Four-star defensive tackle Josh Brent (6-3, 300, 5.0), from Bloomington Central Catholic (Ill.), finished his senior season with 70 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and five sacks. His team went 9-2.
Brent, who is ranked No. 12 by Scout.com, denies a leader, but favors Illinois and Ohio State slightly over Michigan and Wisconsin. All of his favorites have offered. "I'd love to have my decision made by the holidays," Brent said. "Right now it's really close between these four and it'll be hard to decide. I just got back from my official visit to Ohio State so they are fresh on my mind."
His player host at Ohio State was freshman defensive tackle Dexter Larimore. "I loved the facilities," Brent said. "They really stood out. They are still working on them, but when they finish they are going to have the best facilities in the country. They are putting a lot of money into the program.
"I also got to go to the basketball game," Brent said. "It was cool to see Greg Oden. He's really big and brings a lot of excitement. He played really well."
Another highlight for Brent during his Ohio State official visit was getting a chance to talk with head coach Jim Tressel. "He's a real humble and down-to-earth guy," Brent said. "They told me that I'm a special player and that I could contribute early."
Next weekend Brent will be taking an official visit to Wisconsin and plans to visit Michigan on January 12. "They had a great season and played a great game against Ohio State," Brent said. "They came really close this year and I think they'll be on top for a while."
Brent says that the coach recruiting him from Michigan is offensive line coach Andy Moeller. "He's a cool guy, but I need to talk with some of the defensive coaches more and see how they plan to use me and how early I could play."
He reports a 2.3 core GPA and a 21 ACT.