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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 1/8

While Alabama is busy enjoying their 48 hour rule to soak up a hard fought season, Urban Meyer and company are looking to replicate that very same magic and claim their own national championship a year from today.

By Luke Zimmermann
Could the next jersey Shelton Gibson holds up be a scarlet and gray one?
Could the next jersey Shelton Gibson holds up be a scarlet and gray one?
US Army

What a night for college football. Except for maybe the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and their faithful. While none of us got the watchable, entertaining contest we were all not-so-silently hoping for, the BCS Championship Game wasn't awful for the low scoring, defense first reasons we thought it'd likely be. Alabama completely manhandled Notre Dame, and now have a difficult to challenge claim to bonafide dynasty status having won 3 of 4 national championship in the parity ripe BCS-era.

While Nick Saban may be opining that celebrating a national title has the Tide already "getting behind on recruiting", Urban Meyer was busy using his appearance on ESPN's pre/half-time/postgame coverage as a living, breathing infomercial for the future of Ohio State football. Given the pending recruiting battle over 4-star S Vonn Bell with that very team he watched win a national title in dominating fashion Monday night, every bit of added bonus exposure certainly can't hurt.

Though very few college-athletes-to-be make a four-to-five year commitment on the heels of one game (ahem, James Quick aside*allegedly*), it's hard not to wonder the sort of impression 'Bama's dominant victory left in the impressionable mind of the potential impact safety. But the Bucks may have already had the deck stacked against them before the game ever even took place:

"Alabama ... it just speaks for itself," Bell said. They are in the national championship again. Coach Nick Saban, he's a DB coach, and he's going to be coaching me. So Coach Saban has got guys into the NFL, so his name speaks for himself."

I'm honestly not inclined to take him word-for-word or literally at face value. While Bell's been considered an Alabama lean for some time (though recent momentum seemed to have Ohio State very much nipping on Bama's heels if not slightly ahead), it seems logical to think he meant that *if* he elected to go to Alabama, Saban would be the one coaching him.

Particularly with Crimson Tide defensive backs coach Jeremy Pruitt departing the program to become the new defensive coordinator at Florida State (and having already flipped one his own recruits, on the night 'Bama won a national title no less), Saban selling someone of Bell's stature on he being their position coach is not only not inaccurate, but it's a completely reasonable pitch given the circumstances.

But then again, given how the indecisive Quick purportedly shifted gears...

Speaking of Quick, his commitment to Louisville (or rather lack there of to Ohio State) has left a sizable void in the wide receivers/playmaking department for the 2013 recruiting class. Some of the potential replacements are all going to be in town in Columbus this weekend (including for the what could be a nightmare fuel ripe Michigan-Ohio State basketball game) for their official visits. Amongst those going to be in Columbus this weekend include:

  • 4-star ATH (WR/RB) Corn Elder
  • 4-star WR Shelton Gibson, perhaps the most logical successor to Quick's skill set
  • 3-star RB Ryan Timmons, who presently doesn't have a committable Ohio State offer (if one at all)
Tying everything back together, Bell will also be in attendance, and is expected to have his entire family with him. We personally can't think of a better time for an Ohio State patented recruiting speech from a certain defensive backs coach(*cough* Kerry Coombs *cough*). Others making their official visits include prospective LB (and long time solid Ohio State lean) Christopher Worley, as well as verbal commits 4-star TE Marcus Baugh and US Army All-American P Johnny Townsend.

Finally, while many of us probably felt like Ohio State star QB Braxton Miller watching the BCS Championship Game go down, it's hard to imagine we didn't all feel like 5-star DE Joey Bosa when the clock hit quadruple zeroes:

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