The effects of Jim Tressel's resignation and the NCAA scandal at Ohio State are starting to show when it comes to recruiting. As soon as Tressel decided to leave it was obvious recruiting would be affected, but it wasn't clear how much or how soon.
The first real sign that the issues in Columbus were hurting OSU's recruiting came when Ohio defensive end Tom Strobel committed to Michigan earlier this month. Strobel had been offered by Ohio State and the expectation was he would end up becoming a Buckeye. Strobel himself said, "If you would have asked me a year ago if I would go to Michigan, I would have said 'no way'." Now he is a big part of Michigan's 2012 football recruiting class, perhaps in more ways than one.
Strobel committing to Michigan may have been a sign that OSU's recruiting could be in for some rocky times, but the news that Ohio offensive lineman Kyle Kalis decommitted is proof. Kalis is one of the top offensive tackles and one of the best players in the nation for 2012, and he is scheduled to visit Michigan this weekend. It's worth noting that Kalis said in an interview he is "really good friends" with Strobel, so he's already got a connection to Michigan's recruiting class.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Kalis news is that he originally planned to decommit on Memorial Day right after Tressel resigned. Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell managed to sway Kalis to stay committed to the Buckeyes, but that lasted all of three weeks before Kalis decided to reopen his recruitment.
Now it looks as though Ohio State could suffer not only from losing a top commit, but also from having him potentially end up choosing Michigan. With a visit scheduled for this weekend, the Wolverines certainly have a golden opportunity with Kalis.
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