It's been a kind of unusual recruiting cycle for Ohio State. The 2016 class – ranked as the country's best – has hit the expected and not unusual September lull, an almost necessary slowdown at this point. With 19 commitments and a quartet of players that would rank as an almost "core group" of remaining targets, the Buckeyes are – for all intents and purposes – kind of finished with the 2016 class.
Still, as in the case of Alex Stump, Robert Landers and Da'Von Hamilton last year, there seems to always be one or two Ohioans who hit the field running as seniors and catch the eye of Ohio State late in the process.
If the Buckeyes were to miss out on their top (read: most likely to be added) remaining targets, guys like Damar Hamlin, Jordan Fuller, Antwuan Jackson, Binjimen Victor or Donnie Corley, who are the Ohio kids that could see their Scarlet and Gray dreams come true?
Here are six names that would be my choice for another, closer, look.
AJ ROSE • ATHLETE • GARFIELD HEIGHTS
I've been talking about AJ Rose, the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder from Cleveland's Garfield Heights for a while now. The Kentucky commit visited Ohio State for Friday Night Lights in July and he's one of a handful of players in the state that the Buckeyes have continued to watch closely.
Rose can play defensive back, linebacker or even running back and it's his versatility that makes him very interesting to watch. He's been committed to Kentucky since February so the Wildcats have been firmly entrenched in his recruitment for a while now and there's no guarantee an Ohio State offer would sway him at this point.
MALIK HARRISON • ATHLETE • WALNUT RIDGE
Malik Harrison visited Ohio State this past weekend and talked a little bit about his recruitment in last night's The Hurry Up. He's a big, talented athlete at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and ranked as the country's 54th-best athlete by the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
Harrison is a potential linebacker for the Buckeyes and the question is exactly where he fits in their system. He plays wide receiver as well but if he were to find his way to Columbus, it'd likely be on defense. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Kentucky and others have offered; will the Buckeyes?
TERRANCE LANDERS • WIDE RECEIVER • DAYTON DUNBAR
I'll admit it, I'm kind of fascinated by Terrance Landers. He's a 6-foot-4, 175-pound wide receiver from Dunbar with only one Power Five offer – Iowa – but he's a dynamic athlete out wide and has ideal size for the position.
Landers is perhaps the least polished football player of the group I'll list here, but if Ohio State were to miss out on Victor and Corley and decide they want a bigger, outside wide receiver in this class at all costs, Landers is worth watching.
TONY BUTLER • DEFENSIVE BACK • LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD
Another name that has been regularly discussed over the last few months, St. Edward's Tony Butler, has been a topic of much debate inside the Ohio State program. He's a player that some people love, while other people are just not entirely sold on yet.
Butler was originally committed to Pittsburgh but decommitted from the Panthers in the summer and many thought he was Michigan-bound, but that never materialized. Now, with a decision date of October 5th scheduled, it appears that Clemson or Arizona State are the likely leaders. If a Buckeye offer comes before that date, expect him to be end up in Columbus without question, but if Ohio State tries to wait him out through December and January, it's hard to say what the once-again-committed prospect would do.
ZACH FORD • DEFENSIVE BACK • CLEVELAND HEIGHTS
The most under-the-radar player on my list is Cleveland's Zach Ford, who is committed currently to the Toledo Rockets. Ford is a big (6-foot-3, 180-pounds) cornerback at Cleveland Heights and in talking with a few people this week, the commonly held belief is that he's flying far too low for his considerable skill set.
Again, if Hamlin and Fuller go elsewhere, and Butler sticks with whomever he chooses on October 5th, things will get interesting. Could Ford get a look? I personally think he's worth taking a gander at.
ZACH SANDWISCH • LINEBACKER • TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC
Still my vote as Ohio's best 2016 linebacker, Toledo Central Catholic's Zach Sandwisch is a big, mean, physical tackler who runs well and plays nasty. He's got the ideal size – at 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds – and speed (under 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, despite a torn ACL as a sophomore in high school) to be an effective Big Ten linebacker.
Sandwisch is committed to West Virginia and in reality, I don't think a Buckeye offer would change that at this point because he truly loves the situation in Morgantown. Still, there's something about his game and attitude that makes me think he'd fit in very well with Luke Fickell's linebacker group.
