Reed leaves Ohio State program
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Urban Meyer has another scholarship to play with for his second recruiting class at Ohio State. That's because, as first reported by The Columbus Dispatch, a school spokesman confirmed that wide receiver Verlon Reed has left the OSU program in what was described as a "mutual parting."
After hauling in one pass for 13 yards in the Buckeyes' opener against Miami (OH) this season, Reed failed to record a reception in any of the team's remaining 11 games. Most of the 6-foot-1, 200-pound wideout's playing time in 2012 came on special teams, as he found himself behind Corey Brown, Devin Smith, Jake Stoneburner, Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas, and Chris Fields on the OSU depth chart.
Primarily due to the suspension of DeVier Posey, Reed opened the 2011 season as a starter at wide receiver, where he recorded nine receptions for 132 yards in five games for the Buckeyes. The Columbus native's season was cut short, however, after he tore his ACL in Ohio State's 10-7 loss to Michigan State.
Having just wrapped up his third year in the OSU program- Reed redshirted in 2010- the former Marion Franklin quarterback will have one year of eligibility remaining after sitting out a season should he transfer to another Division I program. He could also play immediately and for two more seasons by transferring to a Division I-AA program.
"No matter where I end up, nothing changes for me. I'm still grinding to reach my goal and I will always and forever be a #BUCKEYE," Reed posted to his Twitter account on Monday.
Reed's departure is just the latest at wide receiver for Meyer in the past few months, after Tyrone Williams was dismissed for a violation of team rules and Ricquan Southward voluntarily left in the middle of the 2012 season. Also losing Stoneburner to graduation next season, wideout recruits Jalin Marshall and Taivon Jacobs are committed to play for the Buckeyes in 2013, and Meyer and his staff are also targeting Shelton Gibson and James Quick.
With the OSU roster now with one year of experience under Meyer and his coaching staff, there stands good reason to believe that Reed's transfer won't be the last act of attrition that the Buckeyes see this offseason.
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