By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) -- Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel travels to a lot of places to find talented players, and to meet quality people who are interested in supporting the Buckeyes. Those endeavors keep bringing him back to northwest Ohio. Tressel, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, and their wives were in Toledo Wednesday night for a fund-raising scholarship dinner, and Tressel said the passion for the Buckeyes he encountered at the even is part of ... Read More

BY: MATTHEW HORN (TheNews-Messenger.com) -- Good things come to those who wait. That doesn't mean something great can't come in the meantime. Woodmore graduate Ben St. John recently received a letter from Ohio State's football program illustrating this. St. John, an offensive lineman, anticipated he might not be called to work out with the Buckeyes until after the first game against Marshall but instead received the letter this month inviting him to report to camp Aug. 4. "I'm just ... Read More

By: Christina De Nicola (BleacherReport.com) -- When it rains, it pours. Or in the case of South Florida, the heat continues on. A colleague of mine posted "Ohio State stole the crown in 2002, Miami steals the king in 2010" on Facebook following LeBron James' announcement to play for the Heat. On Friday, Seantrel Henderson was released from a letter of intent without restrictions by the University of Southern California following the NCAA scandal. Now, he will give the Hurricanes ... Read More

From: CBSSPORTS.COM --  MIAMI -- Seantrel Henderson considered signing with Miami months ago. Now, he's decided to play for the Hurricanes after all. The top offensive lineman in the 2010 recruiting class, Henderson told Miami he plans to enroll in early August, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke on condition of anonymity ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, ranked by some recruiting ratings as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2010, has been released from his National Letter of Intent by USC in light of the recent NCAA sanctions placed on the Trojans. "We are releasing Seantrel Henderson out of his national letter of intent with zero penalties and no restrictions," USC coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement. "Seantrel has been great through the ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first player in Ohio State's 2011 recruiting class, Toledo defensive end Kenny Hayes, gave his pledge to the Buckeyes 10 months ago and showed up at games in Columbus last fall with "OSU" shaved into the side of his head. He's a Buckeye through-and-through, and his summer has been all about his Ohio State future. He has been running in his backyard with an open parachute on his ... Read More

By Zack Meisel (TheLantern.com) -- Wide receiver Duron Carter, son of Ohio State legend Cris Carter, has left OSU and enrolled at a community college in Kansas, coach Jim Tressel confirmed Monday in a statement released by the OSU athletic department. Carter caught 13 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown in his freshman season, but was ruled academically ineligible for the Rose Bowl. He also sat out all of spring practices because of academic issues....... READ THE REST ... Read More

By: Zack Meisel (THELANTERN.COM) -- For the second time since April, Ohio State football recruit Jamel Turner has been shot, according to police. This time, Turner's injuries sustained are much more serious, as Turner was initially listed in critical condition and the 17-year-old girl he was with was killed. The Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday that Turner survived the night and was upgraded to stable condition. Turner, 18, and 17-year-old Tracy Banks were both shot multiple times Saturday morning in Youngstown. ... Read More

By: Todd Porter (CantonRep.com) - Washington High School wide receiver Devin Smith was offered a scholarship by Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel after Smith participated in the Buckeyes’ senior advance camp. Smith, who has not committed, may be gambling with time according to sources with knowledge of Ohio State’s recruiting process. One wide receiver, Evan Spencer, already has verbally committed to OSU for the class of 2011. Spencer is the son of former Ohio State assistant ... Read More

By Ashley Waltermeyer (TheLantern.com) -- Ohio State landed what some may consider its best recruit in recent memory. Braxton Miller, the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the country, chose OSU Thursday out of a group of the NCAA’s top football programs that were all hoping to add him to their squad next year. Unlike current starter Terrelle Pryor, Miller was recruited not for his athleticism, but his pure talent at the quarterback position. Miller has made a name for himself ... Read More

By Marc Pendleton (DaytonDailyNews.com) -- Several outlets are reporting that Wayne High School quarterback Braxton Miller will verbally commit on Thursday, June 3. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is among the nation’s most sought-after recruits. Among the BCS powers that have reportedly made offers to him are Ohio State, USC, Alabama, Cincinnati, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennesse, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Florida. In 24 career games with the Warriors, Miller has completed 225 of 408 passes for 22 touchdowns ... Read More

From: AP via Ohio.com -- Ohio State was the catalyst for North Canton Hoover running back Erick Howard's change of heart about attending the University of Akron. Ohio's two-time Mr. Football, Howard decided to attend prep school at Fork Union Military Academy instead as a prelude to playing for the Buckeyes. Howard was in Ohio State's plans all along, but he didn't qualify academically. That's apparently why he signed with the Zips, although he told Adam Jardy of BuckeyeSports.com ... Read More

By: Diamond Leung (ESPN.com) -- AZUSA, Calif. -- Lenzelle Smith, Jr., a guard set to start his freshman season at Ohio State, said he's heard it more times than he can count that he's the next Evan Turner. "Every time I hear it, it's great," Smith said after practice for Saturday's High School Academic All-American Classic. "Those are big shoes to fill. "I don't think it's totally far-fetched." Replacing a national player of the year won't be easy, of course, ... Read More