In this year more than ever (at least in the Jim Tressel era), the Ohio State Buckeyes seem to be taking a "commit now or be left out" philosophy with recruiting in order to presumably maintain a concentrated focus on the regular season.  As of now, the Buckeyes have never been busier in the pre-summer recruiting season, having 14 total commitments and 1 decommitment (CB Darrell Givens) reverse his field to Penn State.  With 22 scholarships opening up at the end of the season (23 if you count the all-too-likely Beanie Wells NFL defection), there are roughly nine slots left in the current recruiting class, and quite frankly, more than nine top prospects are considering scholarship offers from Ohio State at the moment.

First, one must look at positions of need that have not yet bet filled in the class.  Clearly, the one area that leaves a glaring concern -- especially considering that Beanie Wells will surely depart for greener pastures at the end of the season -- is running back.  Along with Beanie, Maurice Wells is also a goner, leaving just Brandon "Zoom" Saine and Danny "Boom" Herron to man the backfield after the 2008 recruiting class failed to lock up a true tailback (for all intents and purposes, we will consider Jermil Martin a fullback, his likely college position).  As of right now, the only tailback commitment in 2009 is Jordan Hall out of Jeannette Pennsylvania.  Hall is a smaller back, that probably lacks the durability to be an every down kind of back at the next level.  As a result, the Buckeyes are looking at two other "franchise" type tailbacks out of the sunshine state: consensus All-American Jaamal Berry , a speedster who many recruiting pundits consider to be one of the three or four best backs in the country, and Carlos Hyde , a bruiser of a back at 225 lbs.  Scout actually lists Hyde as a fullback prospect, but he has the skills and durability to be a 20-25 carry type of player who would be a perfect compliment to Berry.  As of now, both players have Ohio State atop their lists of schools, and it is becoming more and more likely that both will make commitments sometime during the summer.

That leaves us with seven spots remaining, so lets move on to another position that is always looking for new blood: the offensive line.  Currently, there are two commitments along the line in Jack Mewhort and Corey Linsley .  Ideally, two more offensive linemen would round out this position perfectly.  One of the spots will likely not be officially filled until February, but let's be honest here, behemoth tackle Marcus Hall is a Buckeye and everybody knows it.  He's a Cleveland Glenville product, which means that Ohio State has had him on his radar since he came out of the womb, but the reason for his keeping his recruitment open is just Ted Ginn Sr.'s philosophy that his players should carry out the process as long as possible.  Chris Watt , the country's #2 offensive guard prospect (according to Scout), would be a perfect anchor for the class, but he will be a bit more difficult to lure in than Hall.  Right now, Ohio State seems to be neck and neck with Illinois for Watt's services, and the recruiting staff is focusing all of their attention to these two prospects.  If one decides to jump ship, it may be too late to draw in a fourth member.

Still with me?  Okay, if both Watt and Hall commit -- as I would imagine the staff would want to happen -- five scholarships remain.  Keeping on the offensive side of the ball, with Chris Fields and James Jackson in the fold, there may only be room for one more wide receiver in this class, and it's another lock.  Hopefully, Duron Carter' s name reminds you of a certain past Buckeye receiver who only went on to become one of the most successful pass catchers not only in Buckeye history, but in the NFL as well: Cris Carter.  Duron is Cris' son, and although it appeared early that Duron wanted to form his own legacy elsewhere, the Buckeyes have taken a commanding lead, and it is essentially a matter of "when" not "if" he will commit.  On the off chance that Carter spurs Ohio State, the Bucks may make a hard push for either Jehranie Boyd or Andre Debose , but as of now, it shouldn't be an issue.

Down to four, and time to move to the defensive side of the ball, and don't be surprised to see at least two of these spots go somewhere in the secondary, especially now that Darrell Givens is gone.  Florida prospects Vladimir Emilien and Brandon McGee both have Ohio State at or near the top of their lists, and Emilien could make it official any day now.  McGee could go either way at this point, and in case he does happen to go elsewhere, the staff has offered numerous other defensive backs including Dublin Scioto product Bradley McDougald, Middletown's DJ Hunter , and Dorian Bell's teammate Corey Brown .  With the staff vesting much interest in other defensive backs in recent days, McGee may be an unlikelihood at this point, but not an improbability.  Either way, I would bet two, possibly three defensive backs jump ship in this class.

This will leave either one or two spots left to fight over between numerous other prospects.  Jonathan Newsome is probably another lock to join the class, seeing as he does attend Glenville and is teammates with Marcus Hall.  The biggest name left on the board is five star DT Corey Brown from Arizona, who grew up a Buckeye fan, but will have to be drawn away from USC.  Other possibilities include (but are not limited to) St. X's Pat Muldoon (DE), Reid Fragel (TE), and Victor Marc (ATH) who does not yet hold an offer, but is a talented prospect that has Ohio State high on his list.  Of course, the numbers regarding remaining scholarships do not include other early draft departures, transfers, or guys who just couldn't cut it anymore.

This could turn out to be one of the deepest classes in Buckeye history, with potentially over 20 four star prospects.