The 2017 class featured Chase Young as the lone defensive end to sign with the Buckeyes, but a much greater emphasis will be on the edge for the new recruiting cycle. Larry Johnson has his sights set on a handful of defensive ends, but the recruitment of five-star Micah Parsons will continue to be the most interesting one to follow.
The story really begins back in the fall of 2014 when Parsons was merely a freshman at Harrisburg's Central Dauphin High School. At the time, he was just starting to burst onto the scene with 17 sacks in his first season. The rising star made the 90-minute trip to Happy Valley in late October and watched as Joey Bosa put an end to the Nittany Lions' hopes in double overtime.
Less than a month later, the freshman landed his very first offer as James Franklin and the Nits looked to jump on one of the state's top young talents before the rest of the country took notice.
Following the offer, he would make about a half dozen trips to Penn State before pulling the trigger in February of 2016. The Nittany Lions had a few things working for them with the first clearly being proximity to home. Additionally, Parsons' recruitment didn't even take off until after the commitment. Franklin had been fending off schools like Rutgers and West Virginia, but a lot has changed in the past year.
Following an MVP showing at The Opening Regional in New Jersey, his recruitment blew up when Alabama, Florida State, and USC all came calling. Larry Johnson visited the five-star in the spring of 2016, and the Buckeyes would extend an offer in September. Since that time, the once solid Penn State pledge has seemed anything but firm on his commitment.
The country's No. 3 prospect has been to Columbus at least three times since receiving the offer; most recently for a junior day in January. While he's also been to Georgia and visits to Clemson and Florida State are in the works, the Buckeyes certainly look like the most likely candidate to pull off the five-star flip.
Parsons has become a regular in Columbus.
The world of social media is often overanalyzed and can be a very misleading thing. That being said, Penn State fans really have to wonder if their highest-rated commit could be slipping away.
The Harrisburg star has been know to show the Buckeyes some love on Twitter and caused some eyebrows to be raised in State College when he conveniently named his new puppy "Brutus." It's also not often that a player committed to a school releases a list of his top six schools.
Again, it's not uncommon for kids to mess around with the masses, but it definitely looks like there's a bit more to this one.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is planning on getting back to Columbus this spring and is also expected to check out some other schools this summer. Georgia, Clemson, USC, Alabama, and Florida State have all been mentioned as other schools that are standing out. Parsons will also be in Oregon this summer for The Opening festivities.
He was back in Happy Valley earlier in March and will surely return throughout the spring and summer as the Nittany Lions hope to hold onto their prized commit. The Penn State staff is certainly aware that this one is far from over and all eyes will be on the five-star over the next several months.
Back in 2012, Urban Meyer set the tone early on when he landed the nation's top weak-side defensive end. Noah Spence measured in at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and he too hailed from Harrisburg.
The similarities are striking, and Urban Meyer is hoping for a repeat in 2018.
