Ohio State may score big on signing day

NEW YORK -- Three straight BCS breakdowns aren't keeping the big-time recruits away from Ohio State.

Coach Jim Tressel is set to turn another batch of blue-chippers into Buckeyes, putting together a class that should rate among the best in the nation today, the first day high school players can make their verbal commitments to colleges official.

Most of the usual suspects have been cleaning up on the recruiting trail: Southern California, Texas and LSU have classes the experts are touting as top-10 caliber.

Defending champion Florida's class is small, but strong.

Michigan's first class fully recruited by new coach Rich Rodriguez should give Wolverines fans some hope for a brighter future after a 3-9 debacle in 2008.

Miami coach Randy Shannon is poised to have a second consecutive promising signing day, if star running back Bryce Brown of Wichita, Kan., keeps his commitment and signs with the Hurricanes. He also has taken visits to Oregon, Clemson and Missouri.

And at Alabama, Nick Saban has another top-rated class lined up to help him keep the Crimson Tide where he had them for much of the 2008 season: atop the polls.

The national championship has been elusive for Tressel and the Buckeyes in recent years, despite Ohio State's domination of the Big Ten. Ohio State has won or shared four straight conference titles, but lost three consecutive Bowl Championship Series games, including back-to-back title games after the 2006 and '07 seasons.

The Buckeyes had their hearts broken again in January, losing 24-21 to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl on a last-minute touchdown.

Ohio State was expected to receive national letters of intent from 26 recruits, including most of the top players in the Buckeye state. Going into signing day, Ohio State was ranked No. 1 by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Tressel dipped into western Pennsylvania for his two highest-rated recruits. Linebacker Dorian Bell and defensive back Corey Brown, teammates at Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa., were both given five-star ratings by Rivals.com.

Ohio State even managed to convince a few four-star recruits from the Sunshine State -- running back Jaamal Berry of Miami and wide receiver Duron Carter of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- to leave the Deep South.