Recruiting Discussion #4 - The Urban Meyer Effect

After everything that the Buckeye football program, its fans, and the university have endured the past year, who would have thought that we would be where we are today? A team that went 6-6, had multiple stars suspended for multiple games, and a less than ideal coaching situation remedied itself with the hiring of Urban Meyer last week.

Meyer has hit the ground running in his attempt to salvage the 2012 recruiting class, reaching out to players who had pared down their lists without Ohio State on them. Word is that Meyer plans on honoring all of the current commitments to the class.

By keeping former Tressel and Fickell commits, Meyer shows good will towards the Ohio High School Coaches Association, and he can selectively finish this year and then focus on the next with his own full class.

Right now the Buckeyes stand at 16 commitments, including greyshirt Cardale Jones, and can take about 4-5 more players if the current roster stays intact. I see some attrition on the team with player transfers and possibly some current commits seeing themselves out with the new offensive and defensive styles that Meyer implements. I think a reasonable estimate is 6-8 more recruits, depending upon how interested Meyer's top targets are in the Buckeyes.

After the jump, we take a look at this weekend's incredible visit list --and we do mean incredible considering how disinterested these players were in Ohio State two weeks ago--and analyze some of the tastiest rumors currently floating around the internet.

Official Visitors- 12/10

Bri'onte Dunn, RB

Will he stay or will he go? An Ohio State commitment for months, Dunn has said he will follow this weekend's visit with one to Michigan. He wants to enroll early, so his decision is coming soon. The Buckeyes have a stable of running backs at their disposal, but adding a five star kid like Dunn would be nice for the future. This is the first real battle between Brady Hoke and Urban Meyer, and it could set the tone for the many battles to come in future years.

Kyle Dodson, OT

Jordan Diamond, OT

The offensive line looks to be getting some good news. Kyle Dodson, a tackle from Cleveland Heights, and Jordan Diamond, a tackle from Illinois, will make the trek to Columbus after speaking with Meyer. Dodson and Diamond are both four star players who hold national offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, and Florida State. Dodson is currently committed to Wisconsin, but it seems likely that he's visiting with a commitment change in mind. His head coach, Jeff Rotsky, a big Buckeye supporter, is accompanying him on the trip.

Diamond is uncommitted and ripe for the picking. Ohio State should be seen as the favorite for both right now.

Ekpen Iduoze, DT

Tommy Schutt, DT

Se'Von Pittman, DE

Ohio State has solid depth on the defensive line, but needs speed off the edge and a space-eater in the middle. Surprisingly, they may find both still in this recruiting class. Ekpen Iduoze, a mammoth defensive tackle from New York, holds offers from a group of mid-tier schools and Penn State. He was not connected prior to Ohio State prior to Meyer, and the Buckeyes have not yet offered, but they are interested enough to allow him to visit officially.

With the fiasco at Penn State, five star defensive tackle Tommy Schutt is once again open for recruiting. The Illinois native had considerable interest in Ohio State before Jim Tressel's resignation, and that interest has been rekindled with Meyer. A good impression on this visit could very well lead to Schutt switching his commitment.

Se'Von Pittman, a current Michigan State commit, will visit this weekend, and could switch his verbal just as soon. Pittman was a huge Buckeye lean before Tressel's absence, and now that the situation has stabilized, he wants back into the fold. His girlfriend is an Ohio State Womens Basketball commit, as well, so all signs are pointing Buckeye.

Warren Ball, RB

Frank Epitropoulos, WR/S

Jacoby Boren, OG/C

Pat Elflein, OG

Joshua Perry, LB/DE

These players are all firm Buckeye commitments, and there's a reason they're all coming this weekend. Meyer wants to surround uncommitted players with those who love Ohio State, hoping that their love is infectious.

Rumors

Jameis Winston, QB

Rumors have been swirling for days about Jameis Winston, the star quarterback out of Alabama who has already committed to Florida State. Winston fed gasoline to those rumors with a recent tweet stating that he will visit Ohio State in the future. Meyer called Winston immediately following his introductory press conference, a move that impressed Winston and rekindled his interest in Ohio State, which, as with many others, waned following Tressel's resignation.

Winston is a five star prospect and perhaps the best quarterback in the country. He's also an excellent baseball player and will consider the MLB Draft. With Braxton Miller, though, Ohio State can afford the risk of losing him. If Meyer signs him, it is a huge win; if he doesn't, it's no loss at all.

Jeff Driskel, QB

There are also rumors of a quarterback who is still under scholarship with another school who would like to join the Buckeyes. We're making a guess here--and only a guess-- but we believe this quarterback is Jeff Driskel, who is currently a freshman at Florida. Meyer signed Driskel for his spread-option offense last season, but retired and left him stuck with Charlie Weis and a pro-style offense. It's not a good fit, and we see Driskel wanting a way out.

Will Muschamp has stated he will not release any players to Ohio State, but Driskel could have some leverage in the situation if he is adamant about his desire to play in another system.

Joel Caleb, Athlete

Cyrus Jones, Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs, Wide Receiver

Joel Caleb, a four star from Virginia who holds offers from a host of power schools, visited Ohio State last weekend and was blown away. There's a rumor that he tried to commit, but Meyer slowplayed him in hopes of landing an even bigger target, Cyrus Jones or Stefon Diggs.

Jones and Diggs are elite playmakers with offers from every school in the country. Meyer told Jones that he's the next Percy Harvin, a compliment Jones loved. Jones may have set up an official visit for next weekend, the 17th, and Diggs intimated to the Washington Post that he would visit Ohio State some time in January.

Caleb and Jones are far more likely candidates to be Buckeyes than Diggs, who has flirted with every school over the past year. We'd like to see Meyer find room for both players, as they would give his offense the immediate speed boost it needs.

Keith Brown, LB

David Perkins, LB

Depth at linebacker really hurt us this year, and it looks like Urban has noticed and tried to get the ball rolling on getting a few top notch guys to give Ohio State a second look. Keith Brown out of Florida has been the most talked about name. He is currently an Illinois commit ,but with the ousting of Ron Zook, he has been looking around and could see a chance at some early playing time at Ohio State.

The most recent name to come up is ex-Notre Dame commitment David Perkins, who is a four star lienbacker out of Indiana. He is looking to visit sometime in January and could be a big boost, as well, to a linebacking corp that needs some depth.

Noah Spence, DE

Jamal Marcus, DE/LB

Noah Spence is a much talked about player who Meyer contacted almost as quickly as he was hired. He has scheduled a visit for the 17th of December, and all signs are pointing to him joining the 2012 class. Spence was a heavy Penn State lean until the scandal broke and has now essentially eliminated the Nittany Lions from contention.

Jamal Marcus out of North Carolina is another name that has come onto the radar recently, and if he comes to campus he could also be a strong Buckeye lean. Mark Pantoni, Ohio State's new Director of Football Operations, tipped Meyer off to Marcus soon after joining the new staff. Pantoni, who served under Meyer at Florida and spent last season with Will Muschamp, had familiarity with Marcus because Florida is recruiting him heavily.

Either Spence or Marcus would add speed to Ohio State's pass rush, but maybe from different positions. Spence is a traditional weakside end who will play with his hand on the ground, and Marcus is a versatile hybrid player, a LEO in Ohio State's old defensive scheme.