OSU Buckeyes

Seven Ohio State commits are featured in the updated ESPN 150, while there are 11 overall in the ESPN 300.

The list is led by five-star cornerback Eli Woodard (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern) at No. 6 -- up one from the spot he held the last time the list was updated -- but it’s also becoming harder and harder to ignore running back Ezekiel Elliott (St. Louis/John Burroughs).

With yet another video-game like season, Elliott was the biggest climber among Buckeyes commits as he worked his way into the ESPN 150, settling in at 139 overall -- up 36 spots from his previous ranking.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Finally, Urban Meyer once again had the opportunity every coach wants.

The outcome was well in hand thanks to another prolific offensive performance and continued improvements from the defense, and the Ohio State coach could at last pull his veterans and get a look at their backups -- and his talented freshmen.

Meyer obviously would have wanted a few more chances this season to get meaningful reps for his first signing class with the Buckeyes and put some teaching points on film, but it was obviously better late than never as he trotted out a bunch of new faces on the offensive line, a young tailback and a handful of defenders needing some work in a 52-22 destruction of Illinois.

"I was disappointed we didn't get one or two of those earlier in the year," Meyer said. " ... But I'm glad to see it, because there's no way you can simulate that in practice.

"It's priceless to be able to do that."

The Buckeyes have tried duplicate the experience with some spirited scrimmages for the younger players on Sundays as the season has progressed, though Meyer didn't put them through one after the win over the Illini heading into a bye week. Perhaps that was thanks in part to the opportunity the rout provided the night before, which revealed or confirmed some of the promise the freshman class has moving forward, starting with these three Buckeyes.

Bri'onte Dunn

• Position: Running back
• Stats sheet: 13 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown

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Pittsburgh fans can breathe a sigh of relief. ESPN 150 receiver Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) will take an official visit to Pitt.

Less than a week after tweeting he was ready to make a decision following his official visit to Alabama, Foster announced via his Twitter account @DROBFoster_4 he will visit Pitt later this month.

“My official visit to PITT on the 16th,” he wrote.

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One of the top remaining targets for Ohio State and Pittsburgh has set official visits to both schools.

ESPN 150 offensive tackle Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) will officially visit Pitt the weekend of Nov. 16. His official visit to Ohio State will take place the weekend of Dec. 7, he told ESPN.com in a text message.

Johnson has Pitt as his top school with Ohio State close behind.

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One of the top prospects in Georgia for the 2014 class, ESPN Watch List selection Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County) was in Gainesville, Fla., over the weekend to check out the University of Florida. Following his trip, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior had good things to say about the Gators.

“The visit to Florida was really nice and I enjoyed spending time with Will Muschamp,” McMillan said. “He told me about how he wants me to come in and play in his system, and what it is like playing for a defensive-minded head coach. He wants me to make plays at traditional middle linebacker.”

McMillan likes the thought of staying in the middle in college, but more than that, he is hoping for an opportunity to come in and play early at the next level. He met one player at Florida who was able to do just that in linebacker Jon Bostic.

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Might there be another Bosa headed to Ohio State in four years?

That remains to be seen, but the Buckeyes threw their hat in the ring early with an offer to freshman defensive end Nick Bosa (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas).

Bosa is certainly not a strange last name to recruiting cirles as his brother Joey Bosa is an Under Armour All-American, ESPN 150 defensive tackle and 2013 Ohio State commit. His father, John Bosa was a a first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 1987 NFL Draft.

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There is a battle brewing between a pair of Big Ten squads for the services of power forward Nigel Hayes (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer). The 6-foot-7 post recently eliminated Minnesota and Stanford from his list, leaving Wisconsin and Ohio State left in the running.

Hayes is the No. 4-ranked senior player in Ohio and is on the cusp of being a Top 100 talent after enjoying a strong spring and an even better summer on the hardwood. He has continued to make strides this fall and could be in line for a huge senior campaign.

Hayes is a combo forward who is more of a power forward at this stage of his career. His versatility is what is so attractive to college coaches. Hayes runs the floor well on the break and is a good finisher. He has a solid offensive scoring package that allows him to score inside the paint and from the perimeter. Hayes can post smaller defenders, scoring over his left shoulder or using his quickness to spin off of defenders playing him too tightly. On the perimeter he makes plays from about 20 feet and in.

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Ezekiel Elliott (St. Louis/John Burroughs) certainly knows how to make an impression. With Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton in attendance, the Buckeyes commit did what he usually does in pressure situations.

In a 50-6 Class 3 playoff victory over Soldan, Elliott rushed 11 times for 57 yards and scored four touchdowns. When a ball was thrown his way, he made four catches for 109 yards and scored twice more.

Add a bone-crushing block on a kickoff and Drayton had to walk away feeling happy about the backfield of the future with Elliott coming in the fall. Elliott has scored 41 touchdowns this season and 83 in the last two years.

His John Burroughs team, which won its third consecutive district title, advances to play Park Hills Central on Saturday in the quarterfinals.

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The myth that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer isn’t recruiting the Buckeye state hard is just that. He's hitting Ohio this week as hard as the presidential candidates have for the past month.

The first-year Buckeyes coach toured Northeast Ohio on Monday, stopping at Cleveland Heights, Cleveland Glenville, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and Shaker Heights.

While he couldn’t talk to all the targets -- NCAA rules prohibit direct contact with underclassmen -- Meyer did get to check in on more than a few recruits.

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It was not an average Thursday for Mark Lyons. When you coach ESPN 150 receiver Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), there are hardly any quiet days, but Nov. 1 was wilder than others.

The No. 2 receiver and No. 23 player nationally, Foster tweeted he was ready to make a decision. He just came off an official visit to Alabama and tweeted his father likes the Crimson Tide while his mother would prefer to see him at Pittsburgh.

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Ohio State will leave no stone unturned in its effort to shore up the linebacking unit for the future.

The latest Class of 2014 linebacker to join the list is Nyles Morgan (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee), who announced on his Twitter account the news of an offer from the Buckeyes.

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Ohio State kicked off its bye week by offering two of the hottest underclassman prospects in the country.

It started Saturday evening when 2014 linebacker Dillon Bates (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Ponte Vedra) was offered and continued Monday when 2015 running back Damien Harris (Berea, Ky./Madison Southern) nabbed an offer from the Buckeyes as well.

Bates took an unofficial visit to The Horseshoe on Saturday and witnessed Ohio State’s 52-22 win over Illinois, picking up an offer shortly after the game.

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Johnny Townsend (Orlando, Fla./Boone) is more than just a punter. While his 58-yard boot turned into a muffed punt that Boone recovered inside the 10, the Ohio State commit also recorded a sack and five tackles from his safety position. It led to a playoff-clinching 35-7 win over Cypress Creek.

Here’s how the other 16 Buckeyes commits fared over the weekend:

J.T. Barrett: Rider (Texas) quarterback is out for season with torn ACL and meniscus. Team still beat Denton 40-7.

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Drew Barker has a plan, albeit a tentative one.

The junior quarterback from Hebron (Ky.) Conner told ESPN on Monday that he'd like to announce his college decision in January, February or March. However, that's not set in stone.

When asked why he wanted to announce his decision so early, Barker said, "Just to focus on my senior year and to start to recruit for my school. If I don't feel right during those months then I won't do it,but that's what I'm shooting for."

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