Ohio: All Your Players Are Belong To Us

UPDATE:

Recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill weighs in on impact of Kalis switching to Michigan.



Over the weekend, two of the top high school football prospects in Ohio committed to Michigan as Brady Hoke continued to attract the best of the Buckeye state.

Kyle Kalis, a 5-star OL and Tosu* de-commit, chose the Wolverines after an unofficial visit on Sunday.  Kalis is the sixth-ranked offensive tackle in the country, the best player in Ohio and, according to MGo's TomVH, is already recruiting for Michigan.

Ouch.  That's gonna leave a mark.

This comes on the heals of 4-star Akron DB Jarrod Wilson committing on Friday.  Wilson is ranked as the #13 DB in the country by Rivals.

Yeah, I know Tosu* was gonna take a huge hit recruiting-wise after they were finally busted for cheating, but what Hoke is doing is nothing short of spectacular at this point.  I've heard of coaches "putting a fence" around their own state, but who knew Hoke's extended all the way down to the Kentucky border. 

MZone Exclusive: Fax Cam Wars Begin

Last week on National Signing Day (aka The Day You Didn't Get Shit Done at Work), the internet blew up with this image of the Alabama fax cam:




Now, while we're not fans of Nick "Oversign" Saban, as a general rule, we applaud the efforts of anyone trying to enhance the otherwise boring process of waiting for 18 year old high school football players to send over a signed piece of paper.  And nothing "enhances" said process like adding sexy coeds to the mix.

But if Saban thought other schools would merely stand idly by and let 'Bama corner the Fax Cam market as a way to sway potential recruits, he was wrong.

Very wrong.

In an MZone exclusive, we have obtained the images below after a few schools tested out their fax cams this week in preparation already for NSD 2012.

OLE MISS

Even though he joked about oversigning after grabbing 37 - 37! - players two years ago, Mississippi coach Houston Nutt has been overshadowed on the topic by Nick Oversaban* and 'Bama.  So there was no way in hell Nutt was going to let the same thing happen in the upcoming Fax Cam Wars.  As you can see below, Nutt and Ole Miss decided to "out execute" 'Bama with their fax cam -- and in the process delivered a significant upgrade to interested viewers as compared to a single Crimson Cabaret Girl.

Needless to say, we here at the MZone predict big things for Nutt's next recruiting class.  And he just might break his record 37 signees, to hell with the rules!



VANDERBILT

There's a reason Vandy is often near the bottom of the SEC.  Case in point: their entry below in the Fax Cam Wars.  It was predictably studious and boring.  No wonder they can't land the big recruits.  Didn't the coaching staff learn anything from their school's Theta chapter?  Better yet, couldn't they have a couple of them near the fax on NSD?



USC

Signing top level recruits has not been a problem for the USC Trojans over the last decade. Unfortunately, things may get tougher now that the NCAA has stepped in and demanded they follow the rules like everyone else.

Then again, their coach is Lane Kiffin who, despite sanctions, signed a Nutt-ish 30 players this year!  Things could even be better next year with the addition of the new fax cam they tested this week in LA.  Of course, we hope this Song Girl is cheering for a new recruit's signature and not something else.  They do get confused sometimes.


 AUBURN

Unwilling to stand pat, even in the wake of their National Championship, the Tigers are ready to show 'Bama that while sex may sell, there's something that recruits the parents of recruits respond to even more than hot coeds.

ED. NOTE: The Auburn athletic department contacted us to say that neither they - nor any future recruits - had/have/will have knowledge of this fax cam image.



 OHIO STATE

Never underestimate Jim Tressel.  As you can see below, he knows just how to woo potential Tosu recruits.

Well played, Sweater Vest.  Well played, sir.



* That's right: Nick Oversaban. Learn, use it, pass it on. And so it is christened.