Tressel continues to rack up talent

Updated: April 18, 2011 4:30PM

Don't doubt the sweater vest.

Everyone knows about Ohio State's tradition and the wealth of prep football

talent in its home state. But there's another reason the Buckeyes

consistently put together one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

"Jim Tressel is one of the more under-rated coaches on the recruiting side,"

said CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

This year, Tressel has landed another deep class that spotlights Ohio talent

but also includes players from other prep hotbeds such as Florida.

Leading the class is Huber Heights Wayne's Braxton Miller, who's ranked as

the No. 1 player in Ohio and the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation

by Rivals.com.

The Buckeyes also have commitments from the No. 3 center in the country,

Fremd's Brian Bobek, and the third-ranked defensive tackle, Michael Bennett

of Centerville, Ohio.

After the Buckeyes, Big Ten newcomer Nebraska and Iowa had the top classes.

It's a transitional year for the Cornhuskers, who still hit their

traditional recruiting base in the South hard as they gear up to shift their

focus to the Midwest and their new league.

The highlights of Nebraska's class include a pair of big offensive linemen:

6-foot-3, 300-pound Ryne Reeves of Crete, Neb., ranked fourth among the

nation's centers, and 6-6, 295 Tyler Moore of Clearwater, Fla., who's rated

fifth among tackles.

Expect the Cornhuskers to start paying more attention to Chicago in the near

future. "Nebraska is going to be coming in here hard," Lemming said.

"They're going to lose a lot of their connections to Texas."

Iowa already is putting plenty of time into its recruiting efforts here.

"They have three of the top players in Illinois," Lemming said, referring to

Glenbard West's Jordan Walsh, ranked 10th among the nation's offensive

guards; Thornridge running back Mikail McCall; and Edwardsville's

multi-talented Rodney Coe.

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