Recruits stick with Ohio State football despite Jim Tressel's resignation

Among the members of the 2012 recruiting class who already have made verbal commitments to play football for Ohio State, there seemed to be one overriding characteristic to their feelings in the days that have followed Jim Tressel's resignation May 30: Ohio State is still Ohio State.

That was among the comments Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) junior wide receiver Frank Epitropulous made on his Facebook page on Memorial Day afternoon, a little longer than a month after he first committed.

His father, John Epitropoulos, who played for the Buckeyes during the late 1970s, said May 31 that his son had no other comment than his statement on Facebook which read: "Thanks Coach Tressel for giving me the opportunity to play at OSU. You will be missed. Ohio State is still Ohio State and I'm still a Buckeye. Go Bucks!"

Similar sentiments rang from many of the other eight members of Ohio State's 2012 recruiting class.

Just two days after the Columbus Dispatch reported that sources encouraged Tressel to resign amid the mounting pressure, a pending NCAA disciplinary hearing and new revelations about the culture of the program, the Buckeyes nailed down a new recruit.

Tyvis Powell of Bedford told various news outlets June 1 that he had chosen to play for Ohio State over Michigan State, West Virginia and Syracuse. He announced the commitment on the front steps of his high school.

Since early December, the only other recruits Ohio State has added have been Epitropoulos and St. Ignatius (Cleveland) tight end Blake Thomas, who verbally committed May 17. Twelve other Ohio residents, meanwhile, have committed to play for schools in the Big Ten or SEC since that time.

"I knew eight years ago I wanted to play for Ohio State," Powell said. "I'm not going to take my talents out of state. I'm going to play for coach (Luke) Fickell."

A 6-foot-4, 185-pounder who played mostly at safety last season for the Bearcats, Powell could play cornerback in college. He has 65 tackles, four interceptions and eight pass deflections during his career according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Several news organizations also reported that Kyle Kalis of St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) has reaffirmed the Sept. 17 commitment he made to eventually sign with the Buckeyes. The 6-5, 305 junior lineman originally called Fickell during the afternoon May 31 to announce that he was de-committing.

Fickell, who has been named interim coach for the entire 2011 season, proceeded to convince Kalis that he should stay on board during a near-hour conversation.

"The only way I'd go to Ohio State is if coach Fickell is the coach," Kalis told the Plain Dealer. "I know him pretty well. He knows the way I'm a fighter and I don't give up on things. He said he went through the same thing in college and ended up going to Ohio State, and he said if I go to Ohio State, it will be the best decision of my life. He knew what I knew, that I wanted to be a Buckeye."

As of now, the rest of Ohio State's 2012 recruiting class remains intact as well.

Josh Perry of Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio), who was the first commit to the class on June 29, said he's sticking "by coach Fickell and the Ohio State Buckeyes 100 percent." Perry is a 6-3, 225-pound outside linebacker who is competing this weekend in Ohio's state track and field meet in the long jump.

"I'm upset about the whole ordeal and the way coach Tressel went out," Perry said in a text message. "He is a respectable man, but we must move on. It was a move for the best. We must focus on the season and the coach search now. I know it'll be a good pick."

St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, Ohio) running back Warren Ball, who was the second commit to the class by doing so on Sept. 1, also has made it clear that he remains committed to Ohio State.

"He has said that his dream has always been to be a running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes," Stallions coach Ryan Wiggins said about Ball, who also is participating in Ohio's state track meet this weekend in a sprint relay.

Pickerington Central (Ohio) offensive lineman Jacoby Boren (6-2, 273), whose brothers, Zach and Justin, both played for Ohio State, said he's "looking forward to being a Buckeye.

"I'm disappointed that I won't have the opportunity to play for coach Tressel, but I have confidence in coach Fickell and the Ohio State program," Boren said in a text message.

Bri'onte Dunn of GlenOak (Canton, Ohio) committed to Ohio State on Sept. 27 but took a visit to Michigan earlier this spring.

"He's 100 percent committed to Ohio State," GlenOak coach Scott Garcia told the Dispatch. "He just wanted to go out and see some other places, kind of compare different places and different facilities."

Jarrod Ulrey covers Central and Northern Ohio for MaxPreps.com. He has covered prep sports for ThisWeekSPORTS.com for 16 years and can be reached at julrey@thisweeknews.com.