• Linebacker is no longer a weakness in this recruiting class. A great defensive group is coming together after ESPN 150 linebackers Trey Johnson and Mike Mitchell put on Ohio State caps at the big national all-star games over the weekend.
• Both are aggressive linebackers who have elite speed and a nasty streak on the field. And both have the potential to make an early impact. Brad Bournival wrote about Johnson's brute style and Mitchell's natural ability.
• With Cam Burrows, Gareon Conley and Eli Apple, the Buckeyes are cornering the market on elite defensive backs. And they can still land Vonn Bell, too.
• The Buckeyes didn't get WR James Quick and are still in the market for a receiver or two. Shelton Gibson of Cleveland Heights, who had a nice week leading into the Army game, is one of them.
• Conley could become a receiver, too.
• And Ezekiel Elliott, the Buckeyes' only running back pledge, showed his versatility by playing a little defense this week in Texas.
• Jalin Marshall's transformation into a receiver has begun, and early returns are promising for the 2013 commit, who was a quarterback at Middletown (Ohio).
• The defensive linemen in this class could be special as well.
• Bournival shone the Under Armour spotlight on Marcus Baugh, Joey Bosa, Cam Burrows, Gareon Conley and Marshall.
• And another Georgia prospect, LB Jevin Mouhon, picked up an OSU offer, the third from the same Atlanta-area high school, Norcross.
• Dillon Bates, a 2014 linebacker from Florida who has an Ohio State offer, impressed at the UA camp.
• Austin Ward continued his series on how the Buckeyes will replace departing players. This week, how they'll deal with the losses of John Simon, Jake Stoneburner and Nathan Williams.
• Urban Meyer talked to Mike & Mike.
• Ohio State surged ahead of Michigan in the recruiting rankings. Can they stay there? Bournival and the WolverineNation crew had that debate this week, and looked ahead to 2014 as both schools are wrapping up their current classes.
• A potential Big Ten division realignment is coming this spring, writes Adam Rittenberg.
• And the Big Ten is likely to revamp its bowl tie-ins.

Football

• The Buckeyes tried not to dwell on the bowl ban, but it still lingered. (Dispatch)
• Counting down Braxton Miller's top five plays of 2012. (Plain Dealer)
• Another writer sees a resemblance between 2012 Notre Dame and 2002 Ohio State. (Lima News)
• A breakdown of which players had the most touches in 2012. (Eleven Warriors)
• Ohio State will celebrate what would have been Woody Hayes' 100th birthday with a fundraising dinner. (Dispatch)

Basketball

• A familiar nemesis got the best of the Buckeyes in Champaign on Saturday.
• The Buckeyes need better production inside to be a Big Ten contender, writes Michael Arace. (Dispatch).
• Eamonn Brennan wrote a primer what looks to be a crazy Big Ten race.
• Keeping up with Buckeyes in the NBA. (Land Grant Holy Land)

The Gang's All Here

• Freshman Ameryst Alston is embracing her role as a defensive stopper. (Dispatch)
• The women's gymnastics team is ranked and opened the season with a win. (OSU)
• The No. 4 OSU wrestling team lost at No. 5 Iowa. (OSU)
• Sophomore hockey player Ryan Zeingel had a hat trick vs. Penn State and earned a CCHA honor. (OSU)