OSU Buckeyes

FRISCO, Texas -- Soso Jamabo (Plano, Texas/Plano West) would have liked to be a part of this weekend’s Nike EYBL series playing with the Texas Titans. With a sling on his right shoulder, however, the 2015 two-sport star was reduced to watching the Titans on the bench, offering instruction to teammates and being the team’s biggest supporter.

For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.

“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”

Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.

Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.

Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- A month ago, Jonathan Hilliman released a top 10. He is slowly whittling his list to a final school.

“It’s coming down to seven. I dropped some schools,” Hilliman said. “We narrowed it down so we could go out and see these places and get a feel for who’s who and who’s interested and who’s not.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Throughout the next few months, BuckeyeNation will look deeper into those juniors offered by Ohio State. We’ll give as much detail as we can and go behind the scenes to see why these class of 2014 standouts are so attractive to the Buckeyes. Next on the list of cornerbacks is Jabrill Peppers, who took a recent swing through the Midwest and saw both Ohio State and Michigan.

Vitals: Peppers (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) is 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

By mid-July, one of the top players in the country will have a pretty good idea as to where he will be playing his college football in 2014.

Paramus (N.J.) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers, No. 2 in the ESPN 150, will visit Stanford in July. Following that trip, he will have his future program in mind.

“Definitely after I visit Stanford I should have it pretty clear where I want to go,” Peppers said.

The five-star cornerback is coming off April trips to LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, and while Peppers did not tip his hand, people close to the dynamic two-way athlete say Michigan has a sizeable lead of those three. He has listed Stanford as his No. 1 for several months and will visit Palo Alto before officially dropping them from the top of his list.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ESPN 150 defensive end Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) is about as unassuming a high-profile recruit as one will come across.

He doesn’t get tangled up in the vastness of recruiting. He's not one to openly speak of his achievements. He’s also not one to rush a decision as important as his commitment to the college program of his choice.

Go ahead and ask him where he’s going or who he’s favoring and you’ll get an answer you’d swear was stuck on loop.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

This past weekend, Garrett Dickerson (Oradell, N.J./Bergen Catholic) sat in on a sleep study at Stanford. Now the Cardinal coaches are hoping Dickerson puts his recruitment to bed.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Want to know where Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) will end up? Good luck with that.

Truth is, the ESPN Watch List defensive end is wide open with his recruiting process -- and by “wide open,” that doesn’t mean, in this case, that he has a favorite but is keeping it under wraps.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

A top 10 has emerged for touted running back Jonathan Hilliman (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep), and now some separation is starting to take place among those schools.

“The top five has definitely broken apart but not severely far,” Hilliman said. “I’m not counting out the other schools, depending on what they bring to the table -- if it's academics or great environment or great coaching staff.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

When Ole Miss offered Watch List offensive lineman Quenton Nelson (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) on Monday, the Rebels became the 29th team to extend a scholarship. As of now, all of them are technically in contention for Nelson’s commitment.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

He was singled out as a super sophomore following the New Level Athletics 7-on-7 Midwest Regional in Youngstown, Ohio last weekend. Now, he’s a Class of 2015 athlete with an offer from Ohio State to go along with offers from Michigan and Michigan State.

That the three schools have offered with Notre Dame and Stanford showing interest is even surprising in itself to Brian Cole (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage)

“I feel blessed and thank God that I got the Ohio State offer,” the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Cole said. “It feels great. Words can’t explain what it means to get it this early. I’ll keep grinding even more. To be honest I actually am kind of shocked.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ATHENS, Ga. -- For most high school players, the end of practice means they get a break from the incessant nagging and ceaseless instruction of their coaches. They go home, eat dinner, study and enjoy the respite until the whistles start blowing next time. For ESPN Watch List safety Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), that is not the case.

Wilson’s father is the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach at the University School, so Wilson jokes that he gets no respite.

“Oh no, there’s no break, there’s no break,” Wilson said. “Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, I get it at practice, before practice, after practice, in the car, at the dinner table ...”

The talented junior laughed about the nonstop instruction but he also credited his father with making him the player he is today -- one of the most coveted safeties in Florida.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Defensive back Jabrill Peppers (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) can choose any school he would like. From the SEC to the Big Ten, Peppers is coveted by most top programs across the country. He is still mulling through the information in front of him, but according to his coach, Chris Partridge, there are four schools currently sticking out.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

It won’t be much of a break for Braden Smith (Olathe, Kan./Olathe) in a few weeks.

Then again, one of the most sought-after offensive guards in the nation wants to make sure he’s making the right choice when it comes to colleges.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider