Ohio State snags verbal from five-star recruit

By TIM MAY

Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

Noah Spence, the No.1 defensive end prospect in the country according to Rivals.com, planned to keep his commitment to Ohio State secret for a few weeks.

But after his official visit yesterday, he couldn’t contain himself.

“It felt like it was just the right thing to do,” Spence said by phone as he and his family drove home to Harrisburg, Pa., last night. “Now I am going to help get more recruits in, help this class a little more, hopefully get this thing rolling.”

The Buckeyes, led by new coach Urban Meyer, put the full-court press on Spence, with Meyer and defensive coaches Luke Fickell, Mike Vrabel and Taver Johnson traveling to Hershey, Pa., on Friday night to watch Spence’s high-school team, Harrisburg McDevitt, play in the Class AAA state championship game.

Spence and his family traveled to OSU on Saturday for his official visit, and his father, Greg, said going in that there was a chance it would be his son’s only official visit.

“We had a great time,” Greg Spence said Sunday night. “They’ve got a great organization, a first-class university, and we just had a great time with the staff and everyone on this visit.

“My son is content, and he just feels in his heart Ohio State University is where he wants to spend his next four years.”

Spence’s commitment confirms the momentum for the 2012 Ohio State recruiting class in just three weeks under Meyer.

Last week, he coaxed blue-chip prospects Tommy Schutt, a defensive tackle from Glen Ellyn, Ill., and defensive end Se’Von Pittman from Canton GlenOak to flip their commitments from Penn State and Michigan State, respectively.

Then Meyer closed the deal on Spence, who’s ranked the ninth-best overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com and is the first five-star prospect in the class that now numbers 19.

“I think the class is going to be great when it’s done,” Spence said.

The official visit simply confirmed the feelings Spence was having about OSU.

“It’s close to home, I love how my family can come watch me with no problem, and it’s blowing up to be a great program with a new coaching staff and everything,” Spence said. “They are trying to bring in some great players, and the players already there are good, too.”