Noah Spence, T.J. Yeldon Make Big Recruiting News

-by Braden Gall (follow on @AthlonBraden)

Urban Meyer’s impact has already sent shockwaves through the recruiting world. His biggest coup yet came this weekend when the No. 3-rated player in the Athlon Consensus 100 committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt defensive end Noah Spence visited Columbus this weekend for the first time and announced he would be heading to Ohio State. Penn State had been rumored to be his top school, but the hiring of Meyer and the child-sex abuse scandal in Happy Valley pushed the 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end to the rival Buckeyes.

Spence had planned to announce his college of choice at the Under Armour All-American game in January. And Ohio State was not even supposed to be in the mix.

Meyer has changed all of that.

On the heels of Cincinnati (Ohio) Taft defensive end Adolphus Washington crediting Meyer directly in his announcement speech, Spence pulled a total shocker by verballing to OSU. Spence and Washington, combined with AC100 talents Canton (Ohio) McKinley end Se’Von Pittman and Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West tackle Tommy Schutt, give Ohio State one of the best defensive line hauls in the nation. Schutt was previously committed to Penn State and switched his pledge about a week ago, while Pittman had been committed to Michigan State until last weekend.

Meyer, and Meyer alone, has to be given direct credit for Ohio State's massive surge on the recruiting trail.

Where Spence Ranks:

Rivals: No. 9 player in the nation
Scout: No. 6
ESPN: No. 4
247Sports: No. 15
O-D: No. 5
NCSA: No. 11

Speed, quickness and burst, for a player of his size, is where Spence’s advantage lies currently. He gets up the field with great burst and can get to the quarterback in a hurry. He displays tremendous closing speed and will deliver the big hit when he arrives. Spence may be the best pure pass rusher in this class. He is ideally suited for an outside rush backer in a 3-4 scheme or, with some added bulk, could succeed as a pure end in a 4-3. He has great range, lateral movements and pursuit skills for a player of his size and position. He has a solid collection of pass-rushing skills, but needs to work on refining them.

While his technique should develop, he will need to focus on maintaining his fundamentals at the point of attack against the run. He can be so quick and explosive, that he has a tendency to work around blockers instead of through them. Playing with a consistency is something most young athletes need to focus on and Spence needs to work on delivering more consistent play.

Spence's father, Gregory Spence, played college football at NC State.

T.J. Yeldon Pulls A Yellowhammer Flip-Flop

Star Daphne (Ala.) running back T.J. Yeldon has made the mother of all recruiting flip-flops. The nation’s No. 9-rated running back, and the state of Alabama’s No. 4-rated player in the Athlon Consensus 100 committed to the Auburn Tigers back in June. This weekend, Yeldon announced that he would be enrolling at the University of Alabama in January.

It was yet another huge statement for Nick Saban on the recruiting trail.

Yeldon is an elite recruit with the ability to contribute as a freshman in 2012 — a major factor considering that both Trent Richardson and possibly Michael Dyer won’t be playing in the SEC next year, leaving a large void on both rosters. Landing a star tailback is one thing, but taking him directly off the roster of your biggest rival is a totally different story all together. Next fall will be a very important season for Gene Chizik, and losing Yeldon certainly doesn’t help.

Yeldon, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound tailback, is one of the more complete overall athletes in this class. He possesses solid top end speed and adequate acceleration. He has a tall frame that has plenty of length and room to grow — particularly to add bulk/power to his lower body. He shows good vision and balance as his slashing running style allows him to slice through small creases in the defense. He has excellent hands and is such an above average receiver that he could easily end up at wideout — considering his tallish, lean frame.

His stock has been consistently rising over the last five months. Mostly due to his monster senior season in which he carried 231 times for 2,196 yards and 32 touchdowns this fall.

Rivals.com thinks the most of Yeldon, offering up the coveted fifth star for the future Crimson Tider. 247Sports seems to agree. But Offense-Defense does not have the talented tailback ranked in their Top 150.

Where Yeldon ranks:

Rivals: No. 24
Scout: No. 76
ESPN: No. 91
247Sports: No. 26
O-D: unranked
NCSA: No. 117