The Opening concluded Sunday and, by most accounts, it was a pretty good weekend overall for the Ohio State commits in attendance.
The Buckeyes' newest pledge, five-star offensive guard Wyatt Davis, was part of the "Final 5 Linemen," which pairs the top-five performers at The Opening on both the offensive and defensive line against each other. Ohio State running back commit JK Dobbins had quite the week, as well, cementing himself as one of the top running backs in the country.
If you missed any of the highlights, catch up on everything you need from The Opening here:
- Tate Martell works with Tyjon Lindsey, Trevon Grimes: The Opening Recap, Day 1
- Cam Akers rocks an Ohio State hat; Ezekiel Elliott poses for photos with top Buckeyes targets: The Opening Recap, Day 2
- JK Dobbins takes home Nike+ Football Ratings Championship
- Ohio State commits top Michigan pledges in game of tug of war: The Opening Recap, Day 3
- 7-on-7 competition begins: The Opening Recap, Day 4
- Davis, Dobbins continue to shine: The Opening Recap, Day 5
Buckeyes In Top Group For Jamyest Williams, Trey Smith and Xavier Thomas
As expected, Ohio State did not land any commits at The Opening, but the Buckeyes got perhaps the best news they could with some highly-touted prospects who elected to trim their lists of schools this weekend. Ohio State made the top group for Jamyest Williams, Trey Smith and Xavier Thomas.
Williams — a four-star cornerback in the 2017 class from Grayson High School in Georgia — included the Buckeyes in his top five along with Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The hometown Bulldogs are still the 247 crystal ball favorites to land the nation's seventh-rated corner while the Gamecocks seem to have gained a ton of momentum, as well. But Ohio State has made a strong push with Williams this summer and there's potential for an official visit this fall.
Here is my top 5 all glory to God @ESPNU pic.twitter.com/nDhjniXfNG
— Jamyest Williams (@Jamy0602) July 10, 2016
With Davis, Josh Myers and Jake Moretti already in the fold, Ohio State is pretty set at offensive line in 2017, but Smith is the type of player the Buckeyes would surely add up front. Smith announced his top-six schools at The Opening and Ohio State was included along with Tennessee, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ole Miss.
Smith — who hails from Jackson, Tennessee — is a composite four-star prospect and the nation's No.9-ranked offensive tackle in 2017, though a couple of recruiting services have him ranked as high as No. 1 at the position. His 247Sports crystal is currently split between the Rebels, Volunteers and Crimson Tide, so the Buckeyes have some ground to make up, but Martell is going hard after Smith to add him to this class.
Top 6 pic.twitter.com/0dvvd709fl
— Trey Smith (@smithtrey98) July 10, 2016
Rated as the No. 3 overall player in the 2018 class, Thomas included Ohio State in his top-four schools along with Clemson, South Carolina and Florida State. The Tigers currently seem like the team to beat for the five-star defensive end who hails from Florence, South Carolina, but there's still a long way to go in his recruitment. Thomas took an unofficial visit to Ohio State this past spring and was one of the top performers in the defensive line group this weekend at The Opening despite being an underclassman.
— Xavier Thomas 19 (@atxlete) July 10, 2016
Tyjon Lindsey to Visit for Friday Night Lights
Would Tyjon Lindsey be back in Columbus for Friday Night Lights or wouldn't he? That was the big question surrounding one of Ohio State's top 2017 targets for weeks now.
On Sunday, it appears we finally got an answer.
According to Landof10.com's Jeremy Birmingham, Lindsey will, in fact, be in attendance at Friday Night Lights shortly following his scheduled unofficial visits to Auburn and Alabama.
Big news for Buckeyes - Tyjon Lindsey (@tyjonlindsey) just told me he's definitely coming to Friday Night Lights. pic.twitter.com/GXvUKuQkLx
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) July 11, 2016
The Buckeyes wanted to get the five-star wide receiver back on campus because their top competition for his services, Nebraska, got a few recent visits from Lindsey since his last trip to Columbus.
Martell, one of Lindsey's best friends and former high school teammate, will also be at Friday Night Lights to do some more recruiting. Lindsey is set to make his college decision Aug. 22; will this be the visit that seals things for the Buckeyes?
Georgia Lands Highly-Ranked Running Back; Bulldogs Take No. 2 Spot in Team Rankings
Sunday was a pretty big day on the recruiting trail for Georgia as it landed a pair of four-star prospects: offensive tackle Andrew Thomas and running back Toneil Carter. These two helped the Bulldogs jump Alabama for the No. 2 spot in the 2017 class rankings and the gap between top-ranked Ohio State and now-No. 2 Georgia is a little bit closer.
But there's a little bit of added significance to Carter's commitment when comes to Ohio State. It obviously gives the Bulldogs one running back in their 2017 class and they are also considered one of the favorites to land five-star running back D'Andre Swift. Should a commitment from Swift happen, that would all but eliminate Georgia from the running for five-star running back Cam Akers — one of Ohio State's top remaining 2017 targets.
Akers is scheduled to visit Ohio State for Friday Night Lights and that trip could see the Buckeyes jump to the top of his list ahead of the Bulldogs and Ole Miss.
