Ohio State football recruitniks were on high alert headed into New Year's Eve because safety prospect Jahsen Wint had indicated he could commit at any minute. But the alert was called off on Thursday night when Wint indicated that he intends to make a few more official visits before making up his mind.

Ohio State football recruitniks were on high alert headed into New Year�s Eve because safety prospect Jahsen Wint had indicated he could commit at any minute. But the alert was called off on Thursday night when Wint indicated that he intends to make a few more official visits before making up his mind.

Wint is from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also produced current Ohio State hybrid back Curtis Samuel. Wint had been a little-known prospect until the Buckeyes zeroed in on him in the fall, with safeties coach Chris Ash leading the way. It�s no surprise now that Rutgers is a strong competitor for Wint, since Ash was named its coach several weeks ago; Ash will coach in his last game for Ohio State today against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

With speculation high that Buckeyes junior safety Vonn Bell will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft, Wint has become somewhat of a priority target for OSU.

�They also would really like to get Jordan Fuller (of Old Tappan, N.J.),� Bucknuts recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic said. �They are recruiting him as a cornerback, but he is flexible enough to play corner or safety.�

There are loud whispers that Zach Werenski, the Michigan defenseman whom the Blue Jackets took with the No. 8 overall pick in the NHL draft last June, is unhappy in college and thinking of turning pro. The Jackets have had major difficulties on the blue line this season, and some believe the sophomore could help immediately.

As captain of Team USA at the world junior championship, Werenski has been in the news a lot lately. He had a goal and two assists in a 10-1 rout of Switzerland on Wednesday and now has two goals, three assists and a plus-5 rating in three games.

Former Dublin Scioto teammates and 2009 graduates Bradley McDougald and Deji Olatoye had solid games for their respective NFL teams on Sunday. Bradley had 10 solo tackles and two assists in Tampa Bay�s loss to Chicago. Deji had five tackles and an interception in the end zone for Dallas in its loss to Buffalo.

Both players were undrafted free agents. After playing college ball at Kansas, McDougald began his NFL career with Kansas City, was eventually waived and signed with the Buccaneers in 2013. He logged considerable playing time in a rotation with veteran safety Major Wright in 2014 and became a starter this season.

Olatoye, who played at North Carolina A&T, spent time on Baltimore�s practice squad and kicked around a bit before joining the Cowboys practice squad this season. He has been active since late November and saw his first extended action on Sunday.

A nine-member delegation from Columbus � three from Ohio State, three from Nationwide Arena and three from the Greater Columbus Sports Commission � attended the recent NCAA women�s volleyball championships in Omaha, Neb., in preparation for this year (Dec. 15-17), when the city will play host to the event.

Tickets sales for the event at Nationwide Arena started about two weeks ago, and Linda Logan, the sports commission�s executive director, said that 1,500 have been sold. In Omaha, the largest crowd to see a college volleyball championship match � 17,561 � was aided by a Nebraska-Texas final.

�At Omaha, they were at 2,000 (early sales) at this point,� Logan said. �But by comparison, Oklahoma City (the year before) had only sold about 100.

�I don�t know if we�ll break the record � Omaha is definitely in the rotation (to continue to have the event) � but we feel we could be a city like Omaha and could do well here because we�re strong in volleyball. The girls programs are really strong here. We�re hoping that our regional folks will really get us to that next level.�

After activists started a social-media campaign calling for LeBron James to sit out Cleveland Cavaliers game in protest of a grand jury�s decision not to press charges against the police officer responsible for the November 2014 shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, James told ESPN.com that he didn�t know enough about the situation to comment.

James has taken a stand on some social issues in recent years, including the fatal shooting of Travon Martin in Florida in 2012 and the death of Eric Garner, who was killed after a struggle with police in New York in 2014.

�I think the most important thing that we all need to understand, the most important thing, this issue is bigger than LeBron,� he said. �This issue is bigger than me; it�s about everyone. And gun violence and tragedies and kids losing lives at a young age, some way, somehow we need to understand that matters more than just an individual.�

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said on a radio show in Detroit that he wouldn�t mind being in a WWE wrestler�s entourage and even suggested that Michigan Stadium play host to a Wrestlemania event.

Harbaugh said Ric Flair is his favorite WWE star. He said he met Flair and invited him to give a pregame pep talk to the San Francisco 49ers a couple of years ago when he was coaching in the NFL.

�Why not the Big House?� Harbaugh asked, according to ESPN.com. �140,000 I bet we could get in there for Wrestlemania. They�re trying to break the attendance record at Jerry Jones� stadium in Dallas. (There�s) a great Canadian presence in wrestling. Why not Michigan and the Big House?�

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

bhunter@dispatch.com

@dailyhunter