• The rich get richer, part one. Ohio State's post-Urban rampage through the Midwest has acquired its crown jewel: A verbal commitment from Harrisburg, Pa., defensive end Noah Spence, a unanimous five-star rated by Rivals as the No. 1 defensive end and No. 9 overall prospect in the entire 2012 class. Spence had been planning to make his commitment public at the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 5, but was suitably impressed by his weekend visit to Columbus — "I felt like God just put me on a path there" — to commit on the spot.
Spence's pledge makes him the third top-100 defensive lineman to flip for Meyer in a little less than a week, on the heels of defections by four-stars Se'Von Pittman (from Michigan State) and Tommy Schutt (Penn State). Along with Cincinnati defensive end Adolphus Washington, the four highest-rated commitments to the Buckeyes' 2012 class are all defensive linemen who have come aboard since reports of Urban Meyer's pending arrival went mainstream last month. [Buckeye Grove, Columbus Dispatch]
• The rich get richer, part two. In other five-star news, hyped Daphne, Ala., tailback T.J. Yeldon has ventured into No Man's Land by switching his commitment from Auburn to Alabama, joining Tuscaloosa-bound teammate Ryan Anderson. This isn't shaping up as a Cyrus Kouandjio situation, either: Yeldon is expected to enroll at Alabama in a few weeks for the spring semester.
"I have a lot of respect for Auburn, the coaches, and all of the people there, but at the end of the day I feel like the University of Alabama is the best situation and fit for me and my family," Yeldon said in a statement. "I am 100 percent confident with my final decision. I feel great about it and I'm excited to get started." [TideSports.com]
• The tangled webs we weave... The University of Houston Athletics Foundation may have just lost 40 percent of its listed assets courtesy of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which estimates that more than $2.2 million of the $5.1 million claimed by the fund last year was invested in bonds that never existed. The foundation — used to endow athletic scholarships — is one of at least 100 victims of local benefactor David Salinas, who committed suicide in July as the feds closed in on what they described as a $39 million Ponzi scheme. Other bilked Salinas clients include basketball coaches Lute Olson, Billy Gillispie and Doc Sadler. [Associated Press]
• We hardly knew ye. As expected, USC defensive end Nick Perry is officially foregoing his senior season to take his act to the NFL, joining left tackle Ryan Kalil as the second Trojan to sacrifice a championship season in 2012 at the altar of the league. At least the leap comes with his head coach's blessing: "We counseled Nick throughout his decision-making process, and we stand behind him on this decision," said Lane Kiffin, who also backed Kalil's decision to leave. "His career progression at USC continued climbing to a point where he was ready to make the jump to the NFL." [Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register]
• He's alright, folks. Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin was back at practice Sunday, according to his mother, but didn't participate after being hospitalized with seizures and a possible concussion on a post-practice punch from wide receiver Curtis Drake. University police are investigating the scuffle.
"Matt's feeling better, thank god," Cathy McGloin told the Harrisburg Patriot-News. "He was scheduled to meet with [team] doctors around noon, he told me. And then he said he was going to practice, just to watch and be around the guys." [Harrisburg Patriot-News]
• The Rap Sheet. Purdue will likely be without its leading tackler in next week's Little Caesars Pizza Bowl after junior linebacker Dwayne Beckford was charged with drunk driving last Friday morning. In June, Beckford was hit with four misdemeanor counts for allegedly failing to stop in an April 21 accident, and hit again when officers serving the arrest warrant spotted drug paraphernalia at his house. [Indianapolis Star, Lafayette Journal-Courier]
Quickly… Alabama begins practice for the BCS Championship Game. … Gary Crowton accepts a a "non-coaching administrative role" at Maryland. … Dirk Koetter emerges as the leading coaching candidate at Hawaii. … South Florida has landed five juco commitments in the last two weeks. … The San Diego Union-Tribune attempts to explain "illegal stemming." … And it looks like Charlie Weis may be on the verge of his first recruiting coup at Kansas.
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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.