Just a handful of months ago, Ohio State signed what was one of the best defensive back classes ever assembled. Outside of just the sheer talent that was brought in and will continue to be brought in when Amir Riep arrives in June, this was the team's single-greatest need for the 2017 class. Needless to say, it was a major win for Urban Meyer, Greg Schiano, and Kerry Coombs.
Following the 2017 season, the Buckeyes are going to be without a number of starters in the trenches. Seniors Jalyn Holmes and Tyquan Lewis will be gone, and there's certainly a chance fourth-year junior Sam Hubbard will test the NFL waters. On the interior portion of the line, both Michael Hill and Tracy Sprinkle are heading into their final seasons.
Now, it's Larry Johnson's turn to address one of Ohio State's biggest recruiting needs.
| Prospect | Pos. | Rating | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taron Vincent | DT | ★★★★★ | No. 1 DT |
| Brenton Cox | DE | ★★★★ | No. 2 SDE |
The Buckeyes are likely to take a minimum of four along the defensive line, and the number could end up as high as six new signees for 2018. Obviously, a lot is yet to unfold and the staff will have a better handle on potential attrition as the season progresses, but the need is pretty evident.
Fortunately, the reload is already off to a fantastic start.
On Tuesday, four-star defensive end Brenton Cox elected to side with the Buckeyes over the longtime favorite Georgia Bulldogs. The nation's second-ranked strong-side defensive end had made multiple trips to Columbus but had also expressed some concern about playing in the cold weather. Those concerns clearly have gone by the wayside, and while it will be a dogfight to hang on to the Peach State product, his commitment added a huge piece to the 2018 defensive line puzzle.
Larry Johnson successfully held off the Seminole staff for five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent. The country's top player at the position plays with a seemingly endless motor and we previously had the Baltimore native at No. 2 on our 2018 recruiting board. If five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman is a must-get prospect for the class, then Taron Vincent isn't far behind.
Both Cox and Vincent have already been invited to Nike's The Opening, the premier high school football camp of the entire year. The Buckeyes will again be well-represented in Oregon.
The expectation is for at least one more interior lineman to join up with Taron Vincent, and the same can be said for defensive end. Earlier this month, we looked at some of the top remaining defensive tackles on Ohio State's board as there is a number of names to continue monitoring. At this point, none of them seem too close to making their intentions known.
Again, it would be no shock if the class ends up with five or six along the line. Perhaps a pair of ends and tackles and another utility-type player – someone like Cincinnati's Aeneas Hawkins (Moeller) – who could potentially move around a bit.
| Prospect | Hometown | Measurables | Rating | Pos. Rank | Nat. Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Parsons | Harrisburg, PA | 6-foot-3, 235 pounds | ★★★★★ | No. 1 WDE | No. 3 |
| KJ Henry | Clemmons, NC | 6-foot-5.5, 235 pounds | ★★★★★ | No. 2 WDE | No. 18 |
| Dorian Hardy | Paramus, NJ | 6-foot-5, 245 pounds | ★★★★ | No. 6 SDE | No. 143 |
| Tyreke Smith | Cleveland, Ohio | 6-foot-3, 260 pounds | ★★★★ | No. 8 WDE | No. 148 |
Depending on what goes down with Sam Hubbard, it's reasonable to expect a combination of Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, and Chase Young to help carry the load at defensive end beyond the 2017 season. The commitment from Brenton Cox was a great starting point along the edge, but more is yet to come.
There was some other big defensive end news this week as five-star pass-rusher Micah Parsons backed off of his longtime Penn State commitment. Parsons has been no stranger to Columbus, and the Buckeyes are thought to be the team to beat right now, though his recruitment is expected to go on for a while. A defensive end duo of Parsons and Cox would be one of the better hauls we've seen of late.
Ohio State was recently included in the top 10 for North Carolina's KJ Henry. The country's No. 2 weak-side defensive end is thought to be a virtual lock to Clemson, but as long as the Buckeyes are being mentioned, it's at least worth paying some attention to. Henry was in town for the Michigan game in November.
The Buckeyes hosted four-star Dorian Hardy earlier this month, and it's been said that the visit went extremely well for the Paramus, New Jersey native. He's coming off of a visit for Penn State's spring game, and right now the crystal ball is split between the Nittany Lions and Crimson Tide. Larry Johnson has the Buckeyes in contention and a return trip seems likely for this summer.
Like the aforementioned Aeneas Hawkins, fellow Ohioan Tyreke Smith is another interesting case along the line. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he could potentially grow into more of an interior guy. Smith showed some major explosiveness while at the Nike regional camp in Cleveland a few weeks back. Following the event, he too earned an invitation to The Opening.
Regardless of where he lines up in the trenches, right now it's looking like the bulk of his time could be spent in Columbus or Happy Valley. He's made multiple visits to Ohio State but has also checked out the Nittany Lions on more than one occasion. Smith grew up in Southern California, and he's also planning on visiting both USC and UCLA at some point in the process.
For Johnson and the Buckeyes, things are already coming together quite nicely as the 2018 class is on track to address what should be some pretty glaring needs. Adding three or four more pieces to the puzzle will remain a necessity for the coming months and throughout official visit season.
The 2018 defensive line haul has a chance to be one of the more special units we've seen.
