Ohio State has extended offers to 18 wideouts thus far for the Class of 2018. While it's not too hard to get a feel for who's at the top of their board, the rest of the pecking order is still coming together.
St. Louis four-star receiver Kamryn Babb looks to still be sitting atop the board, and the Buckeyes look like the heavy favorite for the country's No. 9 wideout. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder checked out the Fighting Irish in February and was in Ann Arbor on Friday. He appears to be in no hurry to make his intentions known.
Behind Babb, there's a handful of names to know, but none of them seem to have Ohio State at the top of their lists right now. Three true wide receivers were brought in for the 2017 class, including Trevon Grimes, Jaylen Harris, and Elijah Gardiner. Four-star athlete Brendon White appears to have settled in at wideout, so Zach Smith is now looking at four new bodies to work with in a hopefully revamped Zone Six.
The number for the current recruiting class remains up in the air, especially when one considers that Jealen Gill could be used in a number of different ways on offense. Still, it's probably a safe bet that we will see two or three new pass-catchers come February of 2018.
In the state of Ohio, one doesn't have to look much further than the Dayton area, but the three top-ranked receivers are each facing very different scenarios.
| Prospect | Measurables | Hometown | Rating | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L'Christian Smith | 6-foot-6, 205 pounds | Dayton, Ohio | ★★★★ | No. 96 (No. 2 ATH) |
| Joseph Scates | 6-food-3, 175 pounds | Dayton, Ohio | ★★★★ | No. 148 (No. 28 WR) |
| Meechi Harris | 6-foot-2, 188 pounds | Xenia, Ohio | ★★★ | No. 514 (No. 88 WR) |
Depending on the outlet, L'Christian Smith is listed as either a wide receiver or athlete. While he certainly has the build to be more of a tight end down the road, there's been little chatter of that being his position of choice. In fact, the Buckeyes might be on the outside looking in right now for that very reason. Despite holding an offer, there have been some rumblings that the staff isn't totally sold on him as a wideout – at least not yet.
Smith has been to Lexington multiple times in the last couple months, and he's back again this weekend with a number of other Ohio prospects. Kentucky has been surging in the crystal ball lately as the Wildcats now hold 90% of the picks.
Vince Marrow has been UK's ace recruiter for the state of Ohio, though they haven't exactly landed a bunch of players the Buckeyes were chasing. Alex Reigelsperger, a teammate of Smith's at Wayne High School, committed to the Wildcats in February.
A two-sport star for the Warriors, playing basketball at the next level is still an option for Smith. Kentucky's offer to the 6-foot-6, 205-pounder appears to also include the option to suit up on the hardwood for John Calipari, though it likely would be more of a walk-on role. That's probably not going to happen in Columbus, so we'll have to wait and see just how important the hoops factor may be.
Ohio 2 Kentucky @xavierpeters22 @bluesmith_ @UKCoachStoops @vincemarrow pic.twitter.com/b4WKRs2l4v
— Alex Reigelsperger (@a_reigelsperger) April 1, 2017
Joseph Scates is another Gem City four-star who's in the discussion despite no offer from the Buckeyes. Scates has an extremely close relationship with four-star running back and Buckeye target Tavion Thomas, and the two haven't been shy about their desire to play together in college. The duo visited Tuscaloosa already and Nick Saban has extended offers to both of the Dayton Dunbar stars.
Scates decommitted from Michigan State shortly after receiving the Alabama offer, but many are questioning whether he would be a take for the Tide at this point. He's identified Bama as his dream school, but right now his recruitment does still seem fairly open.
As for Ohio State, it sounds as though the staff is waiting to see how things unfold during his senior year – both on the field and in the classroom. Right now this one is looking pretty unlikely, but crazier things have certainly happened.
Xenia's Meechi Harris is a lowly three-star in the 247Sports composite rankings, but he may be the one that Ohio State fans should be watching most closely right now. The speedster was in Columbus in February for a junior day and was back in March to check out the Buckeyes as they opened spring practice.
While an offer has yet to come, Harris seems well on his way to earning that distinction.
From Scout.com's Bill Greene:
"I really like Ohio State a lot, and I know they're doing their out of state recruiting now, before they come to the Ohio guys," he admitted. "I'm just waiting to see what happens about an offer, and I'm just staying patient."
"I did speak with Urban Meyer and he told me I was a really good player," Harris noted. "He said he loved my film and wants to see me more. Coach Meyer said the offer is going to come, but he didn't want to rush it." Via
Harris is the state's No. 2 wide receiver – checking in right behind Scates (Smith is listed as an athlete) – and it sounds as though Meyer has laid out the recruiting approach pretty clearly for the 6-foot-2, 188-pounder.
As a junior, he hauled in 41 passes for 663 yards while finding the end zone 15 times. Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Kentucky are among the schools that have offered. Harris has already been to Lexington and East Lansing and is looking to check out Madison as well.
While his situation is much different than that of Smith and Scates, he may be the most likely in-state wideout to end up as a part of the Buckeyes' 2018 class.
