More often than not, as most of you who have ever read anything I've written know, I try pretty hard to avoid the Bleacher Report-style slideshow content. I've got nothing against that model, it works well for them (did you see all their ads during the NCAA tournament?! That's some major $$ being spent for that kind of ad space) but I'm just the type of person who really likes to rant and ramble. Most of the time, when you're narrowing something down to a series of slides you lose a bit of the personal touch, no?
That said, it's a Tuesday, and we've talked at length about a number of different options for Ohio State's recruiting in 2016 and beyond, so taking a moment to get back to basics isn't a turrible thing, is it?
Let's talk about the guys who could be the next five Ohio State football commitments.
LIAM EICHENBERG // 2016 // OFFENSIVE TACKLE // ST. IGNATIUS
Liam Eichenberg is the country's 83-ranked overall prospect and 11th-ranked offensive tackle. Eichenberg is from Cleveland's prestigious St. Ignatius High School and Ohio's seventh-ranked player.
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WHY
The Buckeyes offered Eichenberg at the end of his freshman year, which is almost unheard of when talking about in-state lineman, but Ed Warinner and Urban Meyer identified him early as a must-have prospect.
He's got ideal size for a left tackle at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds and the nasty on-field disposition perfect for "the slobs." He's a key player and a key position for Ohio State and one of Ohio's best. That is enough of a reason to want him to join the Buckeyes.
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WHEN
Eichenberg's commitment could happen by the end of April. He's got two big weekend visits upcoming, one to Notre Dame April 10th-11th and then Ohio State the following weekend. That weekend is Ohio State's spring game and will be Eichenberg's final pre-commitment visit, barring any change in plans.
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THREATS
As mentioned, Notre Dame is the biggest and only threat to Ohio State in the Eichenberg sweepstakes.
BRENDAN FERNS // 2016 // LINEBACKER // ST. CLAIRSVILLE
Brendan Ferns is the country's 73rd-ranked overall prospect and the nation's second-ranked inside linebacker. He sits as the sixth-ranked player in Ohio.
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WHY
Ferns and the Buckeyes have been linked for years, despite the fact that his older brother Michael – now at West Virginia – signed with Michigan as one of their highly-ranked 2014 class. The younger Ferns, unlike his brother, grew up a Buckeye fan. Ohio State pinpointed Ferns as an important piece of their 2016 class when they offered him in June of 2014 and he's got an excellent working relationship with Chris Ash and Luke Fickell, who've been recruiting him as hard as any player in the country. He's a classic inside linebacker who excels as a tackler and showcases tremendous lateral quickness. Ferns also lines up at running back for his Red Devils and dominated game after game as a junior.
The Buckeyes are only interested in taking two or three players at the most at linebacker. Letting Ohio's best at the position end up elsewhere would certainly be a blow to Urban Meyer, especially on the heels of a national title.
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WHEN
Ferns is one of those players that seems capable of committing at any time. He's expected to visit Penn State this coming weekend and has a Buckeye trip tentatively schedule for the following weekend, April 4. He will not visit Ohio State for their spring game, but a decision happening sometime in April would not be a surprise.
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THREATS
Early in the process, it was Michigan, Penn State and Oklahoma that seemed to have the best chance to upset the Buckeyes. Right now, as he nears a decision, it's West Virginia and Penn State who remain the most viable contenders. West Virginia is close to home, has an excellent petroleum engineering program and has his brother on its roster. Penn State is a proud football program with excellent tradition, and it's a program that has an exciting, charismatic coach at the helm. The gameday atmosphere at Penn State is second to none, and as an overall environment it's similar to what Ferns is used to.
DEMARIO MCCALL // 2016 // RUNNING BACK // NORTH RIDGEVILLE
Demario McCall is the third-ranked running back in the county and the 49th-ranked overall prospect. McCall is Ohio's second-ranked player, sitting only behind Notre Dame commitment Tommy Kraemer.
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WHY
There's not much that Urban Meyer covets more than good old-fashioned speed, and McCall has that in bunches. One of the country's most electric ball-carriers, McCall is a legitimate home run threat every time he touches the football. Despite already having George Hill and Kareem Walker in the fold for 2016, Ohio State has never slowed down in their recruitment, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to suspect that's going to change.
McCall's versatility makes him a high-value target for 2016 regardless of already committed talent. Urban Meyer rarely loses out on a prospect he has this much personal interest in.
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WHEN
Like Ferns, McCall's commitment could happen at any time; there's no decision date planned out. Ohio State hopes he'll be back on campus for the spring game on April 18th, and right now there's little else planned for visits. McCall was hoping to visit West Virginia a week ago, but he did not make the trip. The Buckeyes were hoping McCall would be in the class by now, but they're not going to push him since they realize their current power position.
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THREATS
Oregon, Alabama, West Virginia and Florida State are among the biggest threats to Ohio State right now, but only West Virginia has offered out of that group. Perhaps the single biggest threat to Ohio State securing a commitment from McCall is perception/confusion about his role in the offense. Yes, he's gone on the record stating that he's comfortable playing anywhere, running back or more in the slot-receiver role that Dontre Wilson now holds, but deciding to commit to Ohio State when the country's top-ranked and fourth-ranked running backs are already on board? That's a bold strategy, Cotton.
A QUARTERBACK // 2016 // QUARTERBACK // NEW JERSEY/TEXAS
The Buckeyes are sitting pretty for 2016, but there's no doubt that a top-ranked quarterback commitment would help keep an excellent start to the class moving at full-speed ahead. The two most likely candidates right now are Tristen Wallace, the country's third-ranked dual-threat quarterback and 138th-ranked overall prospect and Jarrett Guarantano, the country's 107th-ranked player and sixth-ranked pro-style quarterback.
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WHY
It's one of the biggest questions in the 2016 class, but the answer is simple: because you should, if you're able, take one quarterback every single year of recruiting. Wallace and Guarantano, despite being labeled as different "styles" are more similar than they are different. Guarantano's athleticism is one of the primary reasons he moved to the top of the Ohio State recruiting board, and Wallace's size and speed combination often overlook his capability as a passer.
The aforementioned pair, along with any other potential targets that may arise, are vital to the future of Ohio State's football program, despite the depth currently being enjoyed by Tim Beck.
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WHEN
Soon. The end of April is a likely finish line for this race for both Wallace and Guarantano. Wallace is visiting Ohio State this coming weekend and it will be the only chance the Buckeyes get to show off what makes Columbus the right fit for he and his family. He's on-record saying he'd like to make another commitment – Wallace was committed to Texas Tech for two months – in the spring.
Guarantano is finishing up an important visit to Knoxville, where Tennessee head coach Butch Jones got what could be the first of two chances this month to impress upon him his value to the Volunteers. He has consistently said he'd like to make another visit to Ohio State before deciding and lists the Buckeyes – along with Rutgers – alongside Tennessee in his final three schools, but until a date is cemented for a visit it does appear Tennessee or Rutgers is in the better position right now.
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THREATS
As I said, Tennessee and Rutgers could take Guarantano from the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are going to have stiff competition for Tristen Wallace from many of the best programs in Texas. Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and the Longhorns of Texas are fighting tooth-and-nail for a shot at the 19th-ranked prospect in Texas.
MARCUS WILLIAMSON // 2017 // CORNERBACK // WESTERVILLE
Marcus Williamson is the lone 2017 standout on the list. Williamson is Ohio's third-ranked player in 2017 and the country's sixth-ranked cornerback.
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WHY
It's never too early to wrap up Ohio's best, and the Westerville South standout is right at the top of the Buckeyes' – and most pundits' – list. He's got the natural cover ability that all college coaches covet and prototypical cornerback size. Williamson can run with anyone and has an above-average football IQ.
Ohio State's Kerry Coombs has been the leading force in the recruitment of Williamson and the Buckeyes have put as much time into recruiting the 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback as they have any player in the 2017 class. Simply put, there's few times a player gets noticed as early as Williamson does. And when they're inside your borders? That makes a great player all the more important.
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WHEN
Williamson has a few spring visits planned – he wants to visit Michigan State, Kentucky and Notre Dame – but at whatever point he returns to Ohio State's campus, it wouldn't be a surprise if that would be the final trip he made before committing. The Buckeyes are close to home, and any day of the week could yield a visit, so it's difficult to narrow down a specific date and time a visit could occur, let alone a commitment.
Like the commitment of sophomore offensive lineman and fellow 2017 star Josh Myers at Ohio State's "Junior Day" in January, don't be surprised if a spring game commitment by Williamson takes place.
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THREAT
I don't want to be accused of being a "homer" but at this point, there's no threat to the Buckeyes for Williamson. It's a matter of when, not if, at this point.
