By name recognition it won’t be Ohio State’s biggest “get” on signing day, but it’ll likely be one of the more satisfying ones for a former Florida head coach.
As late as yesterday, it was being reported that the Gators were “still in good shape” when it came to landing wide receiver James Clark. In the end, it was the exact opposite as the 5-11, 170-pound New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) product announced Wednesday that he had opted to sign with Urban Meyer and Ohio State. OSU, UF and Clemson were in the receiver’s final three. The four-star’s decision came a couple of days after a visit to Gainesville.
Clark is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 45 receiver in the country. He’s the second recruit who is listed as a receiver (four-star Mississippi HS WR Corey Smith) to become a part of Meyer’s 2013 class. Three-star receiver Taivon Jacobs, an OSU verbal commitment, flipped to his home state Maryland, in part because of Clark’s signing.
Meyer and his staff were far from done, however, as they also landed what many considered to be a five-star surprise and one who could push the class to the cream of the 2013 recruiting crop.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that highly-rated Georgia high school safety Vonn Bell would be signing with Tennessee. At a press conference later in the morning, however, Bell announced that he would instead sign with the Buckeyes.
Meyer had hinted Wednesday morning that there was one player whose status he and his staff were uncertain of. Bell cleared up the uncertainty a short time later, much to the detriment of the Vols.
Bell becomes the second Rivals-five-star recruit in OSU’s 2013 class, which entered the day tied with, who else, Florida for the No. 2 class behind Alabama. The early returns are that Bell’s commitment has pushed the Buckeyes past both the Tide and the Gators into Rivals’ top spot, at least for the time being.
