Things have been relatively quiet in the recruiting world as of late, mostly due to Ohio State playing consecutive games on the road. While the Buckeyes had a chance to impress some younger talent in attendance for games at Wisconsin and Penn State, the next five weeks — with three home dates on the schedule — will go a long way in determining what prospects fill out the remainder of the 2017 recruiting class.
Ohio State currently holds commitments from 17 prospects, including 11 of the Top 100 recruits in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Buckeyes sit atop the team standings as a result, even though they have five less total commits than second-ranked Alabama.
A lot can happen in the three months until National Signing Day, but we've taken an in-depth look at where Ohio State currently stands with its remaining targets listed among the top 100 players in the country.
CAM AKERS, RUNNING BACK — CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI
Though he's considered one of Ohio State's top remaining targets, there hadn't been much to report on Clinton, Mississippi, five-star running back Cam Akers in recent weeks.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pounder unofficially visited Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ole Miss, but opted to put his recruitment on the back burner for a while to remain focused on leading his high school team back to the state playoffs. That was until Friday, when Akers scheduled an official visit to Michigan for its Nov. 19 game against Indiana.
Akers, the nation's second-ranked running back and No. 6 recruit overall in the class, listed the Wolverines in his Top 10 in late May alongside Alabama, Auburn, Cal, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Tennessee. It's surprising, to say the least, as it's long been considered a three-horse race between the Buckeyes, Rebels and Seminoles for Akers.
Michigan has three running backs already in the fold, meanwhile, in four-stars O'Maury Samuels and A.J. Dillon and three-star Kurt Taylor. That's not to say the Wolverines wouldn't take the five-star running back, as we've already seen head coach Jim Harbaugh willing to pull scholarships from lower-ranked prospects in the past. But I'm not certain Akers, who once attended a satellite camp hosted by Harbaugh in Mississippi, has sincere interest in playing for the school up north.
Meanwhile, Akers has yet to set an official visit to Columbus, though he said one week ago while accepting his U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey that he is “definitely very interested in Ohio State.” Akers is expected to announce his college decision in early December so he can enroll at his school of choice in January, which means getting him on campus in the next few weeks is of the utmost importance.
The way his schedule is currently laid out, I would anticipate him attending the regular season finale against Michigan on Nov. 26, at which time the Buckeyes would have the last official chance to make a lasting impression.
JEFFREY OKUDAH, CORNERBACK — GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS
Like Akers, Grand Prairie, Texas, five-star corner Jeffrey Okudah has yet to set his official visit to Ohio State. But in the grand scheme of things, it seems as if the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has already made up his mind.
Okudah, who is considered the top cornerback and the No. 8 overall prospect in the country, narrowed down his list of more than 30 scholarship offers to Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC in early July. He was in attendance for the Buckeyes 45-24 win over the Sooners, after which rumors began to surface that Okudah had committed to the staff in May and reaffirmed his pledge to defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano.
The five-star prospect recently took a trip to Georgia and will attend Florida State's highly anticipated matchup with Clemson this week, and will have two official visits remaining.
With this weekend's game against Northwestern off the table, look for Okudah to make his first trip to Columbus since June for either the Nov. 5 game against Nebraska or the Nov. 26 Michigan game, after which he'll likely announce his college intentions.
BARON BROWNING, LINEBACKER — KENNEDALE, TEXAS
The last Tuesday in November could have a resounding impact on Ohio State's Class of 2017. That is the day Kennedale, Texas, five-star linebacker Baron Browning is set to announce his college decision.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder will be on campus just three days prior for an official visit, which marks his last official trip of the season.
Browning announced a Top 10 list in April of Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, TCU, Texas, UCLA and USC. He unofficially stopped by Texas for its season-opening win over Notre Dame, then subsequently — and officially — visited Michigan on Oct. 1. He plans to use his third and fourth official visits for Florida State's Oct. 28 game against Clemson and UCLA's Nov. 19 game against USC, respectively.
While the Longhorns are considered the overwhelming favorite to land Browning, there's still a long way to go in his recruitment. Ohio State has only one linebacker currently in the fold in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pioneer's Antjuan Simmons, and having the last impression with Browning could go a long way in bringing another to Columbus.
SHAUN WADE, CORNERBACK — JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Though he's Ohio State's longest-tenured commit, you can't help but include Jacksonville, Florida, Trinity Christian five-star cornerback Shaun Wade on this list. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder's recruitment is far from over, as many prognosticators believe he'll ultimately flip to Alabama before National Signing Day.
Wade will take his official visit to Columbus for the Nov. 5 game against Nebraska, but will follow it up three weeks later with a trip to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl. Wade, who also visited Florida and Notre Dame earlier this falls, says he remains 100 percent committed to Ohio State, but the Crimson Tide are no doubt a legitimate threat to change his mind.
The fourth-best cornerback and No. 21 overall prospect in the Class of 2017, Wade is expected to either flip to Alabama or reaffirm his commitment to Ohio State shortly after his final visit.
JAY TUFELE, DEFENSIVE TACKLE — SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH
South Jordan, Utah, Bingham four-star defensive tackle Jay Tufele has kept his recruitment very close to the vest. The 6-foot-3, 297-pounder doesn't talk to the media often and has never been to Columbus, but listed Ohio State in Top 7 schools last month alongside BYU, Michigan, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington.
Tufele has been sidelined for his entire season after an MRI revealed ligament damage to his foot, but is considered the top-rated player in the state after recording 120 tackles and 16.5 sacks in two varsity seasons.
He took his first official visit to Michigan this past weekend and is set for a trip to Ohio State for the Nov. 26 game against the Wolverines. But because Tufele has already unofficially visited BYU, Utah and Oregon, it will difficult to get a read on where the Buckeyes truly stand until he comes to Columbus.
BUBBA BOLDEN, SAFETY — LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Ohio State has already locked down commitments from three prospects from the No. 1 high school program in the country in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell, wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett. Why not make it four?
Some would argue that four-star safety Bubba Bolden has been the best player on the team this season, making a number of spectacular one-handed interceptions and blocking a field goal against nationally ranked Fort Lauderdale, Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas to keep the Gaels undefeated.
It was that game in which Bolden, a one-time USC commit, introduced himself to Ohio State fans, and ever since, the fourth-best player in the state of Nevada and the No. 77 prospect overall has been trending toward playing his college ball in Columbus.
Though it had been known for a while, Bolden announced last night he will take his official visit to Ohio State for the Nov. 5 game against Nebraska. He will be flanked by the aforementioned Martell and Lindsey, who will no doubt put pressure on their teammate to join them for at least three more years.
Though it's unclear when Bolden plans to make a decision on his future, I would not be surprised if he pulls the trigger and commits to Ohio State that weekend.
ANTHONY HINES, LINEBACKER — PLANO, TEXAS
Like the aforementioned Browning, Plano, Texas, four-star linebacker Anthony Hines is also set to make his college decision public on Nov. 29. It's unclear if the duo is set to make a joint announcement, similar to that of Ohio State wide receiver commits Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey, but it doesn't seem likely such a decision would favor the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-2, 222-pounder is considered the second-best inside linebacker and the No. 88 prospect overall in the class. He narrowed down his more than 90 scholarship offers to Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and UCLA in late July.
Hines has taken four official visits this season to Texas A&M, Penn State, Florida and UCLA, which leaves Ohio State's Oct. 29 game against Northwestern as his last official stop. There was a point in time the Buckeyes were considered the leader for Hines, but trips to Oklahoma and Texas over the summer seemingly have things trending in a different direction.
The Buckeyes will have to pull out all the stops this weekend if they hope to land Hines, but getting him on campus for the first time since his three-day trip to Columbus in June is significant nonetheless. Will it be enough? I'm just not so sure Ohio State has enough momentum to overcome the Sooners and Longhorns.
