After a drought that lasted throughout the football season, Gareon Conley broke the ice on verbal commitments to the Buckeyes on Friday. Will more come this week? This is Across The Field, a regular feature on BuckeyeNation where we point you to noteworthy Buckeyes coverage here and elsewhere. Think something should be included? Send it to espnkendrick@gmail.com. First, as always, our week in review:

 

BuckeyeNation Week in Review

• This is a major recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes, and perhaps the biggest target is Mike Mitchell, an ESPN 150 linebacker from Plano, Texas.
• But they couldn't get OL David Dawson of Detroit, a former Michigan commitment, to cross the border this weekend.
• No, the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry never really takes a day off.
• The Buckeyes were able to close and get a commitment from former Michigan pledge Gareon Conley. With Conley, the Buckeyes' DB class is looking very strong.
• The 2012 Ohio State secondary didn't look too bad, either. Bradley Roby picked up a big honor on Saturday, too.
• Austin Ward's year in review continued with the offensive line, defensive line, linebackers and specialists.
• Ohio State QB Braxton Miller ranks among the top quarterbacks in college football, according to ESPN Insider Brock Huard.
• Miller didn't get a Heisman invitation, but he did win the Silver Football Award as the best player in the Big Ten.
• So how many players will the Buckeyes take in this class? That's a moving target, Brad Bournival writes.
• ESPN 150 RB David Williams has Ohio State in his final three.
• But the Buckeyes lost out on OL Jimmy Byrne, a junior from Cleveland St. Ignatius who picked Notre Dame.
• Junior college linebacker Tommy Sanders was another player scheduled to come this weekend.
• A 2015 quarterback from Canton McKinley already has an Ohio State offer.
• A sophomore defensive tackle from North Carolina has an OSU offer as well.
• Jonathan Haden is planning a visit to Columbus soon.
• Ohio State still leads for WR Shelton Gibson, but he's taking visits.
• OSU president E. Gordon Gee's logic on the bowl ban is flawed, writes Adam Rittenberg.
• Some Big Ten officials are hinting that the league wants to get to 16 teams.
• Oregon is in the mix for former Auburn LB commit Trey Johnson, who also has an Ohio State offer.
• Bournival answered five big recruiting questions (send yours in the Horseshoe Pit forum).
• And if you're not an Insider yet and can't read all of our recruiting news, it's half price right now for the next six months at $9.99. And recruiting news isn't the only benefit, too.

Football

• Ohio State renamed a street in honor of the undefeated season. (Plain Dealer)
• A photo gallery from the celebration. (OSU)
• Ohio State lost a villain with Bret Bielema's departure to the SEC, writes Doug Lesmerises. (Plain Dealer)
• They gained one of their greats, as the school hired Eddie George in a fund-raising, ambassador-type role. (Dispatch)
• John Cooper was named to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. (The problem was just getting there, right?) (Dispatch)
• Twelve reasons why Ohio State went 12-0. (Toledo Blade)
• History will be kind to the 2012 Buckeyes, writes Rob Oller. (Dispatch)
• A Lebanon, Ohio, QB committed to Ohio State as a preferred walk-on. (Land Grant Holy Land)
• And Mike Vrabel needs to remember he doesn't wear a helmet on the sidelines anymore. (Twitter)

Basketball

• The Buckeyes showed a lot of balance in a home win over Long Beach State.
• Ohio State's defense needs to improve. (Dispatch)
• Within Bob Hunter's Friday column is an update on Greg Oden, who is taking this season off to heal. (Dispatch)
• Ohio State's bench production is evolving. (Eleven Warriors)
• And LaQuinton Ross is becoming a go-to player. (Lantern)

The Gang's All Here

• An associate athletic director is leaving OSU to become AD at Hawaii. (Dispatch)
• The women's volleyball team's lost to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament. (Lantern)
• And 61 Buckeyes athletes were named academic All-Big Ten. (OSU)