The offseason is in full swing, but that doesn't mean the coaching staff is taking any time off. Many of the assistant coaches have spent their week hitting the recruiting trail hard.
With a slow start to the 2015 class, the Buckeyes have plenty of work to do. As some have pointed out, it has been over 150 days since Ohio State's last football commit.
Let's take a look at latest developments on the Ohio State recruiting scene.
Commitment Watch?
While the 2015 class is moving at a slow pace, Jeremy Birmingham has already started to take a look at Ohio's 2016 class. Hubbard sophomore running back George Hill could be one of many highly regarded Ohio prospects in the 2016 class.
Hill plans to visit next weekend and a commitment is not out of the question. The 6-foot, 182-pound running back runs a 4.4 and impressed the staff enough to land an early offer. Since Ohio State is his childhood favorite, this recruitment could land the Buckeyes their first verbal commitment in months.
The Ohio native has offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky and West Virginia as well.
As for the next commitment to the 2015 class, all attention is on four-star receiver Van Jefferson. After falling in love with Ohio State during a winter visit, Jefferson has been trying to make it back up to Columbus. That could happen in the next few weeks.
Texas Tom Bringing out The Spatula?
As first reported by Scout's Ahmard Vital, Ohio State has offered Texas three-star wide receiver J.F. Thomas. The TCU commitment from Dallas could be the latest prospect that Tom Herman pulls from the Lone Star State.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound receiver committed to TCU earlier this month but has since received offers from Ohio State, Nebraska and Boise State. After the latest round of offers, the crystal ball has been trending toward the Buckeyes. All eight predictions have Thomas eventually selecting Ohio State.
Thomas could become yet another prospect that the Buckeyes flip. Getting Thomas on campus will be important; this recruitment is one to watch.
Josh Moore Offered
Before Ohio State visited his school, Josh Moore told Eleven Warriors he hoped to land an offer from the Buckeyes. On Wednesday, he landed that offer.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end/athlete holds offers from Auburn, Florida State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio State, TCU and Texas Tech. He claims no leaders.
Moore now hopes to attend one of Ohio State's summer camps. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes continue the search for a pair of tight ends.
Tim Hinton Makes Stops in Dayton
The Ohio State coaches have been busy on the road as of late. Tight ends coach Tim Hinton made a few visits to Dayton area schools earlier this week.
Daryl McCleskey Jr. of Dayton Thurgood Marshall High School was one prospect Hinton had his eye on. The sophomore all-state running back has drawn interest from Toledo, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ohio, Bowling Green and others.
Sophomore quarterback Jacob Harris of Dayton Chaminade Julienne High School also drew a visit from Hinton. After throwing for over 2,700 yards as a sophomore, colleges have their eye on the Dayton native. Akron has already offered and the Buckeyes plan to take a close look at a summer camp. Sophomore teammate Jeffery Pooler has also been in contact with Hinton and plans to camp at Ohio State.
Darrin Kirkland Jr. Narrows List to 10
Junior four-star linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. tweeted out his latest top 10 on Thursday night. The Buckeyes were not surprisingly left off the list since they have not offered the highly sought-after recruit.
Early on in the process, Ohio State was considered one of the teams to beat for Kirkland's commitment. Though the Indianapolis native has visited Columbus several times, that has now changed with the lack of an offer. Michigan, Penn State and Tennessee appear to be the favorites.
Penn State, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and North Carolina made Kirkland's cut.
