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Monday brought some unsurprising news on the recruiting front, in the form of '14 ATH Lonnie Johnson decommiting from Ohio State and re-opening his recruitment back up. Johnson's decommitment puts the Buckeyes at 17 total commitments in the class of 2014, and drops them in the 247Sports recruiting rankings to 5th overall. Johnson was a 3-star commit, and was being looked at as a wide receiver and safety by schools. Now, with Johnson moving onto other schools (Land-Grant Holy Land's very own Miles Joesph believes Johnson will end up with Cincinnati), the Buckeyes will be looking to fill that spot with another.
Ive officially decommitted from Osu sorry fans but it happened
— the real lonnie J (@Lonnie30johnson) November 12, 2013
One name that might bring some more attention to himself following the Johnson decommit might be '14 WR Johnnie Dixon. Dixon is one of the nation's top wide receivers in the class of 2014, ranked as the 16th best at his position according to the 247Composite, and the 14th best overall prospect from the state of Florida. Dixon has visited Ohio State before, and already holds an offer from the Buckeyes. His decision will most likely come down to Alabama, Miami and Ohio State.
Another possibility that would be a high target for coach Meyer and the staff would be '14 ATH John "JuJu" Smith, who, according to the 247Composite, is ranked as the 14th best player overall in the country for 2014. Smith is also ranked as the second-best athlete overall, and second-best player in the state of California. Smith can play wide receiver or safety, and checks in at 6'1, 200-pounds and has been clocked at a 4.60 40-yard dash.
Rutgers recruiting took a large hit on Monday, when three of their top commits changed their mind about attending the school, and decommitted. One of the three, '14 S Kiy Hester, has reportedly said he's interested in learning more about the following schools: Arkansas, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Vanderbilt. The 6'0, 200-pound safety is a 4-star according to the 247Composite, and is ranked as the 17th-best safety in the class of 2014, while also being ranked as the seventh-best recruit from the state of New Jersey.
Hester sounded as if he wasn't really giving up on Rutgers, at least, at first:
"He initially reached out to the Rutgers staff, making them aware he had planned to take official visits elsewhere. And unfortunately for the two parties, the conversation did not end well."
But following an unpleasant conversation with Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood, it appears the the Scarlet Knights have "closed the door":
"When Hester contacted Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood to reveal his intentions, things did not go as planned. Hester says it was made clear to him that committed players taking official visits elsewhere is frowned upon and would result in him having his scholarship rescinded."
Either way, this could be a good chance for Ohio State and Urban Meyer to welcome Rutgers into the recruiting world of what is the Big Ten. You can bet that if Hester reaches out to the Buckeyes' coaching staff that they'll most likely listen, as he already holds an offer from the Buckeyes. We'll be sure to keep an eye on his recruitment on the Ohio State front as it develops.