Johnnie Dixon gave his pledge to Ohio State and it's starting to look like a reality that Marshon Lattimore and Erick Smith will be next on the list.
The biggest news of Tuesday came at 3 p.m. eastern time when Johnnie Dixon made his official announcement to commit to Ohio State.
I'm a buckeye!!! Thanks to everyone for the support...!
— Johnnie Dixon (@JDStandAlone) December 17, 2013
Dixon was held in extremely high regards to the Buckeye coaching staff and is a player who should shine over the next four years in Columbus. Johnnie Dixon was the pure wide receiver Ohio State was looking for and they grabbed an elite talent to add to the playmakers already locked into the Dream 14. Former Florida safety and current Baltimore Raven Matt Elam likes the pick up too.
Ohio State just got themselves a threat, @BraxtonMiller5 gon throw that bih deep to @JDStandAlone..! Lol...
— Matthew Elam (@ElamVsElo) December 17, 2013
For more on the commitment, see what our own Miles Joseph had to say.
Johnnie Dixon had a phone call with Raekwon McMillan last night. Raekwon told him "he's next." @Bill_Kurelic will have more on Dixon soon
— RyanBartow247 (@RyanBartow) December 17, 2013
Though it'll be hard to top the stretch Buckeye Nation has seen over the past few days, it continues to look as if Marshon Lattimore and Erick Smith will become Buckeyes at the U.S. Army Game on January 6th. It's not a huge surprise, but remember, Alabama coach Nick Saban was in to see the Glenville trio last week in an effort to make one last pitch and you can never be too cautious when dealing with an elite coach like Saban. All-in-all, it seems as if Smith and Lattimore have been Buckeye leans for quite some time, and Scout.com's Bill Greene seems to agree.
Next up for Ohio State will be upcoming commitments of Glenville's Erick Smith & Marshon Lattimore Jan. 6 at Army game. Looks good for both
— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) December 17, 2013
If you haven't been able to check Erick Smith out in action this season, here's some highlights from Glenville's state championship game.
A few weeks ago, 247Sports started up a feature where current football prospects could make their own crystal ball prediction for other prospects around the country. It may mean nothing, but could possibly be insight to the future, but current Alabama commit Christian Miller has picked long-time Michigan lean Malik McDowell to eventually end up a Buckeye. Now obviously Miller isn't an expert and we should most likely take this with a grain of salt, but it would be oh so sweet if Urban Meyer closed on McDowell like he has done to so many others in the past. McDowell is a 6'7, 4-star defensive end from Michigan.
QUICK HITS:
- To the ice, Ohio State's hockey program picked up a commitment from Christian Lampasso, a speedster from Buffalo, New York.
I'm happy to announce my commitment to The Ohio State University.
— Christian Lampasso (@dreadsy1) December 17, 2013
- Ohio State basketball signee Keita Bates-Diop finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 96-29 University High(IL) smashing of Olympia High. Keita and the Pioneers are still a perfect 9-0 on the year.
- Fellow future Buckeye baller Jae'Sean Tate and Pickerington Central bounced back from a weekend loss to Huntington Prep (WV) to beat in-town rival, Pickerington North last night, 75-44. Tate had another impressive ballgame for the Tigers finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
- Another class of 2014 prospect was in action last night as Dave Bell and Garfield Heights took on class of 2016 power forward Omari Spellman and North Royalton. The Buckeye big man prospect scored eight points in the 69-54 Bulldog win. Bell might have won the game but Spellman won the battle of the bigmen. Omari finished with nearly all his teams points, scoring 40 of North Royalton's 54 points. One of the top sophomore in the state, Spellman currently holds offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Dayton.
- 2015 OSU commit AJ Harris and Dayton Dunbar were back in action last night after tasting defeat for their first time this season over the weekend to Hargrave Academy (VA). Harris pitched in 15 points in a 80-46 Dunbar victory over North College Hill.
- 2015 OSU prospect Luke Kennard scored 37 points in a 81-44 Franklin High (OH) victory over Talawanda yesterday. Last week in front of Thad Matta and Jeff Boals, Kennard scored a Franklin High school record 51 points, breaking a record previously set by his uncle.
- Check out these senior year highlights of Brother Rice (MI) wide receiver Corey Lacanaria. A tough 5-9, class of 2014 prospect, Corey holds a preferred walk-on offer from the Buckeyes to go along with opportunities at Cornell, Valparaiso and others: