We are nearing the end of May and the Buckeyes’ recruiting class still stands as the second-best in the country for 2018. While we didn’t see a lot of movement last week, we did see quite a few prospects trim their offer lists. As impressive as the 2017 Buckeye recruiting class was, Ohio State is on pace to surpass that class this year if the cards fall properly.
Let’s take a look back at the week that was in Ohio State recruiting news.
Top Target Trims List to Nine
Quite possibly the Buckeyes’ biggest target remaining is 5-star defensive end Micah Parsons out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Parsons was once a Penn State commitment, but last month opened up his recruitment after multiple visits to Ohio State and other programs.
Friday he released his top nine schools on Twitter, and to no surprise the Buckeyes were one of the teams on the list.
These are the school I will be looking more closely into. @Hayesfawcett3 #blessed #top7 pic.twitter.com/dU1uFxnzi4
— BLESSEDMVP (@Micah_parsons23) May 27, 2017
It is perceived by many that Ohio State is the team to beat here, as Parsons has forged some good relationships with the Buckeye coaching staff and some of the current recruits. While I think in the end Parsons picks OSU, I don’t believe that it will happen anytime soon. Expect a roller coaster recruitment from here on out.
And Then There Were Two
5-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell made some news this week when he dropped that he was down to Florida State and Ohio State and that a decision would be coming on June 2. Mitchell’s last visit was to Florida State a couple of weeks ago,
One Of Ohio’s Best Names Top Seven
Four-star defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins dropped his top seven schools last week, and again the Buckeyes made the list. Along with the Buckeyes were Cincinnati, Kentucky, USC, Alabama, Penn State, and Pittsburgh.
Top 7!
God is faithful. ?? pic.twitter.com/iCEsTOFAMU
— Aeneas Hawkins (@King_Hawk92) May 21, 2017
Hawkins was originally scheduled to pick his school of choice back in early May, but postponed that announcement. I think right now this is a two team race between the Buckeyes and the Bearcats, with Luke Fickell trying to swoop in and keep one of Cincinnati’s finest athletes home. Three of the last four crystal ball projections have come in for the Bearcats, so this should be an interesting one to watch this summer.
A Delayed Decision
Initially it was going to be a June 10 decision date for 3-star center Jake Kradel out of Butler, Pennsylvania, but that has been put on hold. Kradel told 247Sports that he was delaying his decision because he had received a few new offers and wanted to make sure that he was doing his research before making a decision. Wisconsin and Iowa were the two teams that offered. Ohio State is still the crystal ball leader at 90%, and if the Buckeyes want him in the class, I believe he will be a part of it.
No Buckeye Offer Means Not On the List
Three-star Xenia, Ohio star wide receiver Meechi Harris released his top nine earlier this week and the Buckeyes did not make the cut. That would probably be because as of right now the Buckeyes have not yet offered. Ohio State has not had a wide receiver commit to the class of 2018 yet, though they are high on the list for guys like Kamryn Babb, L’Christian Smith and Jahan Dotson. It is still uncertain who will end up as a part of this class. In my reevaluation of the class of 2018 projection, I said that I thought that Harris would earn a Buckeye offer and join the class eventually, but for that to happen I believe we have to start seeing some of the other wide receiver dominoes fall into place.
Although he doesn’t have an Ohio State offer, he currently has a 75% crystal ball projection to the Buckeyes.
Texas Tight End Narrows the Field
Four-star tight end Mustapha Muhammad released his top 10 this week and the Buckeyes along with the perceived favorite Michigan Wolverines made the cut. Most of the nation’s best programs made the cut, as did in-state schools Texas and Texas A&M. There are currently 24 crystal ball projections for Muhammad and right now all of them are in favor of the Michigan Wolverines. I expect to see him take some official visits here this fall, and if the Buckeyes can get him on campus, adding him to the class with possibly Jeremy Ruckert would be a solid haul at tight end for 2018.
Other Cut Downs
Four-star Texas wide receiver Al’vonte Woodard narrowed his list to five, including the Buckeyes along with LSU, Ole Miss, Texas and Texas A&M. Pulling him from Texas might be a challenge. Right now he is 100% crystal ball projected to the Longhorns.
Daniel Carson, out of Independence, Missouri, released his top 11 as well, and the Buckeyes again made the cut. Carson is a 3-star defensive end who has 20 offers to date. He has one crystal ball projection for the Missouri Tigers, however they were a surprise omission from his list. Ohio State was joined by Iowa, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and others.
New Jersey’s No. 2 prospect released his top 15 this week, and again the Buckeyes made the cut. Tyler Friday, out of Don Bosco Prep, is the No. 4 overall defensive tackle in the country for the class of 2018 and right now holds an 80% crystal ball projection to the Michigan Wolverines. Along with the Buckeyes and Wolverines, Rutgers, North Carolina, Penn State and Michigan State also made the cut.
Three-star Florida offensive tackle John Campbell also paired down his list to his top 10, and the Buckeyes made the list along with his crystal ball leaders Florida and Miami (FL). Campbell has 42 offers listed, so cutting it down to 10 was probably no easy task. The Buckeyes have Max Wray already in the fold at offensive line, and depending on the other top targets they are after, may not have room for Campbell if he wanted in the class.
Finally, a member of the 2019 class released his top 10, as safety Jalyn Phillips from Georgia included the Buckeyes along with Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and Minnesota. He has 28 offers to date.
Few More Offers Doled Out
The Buckeye coaching staff was again out and about this week and managed to hand out a few offers to some of 2019’s best.
We start in-state as the Buckeyes offered Zeke Correll out of Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Correll is currently an unranked offensive guard who comes in at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds already. Immediately following his offer a flurry of crystal balls came in for him to Ohio State. Kentucky is another team to watch out for here as he has a lot of family who have attended college down there.
Another week, and another offer out to a 2019 quarterback. This time the Buckeyes went back to Texas and offered the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback Roschon Johnson our of Port Neches. Johnson currently lists 14 offers, and has a 100% crystal ball projection to the Texas Longhorns. Tennessee and Oregon have also offered this month, as it looks like his recruitment is just getting started.
A couple of teammates from Fort Lauderdale’s American Heritage High School were offered by Kerry Coombs last week in 4-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield and 3-star defensive tackle Nesta Silvera. Silvera is currently committed to the Miami Hurricanes, while Chatfield has nearly 30 offers to consider, including LSU, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Wisconsin. He is currently 100% crystal ball projected to the LSU Tigers. Both Chatfield and Silvera are members of the 2018 recruiting class.
Right down the road at Dillard High is currently unranked defensive end Braylen Ingraham who also received an offer from Coombs during his southern swing. While it is early and he doesn’t have a ranking as of yet, he does hold offers from Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Florida and Florida State, which shows that when he does get ranked it is likely going to be as a high three or four-star. He received his Ohio State offer the same day as his Florida and Alabama offers.
We have seen the Buckeyes recruit Georgia well under Urban Meyer, and he is hoping to add to that with Emory Jones and others this year. They offered 3-star defensive tackle Tramel Walthour out of the same high school as former Buckeye Raekwon McMillan last week. Walthour is a member of the class of 2018, which shows that the Buckeyes are still hunting for another defensive tackle to pair with current commitment Taron Vincent. He is currently 100% crystal ball projected to the in-state Bulldogs, but his recruitment has taken off as of late and we all know how things can change.
And finally the Buckeyes handed out one more offer to Oklahoma’s Daxton Hill. Ohio State already landed Josh Proctor out of Oklahoma for the 2018 class and are hoping they can reach into the state and get Hill. He currently lists nine offers, including Michigan, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Can the Buckeyes strike twice out of the Sooner state?
