UPDATE (6:55 PM): Funny how much changes in two hours. Rivals recruiting analyst Marc Givler is reporting the following with regards to Tim Gardner:
No #OhioState offer or commitment from Tim Gardner at this time.
— Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) June 22, 2012
Can't help but wonder if this isn't a mini-Kevin Hart situation. The difference being in this particular situation that Ohio State at least appeared to have Gardner on their radar. WIth him being rather presumptuous, to say the least, it'll be fascinating to see if Ohio State remains interested in the understated (from a post-Jim Tressel-era staff talent evaluation perspective anyways) lineman or if the blunder winds up dooming his ability to get the offer he evidently so coveted in the first place.
UPDATE (6:01 PM): As if Buckeyes fans needed any more room for optimism, Gardner's Twitter profile now boasts the following:
A little before 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Friday, June 22, 2012, 2013 offensive lineman (who some feel project more favorably to the defensive side of things) TIm Gardner tweeted the following (since RT'd by Irish Sports Daily who preserved the tweet for posterity's sake):
2013 IN OL/DL Tim Gardner RT @Oct_s_veryown I'm am official y committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes Football, let's start the movement 2013
— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) June 22, 2012
It didn't take long for Gardner to either back track or realize he wanted to announce things more on his own terms. After promptly deleting the Twitter post, he had the following to add:
Had to delete the last tweet, reporter s are on it these days
— T. Gardner (@Oct_s_veryown) June 22, 2012
The 6'5", 320 pound Lawrence Central High School (Indianapolis, Indiana) product (which also features 2014 linebacker target Brandon Lee) could potentially be that interior line commit we've all been waiting on since landing punter Johnny Townsend earlier this week. Gardner is rated as a 3-star lineman by both 247Sports and Rivals while Scout is less charitable, grading the class of 2013 senior-to-be as but a 2-star.
Stay tuned for more to see if Gardner pulls the trigger on the verbal or if merely he hit the 'Tweet' button a little too quickly.