Stefon Diggs Spurns Ohio State, Decides On Maryland Terrapins

Stefon Diggs was the one player the Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff still planned to add to its football roster next fall, but that unfortunately will not be the case. Diggs spurned the Buckeyes on Friday night, opting instead to announce that he'll be playing for the Maryland Terrapins during his college career.

It wasn't exactly a surprise announcement considering Diggs decided to move the location of his decision to a Terrapins' sports bar, but it certainly can't be making the Buckeyes coaching staff happy as they find out it's official.

SB Nation's Bud Elliott has more on Diggs and what Buckeyes fans could've expected:

At 6'0" and 185 pounds, Diggs has great speed and surprising toughness in tight spaces. He was selected as a U.S. Army All-American, and showed well in the game in San Antonio. He could be deadly on the deep routes for the team he ends up with this year. Diggs isn't perfect, however, as he lacks polish and must do a better job being consistent and catching the football, but you just can't teach this speed at this size.

It'll be interesting to see if this means Davonte Neal now ends up at Ohio State.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

Stefon Diggs Update: Wide Receiver To Announce Decision In Maryland Friday Night, Ohio State Still In The Running

Five star wide receiver prospect Stefon Diggs has been keeping everyone in suspense since National Signing Day on where he plans to eventually go to school and take his talents. He was rumored to have narrowed down his selections to Auburn, Florida and Ohio State when signing day came around but he took a trip to his hometown college in Maryland and rumors began to swirl that he would instead go to his hometown Terrapins.

It looks like the favorite location has been altered to UMD after all, as he just announced last night that he will be making his announcement from a local Maryland Terrapins bar called Looney's. He changed the time of his announcement as well, going from a 10 PM TV announcement to a 6 PM local announcement at the bar.

Ohio State are likely still in the running to get the star receiver, but the location and time change all seem to point toward Diggs being a Terrapin come the 2012 season even though the earlier reports all seemed to indicate that he was leaning toward being a Buckeye.

For all your recruiting news, follow SB Nation's Recruiting Twitter feed, @SBNRecruiting. For complete college football coverage, please visit SB Nation's NCAA football hub. Check out Along The Olentangy for more news on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State Recruiting: Big Ten Coaches Call Out Urban Meyer, Gene Smith Releases Statement

Urban Meyer is already causing waves within the Big Ten, assembling a strong recruiting class while simultaneously drawing the ire of his fellow Big Ten coaches. Wisconsin's Bret Bielema and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio went public with some comments regarding Meyer, upset with his recruiting tactics and using words like "unethical" and "illegal." It's unclear if anything he actually did was wrong, but it all seems to stem from the fact that eight out of the 10 players in OSU's recruiting class had previously been committed to other schools.

This is something that happens a lot, though, so it's hard to see where they have any ground to stand on. That being said, Meyer is a different beast in the recruiting game, something the Big Ten isn't used to, so it's understandable there would be a little outrage. Meyer eventually did respond to the accusations, saying that they'd most definitely do it again, and that they'd do it even more next time.

On Friday, Ohio State Athletic Director, Gene Smith, released a statement, according to CBS Sports:

"I am disappointed that negative references have been made about our football coaches and particularly head coach Urban Meyer regarding recruiting. In our league appropriate protocol, if you have concerns, is to share those concerns with your athletic director. Then your athletic director will make the determination on the appropriate communications from that point forward. The athletic directors in our league are professionals and communicate with each other extremely well. Urban Meyer and his staff have had a compliance conscience since they've arrived."

What Smith says makes sense - these are the kinds of things you don't immediately go to the public with. That being said, with them being unfamiliar with Meyer's tactics, it's easy to see where they wanted to go public. Safe to say there's going to be a lot of dialogue between the schools that doesn't get reported.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

Stefon Diggs Update: Wide Receiver Reportedly Favors Ohio State Over Maryland

Five star wide receiver recruit Stefon Diggs from Maryland is visiting with his hometown Maryland Terrapins. His former teammate Wes Brown was signed by the Terrapins and it was thought that the two of them might be a package deal. It looks like that might just be speculation as Dan Hellie on twitter has speculated that Diggs is more interested in going to the Ohio State Buckeyes led by Urban Meyer.

Stefon Diggs visit to Maryland seems like a courtesy. I'm hearing he's leading heavily towards Urban Meyer and Ohio State. #Terps #buckeyes

Maryland doesn't get five star recruits all that often, so naturally this would be a huge blow to Maryland's hopes in recruiting if Diggs went out of state. Taking him out of his home state could be a big coup for the Buckeyes. Of course, nothing is set in stone yet and this is all speculation up to this point as Diggs is still visiting Maryland, after all.

For all your recruiting news, follow SB Nation's Recruiting Twitter feed, @SBNRecruiting. For complete college football coverage, please visit SB Nation's NCAA football hub. Check out Along The Olentangy for more news on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State Recruiting: CSN Chicago Ranks Buckeyes' Class The Best In Big Ten

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer may have hopped on the recruiting trail a little late but he had no problem putting together a big-time class in Columbus to begin the Buckeyes' quest back to the top of the conference on the field.

Fittingly, Ohio State's class will be measured against rival Michigan and until the players can actually suit up, recruiting rankings will have to declare the winners. CSN Chicago took a shot at ranking the Big Ten's recruiting classes, utilizing Midwest recruiting guru Tom Lemming to analyze the classes.

Ohio State landed in the top spot, edging out Michigan for the No. 1 ranking and Lemming gives all of the credit to Meyer for salvaging an excellent recruiting class under adverse conditions.

"Urban Meyer has turned everything around at Ohio State. His impact is almost immeasurable," Lemming said. "Ohio State was dead in the water recruiting-wise because of the (Jim Tressel) scandal. Now they have one of the top five recruiting classes in the nation. There is no other reason besides Meyer. He has breathed life into a dead program, one that was waiting for the NCAA hammer to fall."

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

National Signing Day: Davonte Neal Not Signing With Ohio State Buckeyes, According To Report

The Ohio State Buckeyes were expected to be in the lead for Davonte Neal, a four-star recruit, but National Signing Day came and the team decided to pass on him. Though the early reports don't indicate an exact reason why, it seems the Buckeyes might be saving a scholarship for someone down the road.

It seems, according to early rumors, that the team might be waiting to see what fellow wide receiver Stefon Diggs decides to do. Diggs, a top 15 recruit, is expected to wait until Feb. 10 to make his decision with a visit to the Maryland Terrapins still on tap.

It's unclear if that's the exact reason Neal won't be signing with the Buckeyes on Wednesday, but Rivals' Mike Farrell reported late Wednesday afternoon that Neal won't be in this year's recruiting class.

I don't have the reason why #OhioState won't be taking Davonte Neal, I just know he tried to commit and couldn't. Well sourced. #RivalsNSD

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 1, 2012

It's going to be interesting following this little saga, especially if Diggs doesn't end up signing with the Buckeyes.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

Kyle Dodson To Ohio State: Offensive Tackle Commits To Buckeyes On National Signing Day 2012

Kyle Dodson, a four-star recruit from Cleveland, announced at a press conference on National Signing Day 2012 that he has chosen to remain local, and will attend Ohio State. Dodson, an offensive tackle out of Cleveland Heights, chose the Buckeyes over over finalists USC, Michigan State and Wisconsin. He made an oral commitment to Wisconsin last year, but of course, something like that is nonbinding.

Dodson is the No. 16 offensive tackle in the rivals rankings, joining Joey O'Connor, another offensive tackle who is expected to sign with OSU later on Wednesday. Rivals has O'Connor as the No. 12 offensive tackle in the nation. Dodson had offers from plenty of schools outside of the ones he considered finalists, like Alabama, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, among others.

It looks as though Dodson backed off of Wisconsin as his commitment when the Badgers lost their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach to Pittsburgh, who, as noted above, also pursued him.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

Davonte Neal Update: Ohio State Target To Sign After National Signing Day 2012

Check out more on Ohio State Buckeyes recruiting, and for all your National Signing Day and college football recruiting news, visit SB Nation's recruiting hub.

Stefon Diggs Won't Pick A Team Until After 2012 National Signing Day, According To Report

The Ohio State Buckeyes will have to wait a bit longer to find out if they're able to land one of the nation's top recruits, as MaxPreps reports that Our Lady of Good Counsel wide receiver Stefon Diggs will make another visit this weekend before deciding where he's going to commit. He's set to announce his decision on Feb. 10, so don't expect anything on National Signing Day.

Diggs has been pursued by the Buckeyes to bolster their group of receivers. He's listed as the No. 14 recruit by MaxPreps and the No. 3 athlete. He's got a 4.4 and he's incredibly strong at 6-foot-1, but could use some more muscle on his 190-pound frame.

On top of Ohio State, Diggs has made official visits to California, Florida and Auburn, and his fifth visit this weekend will be to Maryland, his last before he makes his decision. His coach at Good Counsel insists that Diggs doesn't have much of an idea where he'll end up, saying that his head is spinning right now.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

Ohio State Recruiting: Buckeyes Only Team With Rivals' Nos. 1 and 2 At Same Position

It may not mean much of anything, but it probably doesn’t hurt: According to a recent Rivals.com analysis of its 2012 position rankings, Ohio State is the only school with commitments from the top two players at the same position.

OSU commits Noah Spence (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Adolphus Washington (Cincinnati) are listed as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among weakside defensive ends. They also are two of only three five-star prospects at weakside D-end.

Washington was bumped from a four-star to a five-star last week after a dominant performance at the Army All-American game.

According to Rivals, OSU has the third-ranked recruiting class in the country. Other ballyhooed recruits from the Buckeyes’ 2012 class include running back Bri’onte Dunn and athlete David Perkins.

While OSU is alone in nabbing the top two prospects at any one position, there are other teams hoarding talent as well. Alabama, for instance, has commitments from three of Rivals’ top five inside linebackers. Florida State, meanwhile, is nipping at OSU’s heels, nabbing the No. 3 and No. 4 weakside D-ends, Dante Fowler, Jr. (five-star) and Chris Casher (four-star).

Still, as it stands now, only OSU can claim commitments from the top two players at one position.

LB/RB David Perkins Commits To Ohio State

Urban Meyer has added his sixth recruit to his Ohio State Buckeyes team, four star athlete David Perkins out of South Bend, Indiana. Listed simply as 'Athlete' in the position column on ESPN, Perkins has versatility that could allow him to play all over the football field in several different positions.

While many schools were scouting Perkins with the possibility of putting him in at tailback, likely because of his great 4.4 speed, Ohio State plan to turn his athletic abilities defensive, putting him in as a linebacker. Ohio State is somewhat weak in athletic ability at that position so Perkins will certainly be welcomed in with open arms into the linebacker corps by the Buckeyes.

This is the 22nd commitment by the Buckeyes this season, and the sixth of the Urban Meyer era. Perkins is also the 10th four star athlete, which shows that the Buckeyes mean business under Meyer for building a strong team for the future.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy.

Adolphus Washington Receives Five-Star Ranking From Rivals

With just a few weeks left until National Signing Day, Rivals.com on Monday bumped 2012 Ohio State commit Adolphus Washington from a four-star to a five-star prospect.

Washington, who received offers from the likes of Michigan, Florida State, USC, Notre Dame and a handful of others, was deemed a five-star following his performance at the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio earlier this month.

“Washington had the single most dominant performance of anyone I covered this fall…,” Rivals Midwest Analyst Josh Helmholdt said.

Helmholdt added, “Once he got adjusted to the difference in talent at the Army Bowl, Washington became a force off the edge and capped an impressive week with a 1.5-sack performance in the Army Bowl game.”

Washington, a 6-4, 230-pound Cincinnati native, joins Noah Spence (Harrisburg, Pa.) as OSU’s second five-star defensive end in the 2012 class. Washington and Spence are, according to Rivals, the top two prospects for the Buckeyes, who also have commitments from eight four-star recruits.

Spence has been dubbed the nation’s top defensive end prospect, while Washington comes in third.

Ohio State Football Recruiting: Top DE Noah Spence Commits To Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes new head coach Urban Meyer landed a big commitment on Sunday to boost his 2012 recruiting class when the nations top rated defensive end Noah Spence committed to attend Ohio State.

Meyer and company must have impressed Spence on his visit to Columbus this weekend because when the recruiting trip was over Spench was ready to commit. No secondary sources were necessary to confirm the commitment since Spence took to Twitter to let his followers know about his big decision.

Ohio State buckeye nation lets go!!

Spence is a 6'4, 245 pound defensive end out of Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The recent problems at Penn State played in Ohio State's favor as Spence was long-considered a Nittany Lions' lean before news of the scandal hit Happy Valley. 

The 2012 class is now loaded with strong defensive end prospects as Spence joins earlier commits, Se'Von Pittman and Adolphus Washington.

Ohio State Recruiting: Se'Von Pittman Commits To Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer has now landed two highly-ranked recruits who have spurned fellow Big 12 teams to join the Buckeyes, via SB Nation.

The first was Tommy Schutt, a five-star recruit defensive tackle who had committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions prior to the firings. And the latest is local product and defensive end Se'Von Pittman, who had previously committed to the Michigan State Spartans.

Pittman stars for Canton, Ohio's Mckinley High School. The four major recruiting services (247, Rivals, Scout and ESPN) universally regard him as one of the best 20 defensive ends in the country. 

Pittman will likely play strong-side end. He has a good blend of power and speed, which should help the Buckeyes in the run-heavy Big 10 conference.

Ohio State now has 18 commitments and a tremendous defensive line class.

With star recruits spurning their first choices for Ohio State, the Urban Meyer Effect is already in full force.

Ohio State Recruiting: Former Penn State Commit Tommy Schutt Switches To Ohio State