Heat Check: Five-Star Running Back Continues to Slide While A New Name Emerges Along the Defensive Front

October is nearly behind us, and as we sit in the midst of official visit season, the Buckeyes' 2017 recruiting class looks exactly as it did when the month began. Urban Meyer has landed commitments from 17 players so far, including five of the five-star variety. The class still checks in at No. 1 on the 247sports Composite Team Rankings, though it will be difficult to hold off a fast-charging Bama class that already has more commitments (22) than the Buckeyes are expected to sign as a whole.

Many of the familiar names remain atop the board, but defensive line recruiting continues to get more and more intriguing. 

*The board will be updated over the next several months as we try and monitor the ups and downs of the 2017 class.

*Last month's version can be found HERE. 

Realistically, Shaun Wade probably should have been included on the board for the last several months. Everyone pretty much knows the story by now as the five-star defensive back has been committed to the Buckeyes since January of 2015, but his commitment status hasn't stopped the uneasy feeling from permeating throughout the fanbase. 

5-star DB Shaun Wade says he's still 100% committed to Ohio State despite taking visits to other schools.

— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) October 22, 2016

Andrew provided an update on the upcoming official visits earlier this week, and Wade is going to be a key one to watch. There seems to be a little confusion as to whether or not the Alabama official visit will be happening for the Iron Bowl, but the official to Columbus is definitely going to take place. Even with a loaded group in the secondary, this Meyer vs. Saban battle may be one of the more interesting storylines as we lead up to late November, which is when Wade hopes to have a final decision.

No changes at the very top of the board and that probably will remain the case until Jeffrey Okudah makes his intentions known. He's my personal pick for best defensive player in the entire country and nothing has changed in regard to his standing with Ohio State or vice versa. This one has been over for a while and the official announcement may just be more of a formality at this point.  

Jay Tufele remains at No. 3 on the board and there finally has been a little bit of movement in his recruitment after an official visit to Ann Arbor, though it's still anyone's guess as to who is the leader in the clubhouse. The Wolverines recently landed a commitment from defensive lineman Donovan Jeter – a one-time Notre Dame pledge – and he may very well end up playing tackle at the next level. Interestingly, Michigan has recently upped their contact with another defensive tackle – Oregon commit Rutger Reitmaier.

Wolverine commits, PA DE Donovan Jeter and MI DT Phillip Paea with Utah DT Jay Tufele. Could #Michigan possibly land this talented trio? pic.twitter.com/kYBZ2S1bnF

— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) October 23, 2016

Tufele will be in Columbus for the showdown with Michigan and by then it will hopefully be a little easier to get a read on his recruitment. 

Five-star running back Cam Akers continues to slip a bit on the board, and truthfully he may still be a little bit too high. At one point I genuinely thought J.K. Dobbins would end up spending his college days in Austin, but that doesn't appear to be the case right now. For what it's worth my crystal ball will remain on Texas merely because it cannot be changed to Ohio State since he is already committed.

Akers says he will visit Ohio State, but those plans haven't been solidified yet. He will be in Tallahassee this weekend for his first official. The Buckeyes remain the crystal ball favorites but recent picks have been in favor of Florida State, LSU, and Ole Miss. 

Ohio State is still looking for another linebacker and it seems more and more likely that Anthony Hines, the nation's No. 2 inside backer, will end up in Texas or possibly Oklahoma. Five-star Baron Browning has always seemed like the more likely of the two candidates, and his relationship with Jeffrey Okudah is certainly something working in Ohio State's favor. Charlie Strong's seemingly inevitable firing is also something to watch as the Longhorns are the current crystal ball favorites. 

Browning has already taken officials to Alabama and Michigan and this weekend he too will travel to Florida State. He will join Okudah and five-star Texan Marvin Wilson as they travel to Columbus for the Michigan game. As for Hines, Ohio State may be in line to receive his last official visit. If that does come to fruition, then it may be worth watching this one a little more closely. 

Wilson has made an appearance on the board before and has said some positive things about the Buckeyes, most notably following his attendance at the Oklahoma game. Still, this one is currently filed under the "longshot" category and will continue to be so until he makes an appearance in Columbus; if that even happens. 

The Texas trio has surely caught a glimpse of one former Buckeye who is already being mentioned as one of the best running backs in the NFL. 

There goes that man @EzekielElliott! #Shhhh

— Jeffrey Okudah III (@TheJeffOkudah) October 9, 2016

Breaking news: Outside of a few shining moments, Ohio State's wide receiver play has been less than stellar. This past Monday, Kyle "Abercrombie" Jones did an amazing job of breaking down the shortcomings of Zone Six. 

While we have no idea how the current wide receiver group could impact the coaching staff and their thoughts on Jaylen Harris, I feel like it's reason enough to move him up the board. He's a freakishly athletic wideout and I believe he's more important now than he was a few months ago – even with Trevon Grimes and, to a lesser degree, slot wideout Tyjon Lindsey already in the fold. 

It's also somewhat important to note that wide receiver isn't currently shaping up to be a position group of strength for the 2018 class. Last year at this time, guys like Grimes and Harris were already on the radar as heavy Buckeye leans. When looking at the top wideouts for next cycle, there really aren't any names that jump out and make you say "it will be hard to pull that one away from Urban Meyer." Just another thing to keep in mind when it comes to whether or not the staff will push for Harris to round out the 2017 haul.

Bubba Bolden and Xavier McKinney remain on the board at safety, and it certainly looks like the former is the more likely option of the two. Bolden (along with his mother) will be in town with Lindsey and Tate Martell on Nov. 5 for the Nebraska game. McKinney has been to Clemson several times already (unofficially) and will be back again after his season for an official. He plans on visiting Ohio State as well but right now it just feels like he is Clemson's to lose. 

Josh Falo's recruitment may be second only to Tufele's when it comes to getting a firm grasp on where things stand. His crystal ball only has two picks (both to Oregon) but he hasn't been shy regarding his affinity for the Colorado Buffalos. Would Colorado or even Oregon – a school with a possible lame duck at head coach (lolz) – beat out Ohio State if Meyer elects to make the four-star a priority? Unlikely. 

Defensive lineman Joshua Paschal is an emerging name as the four-star defender makes his debut on the board. He hails from Olney, Maryland's Good Counsel High School which automatically tells us two things: 1) All of the Maryland "insiders" are predicting him to end up at Maryland and 2) He resides in Larry Johnson's realm. 

Paschal discussed his Ohio State interest with LandOf10.com recently:

“Ohio State’s interest impacts my recruitment a lot because I’m starting to think about how I would fit in there and how it will plan my future,” Paschal said. “I didn’t hear from them my whole junior year. Urban Meyer told me that I’ve gotten a lot better, and he can tell that I’ve been working hard. I’ve been hearing from them since mid-September.” Via

Ohio State may actually like the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder as more of a defensive tackle, which means we may have to wait and see how things play out with Jay Tufele before this pursuit really picks up. The Sooners are another team to watch as the four-star was in Norman back in September.

So October was surprisingly quiet on the recruiting front. Ohio State hosted Donovan Peoples-Jones on an official visit, but the bulk of the key visitors won't see Columbus until the next couple of months. 

Danny Clark has found a new home with the Kentucky Wildcats, which might have an impact on some of the fringe players who perhaps weren't quite in the "take" category before Clark's departure. 

21 years ago on this day, Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" topped the Billboard charts. Let me just say it's an absolute travesty that such a song took over the top spot from this super-cool(io) classic.