Ohio State Football Recruiting 2013: Tyquan Lewis Commits

Marcus Baugh figures to be one of many super freshmen who will have a chance to contribute immediately for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Riverside, Calif., tight end should have plenty of opportunities to produce.

Derrell Warren wrote an excellent scouting report on Baugh on SB Nation this summer, long after Baugh committed to the Buckeyes.

The 6’0, 190-pound Rossville (Ga.) Ridgeland High School product is rated as one of the top four safety prospects in the country, and is a consensus top 30 prospect in the 2013 recruiting class. As a senior, he recorded 136 tackles and three interceptions.

Bell is an explosive athlete, and uses his great speed to make a ton of plays from the safety position. He also has very good hands for a defensive back. He’s a bit undersized for a safety at this point, but will add some mass to his frame before long.

Four-star wide receiver James Clark picked Ohio State over Florida and Clemson in a press conference at his high school on Wednesday, giving Urban Meyer’s class 25 commits.

The New Smyrna Beach, Fla., native was weighing four schools: Ohio State, Florida, Clemson, and Northwestern. He announced he was dropping the Wildcats over the weekend, and word was he wasn’t interested in Clemson. Many believed he was interested in staying in his home state, as Bud Elliott predicted he would do, but as signing day approached, it became clear he favored the Buckeyes. After the school landed four-star running back Dontre Wilson, Land-Grant Holy Land considered Clark one of Ohio State’s most important remaining targets coming into signing day.

Evan Lisle signed his national letter of intent Wednesday: the four-star lineman has been in the Ohio State Buckeyes’ fold for a while, and could be the first in the next generation of Ohio State linemen after he properly develops.

The Buckeyes were one of the first teams to offer Lisle, and as a Centerville, Ohio native, he pounced on it. He’s been committed to OSU since February of last year.

Ohio State’s recruiting class features a monster pass rushing prospect in Joey Bosa, a defensive end considered a five-star prospect by some recruiting services. The defensive end was the first to send in his national letter of intent to Ohio State.

Bosa is universally placed among the top 10 defensive ends in his class. What turns heads is his strength: After his committal, Land-Grant Holy Land fawned over a video of Bosa squatting 500 pounds. It’s something SB Nation recruiting expert Bud Elliott also noted when he reviewed Bosa in April:

The Ohio State Buckeyes don’t need immediate help at the quarterback position, but they do have Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider dual-threat quarterback JT Barrett enrolled, on campus, and ready to start his Buckeye career this spring.

Barrett’s first order of business is recovering from the torn ACL and meniscus that prematurely ended his senior season.

Cameron Burrows, a defensive back out of Trotwood-Madison High School (OH), is one of Ohio State’s early enrollees in the class of 2013. Burrows enrolled on Jan. 7, and he’ll be eligible to participate in spring drills with the team.

Burrows is one of the best defensive backs in the class of 2013, and SB Nation’s Land-Grant Holy Land believes he has a chance to see playing time as a true freshman for the Buckeyes:

Cornerback Eli Apple, out of Voorhees, NJ, has already enrolled at Ohio State University and will participate in Spring camp before his freshman season with the Buckeyes. Apple is rated as one of the top corners in the class of 2013 and garnered offers from top programs across the country.

The Buckeyes landed Apple over interest from Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Nebraska. He was a solid early commitment for Ohio State, as he pledged to Urban Meyer just after signing day in 2012. Apple was selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and “The Opening,” so he has spent time with the nation’s best.

One of the big stories in this recruiting season has been the strong showing from the traditional elite of the Big Ten: Michigan and Ohio State.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is putting the finishing touches on his first full class of Buckeyes. Meyer, who took the Ohio State job in November 2011, solidified the class built by interim coach Luke Fickell and managed to land a handful of additional commitments. However, the Class of 2013 will be the first fully chosen and pursued by Meyer.

Ohio State is in significantly better recruiting position headed into National Signing Day 2013 than it was in 2012. The Buckeyes went undefeated in Meyer’s first season at the helm, finishing third in the final AP Top 25 poll. The program is also free of a two-year postseason ban which prevented the team from playing for the Big Ten Championship and, potentially, a Rose Bowl or BCS Championship. The Buckeyes have taken full advantage, securing commitments from 21 players, including 14 recruits who have been given four-star ratings from Rivals.com.

Linebacker recruit Trey Johnson is scheduled to make his commitment live during the Under Armour All-America game Friday. There doesn’t figure to be much suspense.

Out of Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett High School, Johnson was a long-time Auburn commitment. He backed off the commitment, however, and considered several schools including Ohio State, Florida and Florida State.

Worse yet for Michigan fans, is that Conley says he plans to visit the Ohio State Buckeyes, who defeated the Wolverines Saturday:

Scout describes the 6’2 Conley as follows:

Tyquan Lewis, a top defensive end recruit, committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes Thursday. Out of Tarboro (NC), Lewis also held offers from Auburn, Clemson, Duke, LSU and North Carolina.

Lewis stands 6’4 and weighs in at 227 pounds. Here’s some analysis from Ohio State site Land Grant Holy Land:

Four-star tight end Marcus Baugh of Riverside (Calif.) John W. North High School was considered a surprise commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes in mid-April, as it is quite rare for Ohio State to venture to southern California to secure talent. Nevertheless, Baugh gave his pledge to coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes after considering offers from Cal, Florida, Miami, Nebraska and Washington. Baugh was also the 18th high school player selected for the elite nationally televised prospect camp, “The Opening,” which is to be held July 5-8 on the Nike campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

Baugh is a tight end prospect who physically has the look of a wide receiver. Currently listed at 225 pounds, he possesses a slender lower half and has a relatively thin hip and shoulder base. It will be intriguing to see how much more good weight Baugh can add considering the limitations of his frame.

Michael Hill, a top defensive tackle recruit from Pendleton (SC) High School, has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Hill rates as one of the top-30 defensive line recruits (combined tackles and ends) nationally in a composite of the four major services. He is a consensus four-star recruit and a major commitment for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.

The news was first reported by Ryan Bartow of Rivals, who Tweeted:

Lewis Neal, a defensive end recruit, has committed to Ohio State University according to Keith Niebuhr. Neal stars for Wilson (NC) Hunt High School. He stands 6’2 and weighs in at 235 pounds. Neal claims offers from Clemson, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

As one might expect from his measurables and position, Neal is a good pass rusher. I had previously only seen Neal’s sophomore highlight film, which though impressive probably doesn’t warrant Ohio State taking his commitment. Neal’s junior tape is considerably better than what I remember of his sophomore film, however.

Hodges is rated a four-star by most services, while the others mostly get three-star ratings. The Hokies also reportedly got their first 2014 commit, Fredricksburg defensive end Vincent Mihota. All six hail from Virginia.

Still, Frank Beamer didn’t hog all of the recruits.