=2
Buckeyes still hope to land Martin
LaSalle recruit keeping Florida on his mind
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Gainesville, Fla.- Ohio State is looking for at least one more win over Florida before the national championship game.
With the Buckeyes' list of oral commitments for the 2007 recruiting class now at 13, the biggest in-state name still out there is defensive end Ben Martin of Cincinnati LaSalle.
Martin, who said Friday night he felt he had an "average" year on the field, isn't in a hurry even though he may be the player who can make Ohio State's
I've got a lot of things to consider right now," Martin said. "I'll take my time, and whenever I feel like it, I'll make my decision."
But his high school coach, Tom Grippa, said he doesn't expect Martin to remain uncommitted much longer. Grippa said he believes Martin is still considering all four of his finalists - Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee.
"He's going home over Christmas break and he'll meet with his mom and then during this break he'll decide . . . " Grippa said. "In his mind, he might have it narrowed down to one or two, but he has not made that clear to anyone at LaSalle."
The Gators would love to snag Martin after the Buckeyes pulled two players out of Florida in the last two weeks. First, linebacker Brian Rolle of Imakolee High chose the Buckeyes over Florida, Wisconsin and LSU after an in-home visit from OSU coach Jim Tressel on Dec. 12, canceling a visit from Gators coach Urban Meyer that was scheduled for the next day.
Then, defensive back James Scott of Daytona's Seabreeze High shocked the crowd at his team's football banquet last Sunday with his announcement that he'd chosen Ohio State. He told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he actually told Florida coaches a week earlier that he'd be a Gator before changing his mind.
Safety Major Wright is one more major Florida prospect, from Fort Lauderdale's St. Thomas Aquinas, who has apparently narrowed the field with the Buckeyes and Gators in the lead. But Martin, who played linebacker this season but projects as a defensive end, is the man of the hour, especially since defensive end Martez Wilson of Chicago, who once considered Ohio State, committed to Illinois on Thursday.
"It has everything to do with the fact that he's a difference maker," recruiting analyst Duane Long of Ohio High Magazine said of Martin. "Ohio State has good depth there, but he's the best defensive end I've seen in Ohio."
Martin is 6-5 and 230 pounds, with a 40 time of 4.5. Recruiting service rivals.com ranks him as the No. 37 prospect in the country, while scout.com ranks him 38th.
Nine of the 13 players to pledge to the Buckeyes so far are from Ohio, seven of them ranked among the top 13 players in Ohio, according to rivals.com. Safety Eugene Clifford is No. 1 on that list, with Martin at No. 2.
Long said defensive tackle Joseph Barksdale of Michigan and offensive lineman Anthony Davis of New Jersey are the two out-of-state players still highest on Ohio State's list, and they both would fill positions of need. The class so far is high on speed and small on size, with six defensive backs, two receivers and two running backs.
Long believes if the Buckeyes can add Martin, Barksdale and Davis, the Buckeyes would finish with a class ranked among the top 20 in the country.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479