Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett will try his hand at rugby. (E. Bakke/Getty Images)

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett will try a new sport in a rugby event next week, reports the Columbus Dispatch.

Clarett will play for the Columbus affiliate of Tiger Rugby, the rugby development program for selecting the team that will represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Clarett is scheduled to play in the The Ohio Rugby Sevens Invitational in Mechanicsburg on May 25.

Clarett played one season at Ohio State, rushing for 1,237 yards and scored 18 touchdowns and helped Ohio State win the 2002 BCS National Championship.  He was dismissed from the program the following season for accepting improper benefits.

The Denver Broncos selected Clarett in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft but released him in training camp. He served 3½ years in prison on robbery and concealed weapons charges, then played for the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL in 2011.

Ohio State and head coach Urban Meyer could end up in the same new Big Ten division as rival Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Monday that there is a “strong likelihood” the Buckeyes will be in the same division as Michigan when the conference realigns its divisions.

Smith told the Big Ten Network it was likely the two rivals could end up in the same division when Rutgers and Maryland join the conference, according to CBS Sports.

For Ohio State and Michigan, being in the same division would raise the stakes of their annual, late-season matchup. It would also take away the possibility of back-to-back showdowns in the regular-season finale and the league championship game.

The most likely current split of the future Big Ten divisions would come in an east-west divide, as the addition of Rutgers and Maryland add an East Coast flair to the league.

Jonathan Hankins will enter the 2013 NFL Draft. (Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images)

Ohio State University defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins will declare for the 2013 NFL Draft, he announced on Monday (reported here by Fox Sports Ohio). Hankins, a junior, will forego his final season of eligibility to join the professional ranks.

Hankins is widely considered to be one of the top defensive tackles in the 2013 draft class and will likely be a top five pick. The 6-3, 322 pound lineman has 55 tackles this season to go with one sack. Hankins was named a pre-season All-American in 2012.

Ohio State’s notes for this week’s game at Penn State give the impression that the Buckeyes expect quarterback Braxton Miller to play.

At his Monday morning press conference, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he expects Miller to practice on Tuesday.

Urban on Miller: "All the test results came back negative, which is positive." Has a very sore neck, but Miller expected to practice Tuesday—
Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) October 22, 2012

Meyer said Miller had almost a whiplash feeling when he went down. Miller said he hasn't really been hurt before and was a bit rattled.—
Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) October 22, 2012

Miller was sidelined during the second half of the Buckeyes’ 29-22 overtime win over Purdue after being thrown hard to the turf.

He was taken to the hospital where tests did not reveal injuries to his head, neck or shoulders.

After the game, coach Urban Meyer told a team spokesman that Miller was “fine.”

Vanderbilt cancelled 2013 game at Ohio State via mail. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith isn’t happy with how he was notified of Vanderbilt’s decision to back out of their season-opener scheduled for Aug. 31, 2013, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Smith said Vanderbilt sent Ohio State a form letter announcing its plans with less than 11 months notice.

“Very disappointed that it happened this way,” Smith said, adding that Northwestern was displeased with how Vanderbilt backed out of its planned two-game series with the Wildcats in 2013 and 2014. “We have 11 months, and we didn’t get a phone call, we just got a letter. So I’m very disappointed in that.

“I would have preferred a phone call as opposed to a form letter, but that’s just the way it is.”

Smith said Vanderbilt did not have to pay a penalty for backing out of the single game at Columbus.

The Buckeyes are left scrambling to find an opponent to fill the date. Ohio State was expecting to pay Vanderbilt about $1 million, but Smith anticipates having to pay more to fill a game less than a year in advance.

Today’s release of the SEC’s 2013 football schedule includes Vanderbilt hosting Ole Miss on Aug. 31. Smith said his department had a notion the Commodores might be backing out several weeks ago, and began their search at that time.

A newspaper probe spotlights Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee’s spending. (Icon SMI)

A Dayton Daily News investigation into the spending by Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee reveals an unusual line-item with a distinctive flair: his trademark bowties:

The university spends tens of thousands of dollars alone branding Gee around his signature bow ties. Since 2007, Ohio State has spent more than $64,000 on bow ties, bow tie cookies and O-H and bow tie pins for Gee and others to distribute, the newspaper found.

The report lists Gee as “the highest paid CEO of a public university in the county,” bringing in $8.6 million in salary and compensation — but also generating $7.7 million in expenses/spending on the university’s tab.

When he travels, Gee is bound by university policy, which says: “The President is expected to stay in accommodations similar to those used by executives of businesses and not-for-profit institutions; however, luxury hotels should be avoided.”

The Daily News investigation found that Gee often stays at modest hotels such as Courtyard and Holiday Inn Express when traveling in-state. But his out-of-state travel receipts shows he often bills the university for more expensive accommodations: Le Meridien Bristol in Warsaw, The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, Loews Hotel Vogue in Montreal, Hotel George and the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., and the Warwick in New York.

Gee’s discretionary spending greatly exceeds his OSU predecessors but is more in line with similarly sized state universities such as the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan.

OSU officially stated that Gee’s spending passes “rigorous standards” and review.

Gee was cast into the college sports spotlight for his involvement and response to the NCAA’s investigation into a pattern of violations under Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. OSU eventually severed ties with Tressel while Gee declared reports by Sports Illustrated and Sporting News to be “bad journalism.” Gee later admitted that he needed to keep his mouth shut after creating controversy comparing TCU and Boise State to the “Little Sisters of the Poor” in regard to their then non-BCS standing.

Dismissed Ohio State LB Storm Klein is asking to be reinstated. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Six weeks after Ohio State dismissed linebacker Storm Klein following his arrest for domestic violence, he is seeking reinstatement following a plea to a lesser charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct today.

A Franklin County judge sentenced Klein to 18 months probation and fined him for court costs.

Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch has more:

Klein’s attorney, Larry James, said that the guilty plea is “the equivalent of making excessive noise.”

James said he sent a note to the Ohio State football office immediately after the outcome seeking reinstatement. He said he was hoping for a decision by Friday. James said that he spoke with Meyer yesterday informing him that a quick resolution was probable.

“He said, ‘Let me know when you have something. I’m not giving you a commitment, but I’ll definitely look at it,’” James said. “It doesn’t look like it’s a core-values violation for the coach or the university.”

Klein, a Newark native, was accused of hitting the mother of his child during an argument at his apartment. James said that the alleged victim recanted her accusation and said that Klein did not strike or harm her.

UPDATE: Rabinowitz tweets on Thursday evening that Klein definitely will be welcomed back to the team:

LB Storm Klein reinstated to #OSU football team. Won't play until at least third game.—
Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) August 24, 2012

The Golden State Warriors will not take Jared Sullinger with the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, partly because of medical concerns about the former Ohio State star’s back, reports the San Jose Mercury News‘ Tim Kawakami on Twitter (via Pro Basketball Talk).

No surprise: The medical red flag on Jared Sulllinger means GSWs are not considering him for #7 pick. They weren't that high on him anyway.

—
Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 20, 2012

ESPN.com‘s Chad Ford reported on Monday that some teams are worried Sullinger’s back will cut short his career. Ford also reported that some team doctors are even telling their front offices not to take Sullinger anywhere in the first round.

Before that news broke, Sullinger was projected to go in the late lottery. The seventh pick likely would have been a stretch for Sullinger even without the back issues.

Sullinger missed time last December while dealing with spasms that came from an aggravated disc in his back. The latest concerns over his back came because of tests at last week’s NBA Draft Combine. Sullinger’s father denied that the forward’s back issues are a concern.

The key question is whether other teams in the lottery have the same worries as the Warriors. If they do, Sullinger’s stock could drop in the days leading up to the draft.

Former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger’s draft stock could fall because of concerns over the health of his back. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Some NBA team doctors are advising their organizations not to draft former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger in the first round because of back issues, reports ESPN.com‘s Chad Ford.

Sources told Ford that doctors who inspected Sullinger’s back at the NBA draft combine were worried his back problems may cut short his career.

Sullinger dealt with back issues during his sophomore season, even missing a showdown with Kansas in December because of them. At the time, it was reported he suffered from spasms that stemmed from an aggravated disc in his back.

Sullinger put up nearly identical stats in his two seasons with Ohio State. In his sophomore season, he averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He has been projected as a late lottery selection in the upcoming draft, including 10th in SI.com NBA reporter Sam Amick’s Mock Draft 2.0.

Sullinger’s stock could fall quickly, though, if teams consider his back issues significant.

But Sullinger’s father, Satch Sullinger, told ESPN.com‘s Andy Katz on Monday that his son’s back problems are not severe.

“He had a bulging area that was due to his hamstring and quads being so tight,” Satch Sullinger told Katz. “It pulled on his hip flexor and he’s been taking care of it to loosen it. You can call it a red flag if you want. But it’s tight hamstring and tight quads. He’s been to doctors, he’s doing yoga and deep tissue massage. The flexibility is helping take the pressure off the area.

“We’ve got nothing to hide. At this stage it’s all about what they can’t do. Jared is a skilled player. A two-time All-American. He can play.”

Ohio State suspended wide receiver Jake Stoneburner and left tackle Jack Mewhort indefinitely after the two players were arrested Saturday. (Eric Francis/Getty Images)

Ohio State senior starters Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort have been suspended indefinitely after their arrest Saturday, according to a report in The Blade of Toledo, Ohio.

The players were arrested Saturday — along with a third person unaffiliated with the football program — on a charge of obstructing official business.

The players’ lawyer, Columbus attorney Mark Collins, told The Blade that they will not be allowed to participate in any team activities or be allowed on the football facilities.

The Blade reports that the two players and the third person were spotted “urinating outside a restaurant near Stoneburner’s house, located just off the course at Muirfield Village Golf Club.”

Collins told the paper that he hopes the players can work something out with the police department before their arraignment on June 11.

“Hopefully we can sit down with the Shawnee Hills police department and the prosecutors and come up with a resolution that everyone can be satisfied with,” Collins said.

The Buckeyes are entering their first year under new head coach Urban Meyer. Mewhort is expected to be the team’s starting left tackle. Stoneburner, a wide receiver, tied for the team lead in catches last season and led the team in touchdown receptions with seven.

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel spoke about his time at the school on the one-year anniversary of his resignation. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

On the one-year anniversary of his resignation from Ohio State, former Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel told The Plain Dealer‘s Doug Lesmerises that he has no regrets about his tenure in Columbus.

His 10-year run as coach ended on Memorial Day 2011 because of major NCAA violations.

“It was going to end one day, in one way or another, and that wasn’t the way we wanted to end it,” Tressel said.

“Wow, a lot happens in a year, a lot that you don’t know is going to happen. But I don’t feel scarred or disappointed or mad. I just don’t feel that way. The people at Ohio State have always been great to me, and things end up the way they do, and you go on to the next play or the next day, and that’s always been the way I look at things.”

Tressel spent last football season working for the Indianapolis Colts. In February, he was hired by the University of Akron as its Vice President of Strategic Engagement.

Despite the uncertainty over the past year, Tressel said he always knew he and the Ohio State program would be fine.

“We talked a million times to our young people about the fact that Ohio State is bigger than you, or Youngstown State is bigger than you, and it’s going to move forward,” Tressel said. “So do the best you can while you’re there and know that it’s a part of your life forever, but that there’s a moment when it’s not the every day part of your life.

“The people I run into want to talk about the fond memories, and I’m sure that’s not unlike when you lose a loved one and you think back on all those wonderful times, and that’s absolutely the way I feel.

“I suppose it was disappointing to some. They thought we would do that forever, but it took a strange turn. But I think when you step back, at least I do, I think of all the good times and the excellent I people I worked with and got to meet.”

Duke and Ohio State are rumored to have contacted Mississippi State freshman Rodney Hood, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Hood announced earlier Monday that he was leaving the school.

Duke and Ohio State among the schools that have contacted Mississippi State about Rodney Hood, source told CBSSports.—
Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 09, 2012

The Bulldogs are now without all five of their starters from a year ago. Rick Ray has taken over at head coach, as Rick Stansbury left the job after 14 years with the school.

“Obviously, we are disappointed in Rodney’s decision,” Ray said in a statement released by the university. “I was looking forward to getting a chance to develop and coach him. This decision, unfortunately, was made before my hire. The Hoods were forthright and honest about where they were when I met with them, and I appreciate their honesty.”

Hood was one of the top freshmen in the SEC a season ago, averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, starting 29 of 32 games.

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has accused Ohio State coach Urban Meyer of committing illegal recruiting practices, according to the Sporting News.

Bielema accused Meyer and his staff of using former Ohio State NFL players to call high school recruits.  In particular, the Wisconsin coach accused Meyer of ‘bumping’ into offensive lineman high school standout Kyle Dodson, who was committed to the Badgers and then flipped and signed with the Buckeyes. “Bumping” is a practice which occurs when coaches accidently come into contact with players  during recruiting dead periods.

Both the phone calls from NFL players and bumping are NCAA violations.  When asked by the Sporting News of the accusations, Meyers denied any wrongdoing.  Ohio State has also not self-reported any of these type of violations.

Bielema will get to face Meyers when the teams play in Madison, Wisconsin on Nov.17.

Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer, responded to some of his Big Ten colleagues criticism regarding his recruiting methods at an Ohio high school coaching clinic, according to CBS Sports.

“You’re pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got nine guys who better go do it again. Do it a little harder next time.” He has also said that he contacts players who are committed and if they are interested in his program then he still pursues them because verbal commitments are not binding,” Meyer said, according to CBS.

His comments came after accusations from both Wisconsin Head Coach Brent Bielma and Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio about how Meyers recruiting methods are unethical. This situation was sparked by the unexpected signing of Kyle Dodson, who had previously committed to Wisconsin, to the Buckeyes.

Meyer was officially hired as the head coach for the Buckeyes following the end of last season, after a tremendous stint with he University of Florida. He won two BCS and SEC championships with the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2008. He also won two MWC championships with the University of Utah. Among these titles he has also be recognized and won numerous coaching awards. His most outstanding achievements have been being named by Sporting News and Sports Illustrated as Coach of the Decade in 2009.

News broke last night that Jim Tressel, former head football coach at Ohio State, was closing in on an administrative position at the University of Akron. Now we have definitive word, as Akron introduced Tressel as “vice president for strategic engagement” in a news conference this morning.

“It’s always important where you are and to come back to the place that gave you your first chance,” Tressel said, according to NewsChannel 5 in Akron.

Tressel landed his first coaching job at Akron, working there as a graduate assistant from 1975 to ’78.

The former coach will begin in his new administrative role on May 1. He is expected to make approximately $200,000 per year.

The 59-year-old Tressel spent 15 years as a head coach at Youngstown State followed by 10 more at Ohio State. He resigned as the Buckeyes’ coach in May amid allegations of numerous NCAA rule violations. He leaves behind a 229-79-2 career record as a college head coach.

One of Urban Meyer’s first moves as the new head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes was to ban his players from using Twitter, according to USA Today.

Several Ohio State players tweeted about the ban:

Twitter=Done. Me=back for senior year, leading this team, and shocking the world!! #gobucks #12-0

—
Jake Stoneburner (@STONEYeleven) January 03, 2012

New staff new rules. No more twitter, not a big deal and probably for the better. Love our fans, love this place. Go Bucks #2012

—
Reid Fragel (@Fragel88) January 03, 2012

Meyer was named as the head coach for Ohio State early last month, however he did not officially take over the reins of the team until this morning. The Buckeyes lost to Meyer’s former team, the Florida Gators, yesterday in the Gator Bowl.

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Ohio State University will be punished with a one-year postseason play ban following the 2012 season.

The NCAA will also strip the school of four football scholarships over the next three years, on top of the five scholarships which Ohio State has already forfeited as a form of self-punishment over the same span. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Buckeyes will also have an additional year of probation on top of the two-years of probation the school self-imposed earlier this year.

Jim Tressel will reportedly be handed a show-cause penalty, according to the paper, which means that any school that may choose to hire him in the future could be subject to sanctioned themselves.

The punishments stem from a controversy which occurred last season when it came to light that several Ohio State football players, including then star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, were selling their awards and equipment to a tattoo-parlor owner. Initially just the players were punished for the infractions, but this spring leaked emails revealed that former head coach Jim Tressel was aware of the violations months before the NCAA found out about them.

Pryor and Tressel have since left the school.

Ohio State University will reportedly find out its punishment from the NCAA later today, according to a report from the Associated Press.

OSU athletic director Gene Smith told the AP that the NCAA committee on infractions would reveal its final sanctions on the school at 3 p.m. EST. today.

The potential punishment stems from a controversy which occurred last season when it came to light that several Ohio State football players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, were selling their awards and equipment to a tattoo-parlor owner. Initially just the players were punished, but this spring leaked emails revealed that former head coach Jim Tressel was aware of the violations months before the NCAA found out about them.

Pryor and Tressel have since left the school.

The football team has already stripped itself of five scholarships over the next three seasons, vacated its 2010 season and imposed a two-year probation period among other self-imposed penalties.

Ohio State will learn what sanctions the football team will face in the next few weeks, according to ESPN.

The NCAA said in their letter to the school on Nov. 3 that they would have to appear before the infractions committee again in early December, but school officials requested to review the charges during a teleconference. Athletic director Gene Smith said that the NCAA informed Ohio State that it wouldn’t need to appear before the committee on infractions again, according to ESPN. Smith added that the NCAA’s final ruling would come in the next 10 to 14 days and that he expects a decision by mid-December.

The football team has already stripped itself of five scholarships over the next three seasons, vacated its 2010 season and imposed a two-year probation period among other self-imposed penalties, according to ESPN.

On Monday, the Buckeyes announced former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer as their new head coach.

Earlier reports by ESPN that former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer had agreed to a deal to become Ohio State’s next head coach were premature, Meyer’s agent Trace Armstrong told CBS Sports.

“I can’t,” Armstrong told CBSSports.com “There’s no hangup. I’ve got to leave it at that out of respect to Urban and the school. This is not my style to be out there in public like this. It’s to be discreet. Those folks [ESPN] have made a decision. I’m so disappointed that ESPN would go forward with something like this.”

ESPN currently employs Meyer as a college football analyst and had previously been quick to squash the many rumors that emerged last week about the former Florida head coach, including one as late as Wednesday which asserted that Meyer had agreed to a seven-year, $40 million contract with the Buckeyes. That morning ESPN quickly posted a statement from Meyer that came through Armstrong, indicating that no offer had been made.

While Armstrong would not deny to CBS that a deal was being worked on between his client and Ohio State, he again affirmed that nothing had been completed yet.

“In the spirit, we’ve tried to keep them in the loop, they’ve jumped the gun a couple of times. It’s most unfortunate,”  Armstrong said. 

Former University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer has agreed to become the next head coach of Ohio State, according to an ESPN report. The 47-year-old had previously served as an analyst for ESPN’s college football coverage after stepping down from his position with Florida in 2010 as a result of health concerns.

Last week several reports emerged that Meyer, an Ohio native, would soon announce his decision to accept the Buckeyes head coaching job. Most recently Orlando television station WKMB 6 reported that Meyer had agreed in principle to a seven-year, $40 million deal that would allow him to bring several members of his former Florida staff with him to Columbus. On Wednesday, Meyer denied those reports.

“I have not been offered any job nor is there a deal in place,” Meyer told ESPN at the time. “I plan on spending Thanksgiving with my family and will not comment on this any further.”

In six years as the head coach of Florida, Meyer posted a 65-15 record while claiming two National Championships. He has a 103-23 record as a head coach overall, and is 7-1 all-time in bowl games.

Five-star defensive prospect Adolphus Washington has committed to play with Ohio State, according to 247Sports. Washington is the first five-star recruit to commit to the Buckeyes for the class of 2012.

Washington, a senior at Robert A. Taft High School, is ranked by Rivals as the eighth best defensive end recruit of his class, and the 74^th top prospect overall. In his junior season in 2011 he recorded 107 tackles and 19 sacks.

The Ohio native ran a 4.90 40-yard-dash according to ESPN, and possesses a 23.9 vertical jump.

The Buckeyes are currently 6-5 this season after a 14-20 loss to Penn State on Saturday. Prior to this season, Ohio State abruptly lost their head coach, Jim Tressel, and star quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, after the two chose to leave the school following a memorabilia scandal.