OSU Buckeyes

Holding more than 40 offers, running back Joe Mixon (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) is arguably the most sought-after recruit in the West region. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound, four-star back is the top running back in the West and the No. 135 player in the country. His offer sheet has seemingly grown by the minute this spring, but he isn't in any hurry to narrow it down.

Despite tweeting out a list of 16 programs several weeks ago, Mixon said Sunday that he only did that to highlight the schools recruiting him the hardest, not anything to be taken as a group of finalists.

"I'm still talking to a lot of people," Mixon said. "The recruiting thing has been crazy the past couple of weeks. I've pretty much been taking it well. I talk to them before school, during lunch and after school. I'm not to the stressful part yet, but the hard part has been staying in contact with everybody."

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Two prospects with scholarship offers from Southeastern Conference power programs said they’re following through with plans to look hard at schools in other parts of the country.

Safety Mattrell McGraw (River Ridge, La./John Curtis) and outside linebacker Petera Wilson (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) hold offers from Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Wilson has also been offered by Florida, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State; McGraw by Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

When the SEC comes calling, recruits tend to listen. It is no different with ESPN Watch List linebacker Clifton Garrett (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South).

Garrett will visit Alabama and LSU on consecutive days next weekend, checking out the Crimson Tide on Friday before going to Baton Rouge for the LSU spring game Saturday.

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

With his ties to the Buckeye State, first-year Tennessee coach Butch Jones is making a concerted effort in Ohio. The Volunteers hosted a target from the state earlier this week.

Outside linebacker Kyle Berger (Cleveland/Saint Ignatius) made a two-day visit to Knoxville beginning Monday after Volunteers assistant coach Mark Elder offered the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Berger in January.

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

ATHENS, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List wide receiver Demarre Kitt (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) recently cut his mammoth offer list down to a top-15 group of schools that he will consider.

“It got crazy at one point with almost everybody that offered me trying to talk to me,” Kitt said. “So I had to cut my list down to 15 schools. After spring practice I will cut it down to eight or 10. At the end of summer I will do five and then go from there.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Ohio State came calling and another ESPN Watch List junior put the Buckeyes in his top five.

When Tim Hinton offered John Smith (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) on Tuesday, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete was taken aback.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ATLANTA -- With a wind-chill factor in the low 20s and occasional snow flurries blowing through the air, outside linebacker Petera Wilson (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) had a hard time staying warm Saturday. The cold kept his legs tight and he was not happy with his 40-yard dash or agility shuttle times. After having driven from Memphis, Tenn., to Atlanta to compete in the Nike SPARQ Combine, the talented junior left Lakewood Stadium cold and disappointed.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban went back to the area where he first started coaching to offer a trio of 2014 prospects on Wednesday.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Many high school prospects are evaluated for months or even years before a college program extends a scholarship offer. Highlights from sophomore seasons are compared to those of junior seasons to see progression and potential. Players who make a name for themselves as juniors are visited as seniors to gauge their possible impact at the next level. And then there are prospects like Joe Mixon (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) for whom the entire process takes three or maybe four days.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Houston Lamar safety John Bonney's trip to Texas for its first junior day of the year started out well.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider