DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — The Ohio State football team has been stockpiling talent since the spring game, landing another verbal commitment Tuesday night from Nathan Williams, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound linebacker and defensive end from Miami Trace High School.

Williams, who is rated as the seventh-best senior-to-be in the state by Ohio High Magazine, is the eighth member of the Buckeyes' 2008 class. He had 24 tackles for loss and forced eight fumbles as a junior last season, and he also runs the 100-meter dash on his high school track team.

"He may be the most underrated player in this class," said Duane Long, recruiting analyst for Bucknuts.com and publisher of Ohio High. "He's an absolute wrecking machine."

Williams had offers from Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Georgia.

"He's an unbelievable physical specimen," Miami Trace coach Jeff Conroy said. "He's a young man who has been very blessed with God-given genetics. He brings a lot of versatility, and Ohio State is looking at him to be that Bobby Carpenter type of player who can speed rush off the edge and drop into coverage."

The Buckeyes are expected to have only 15 scholarships available, but they've already lassoed three of the top-six offensive linemen in the nation and six of the top-100 players overall, according to Scout.com.

Those coveted linemen — Michael Brewster (6-6, 305) of Orlando, J.B. Shugarts (6-7, 300) of Klein, Texas, and Mike Adams (6-7, 308) of Dublin, Ohio — have been working to bring other recruits into the fold.

Their No. 1 target is 6-6, 210-pound Terrelle Pryor, who is the top-rated quarterback in the nation. The Jeannette, Pa., native has been likened to Vince Young and has the Buckeyes near the top of his list.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com