At least in part, the question as to whether Ohio State will suffer any longer-term and/or recruiting damage given the utter mess that is currently consuming the program has been answered.
First, the Buckeys lost their man, Jim Tressel, who was forced to resigned on Memorial Day. Then, tOSU lost their quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, who will forgo his senior year and try his luck in the date-not-yet-determined supplemental draft.
Now, and as a result of the instability at Ohio State, the Buckeyes appear to have lost their first recruit.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, incoming freshman linebacker Ejuan Price has asked to be released from his Ohio State letter of intent. A team spokesperson confirmed the request.
“He just didn’t feel any stability there even before (Jim) Tressel resigned (on May 30),” said George Novak, Price’s high school coach.
Price was a three-star linebacker out of Woodland Hills High School in the greater Pittsburgh area.
It should be noted that just because Price has asked for a release from his scholarship, it’s not guaranteed that it will be granted by the university. OSU representatives have not responded to the request and are not expected to do so until tomorrow (Friday).
Anytime a program of any caliber experiences turmoil, you can expect that recruiting will take a hit. Still, the interest of at least one recruit has already publicly wavered -- a strong first indicator that even Ohio State could have trouble recruiting over the coming years with its current NCAA woes.