link Over a week ago <font color="#000000">Etienne Sabino</font> came to the conclusion that he was going to announce on November 8 in front of a national audience. Finally that date came, and Sabino was fully prepared to make his choice. With the eyes of a nation looking on, Sabino decided to don a Scarlet and Gray hat and officially become member 14 of the 2008 recruiting class.</p> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/ETIENNESABINO07N1200.JPG', '', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Sabino is now a Buckeye.', 'Rivals.com', 1194537293000, '', 1014, 'Align=Left'));</script> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="202"></td> <td width="6" rowspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"><font size="1">Sabino is now a Buckeye.</font></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> As the top rated inside linebacker in the country, and one of the 50 best players according to Rivals.com, Sabino has been the subject of an intense recruitment. Schools such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC all made him one of their top priorities. From the very beginning of the process Sabino made it a point to look around at his favorite schools and make an informed decision. That attitude led to Sabino making unofficial visits to schools all over the country. Included on that unofficial visit tour that took place in July were Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Tennessee. From that point on, a few schools began to emerge in his mind. After Sabino took his first official visit to USC the first weekend of September, the Trojans vaulted right near the top of his list. In an interview with USCfootball.com, Sabino rated the visit an 8.9 out of 10, and that cemented the Trojans spot in the front of Sabino's mind. Sabino's second official visit was to Florida. While the defending national champions put on a good show for him, Sabino decided that the Gator program just wasn't right for him, and in turn they quickly dropped off his list. That visit set up his third and final official, a trip to Ohio State on October 19. Sabino made the trip north with his mother, and teammate <font color="#000000">Travis Howard</font>. While his unofficial visit to OSU was better than Sabino expected, the official visit was everything he anticipated that it would be. The atmosphere and school impressed Sabino quite a bit, and it soon became obvious that Sabino was down to Ohio State and USC. Then on October 26, Howard landed an offer from OSU, and that immediately led to a commitment. While Sabino and Howard were never a package deal, they are good friends, and playing together was always appealing to them. Fast forward 13 days from Howard's choice, and this time it was Sabino making the decision, and as the entire nation was able to see, Sabino made the same decision and chose to become a Buckeye. When it came down to it, Sabino had this to say after donning an OSU hat. I have decided to go to Ohio State. I'm a Buckeye." He continued, "I feel they create linebackers and that I can excel there." Sabino now becomes member number 14 in a class that could grow to as many as 18 or 20. He joins <font color="#000000">Andrew Sweat</font> as a linebacker commitment in the class. At this point it is expected that Sabino plays either the SAM linebacker position or the MIKE linebacker position.</p>
