A lot has changed since our last look at Ohio State's top recruiting targets for the 2018 recruiting class, as the Buckeyes held just two commitments in early February from five-star dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones and four-star running back Brian Snead.
That number has grown to nine in the meantime, headlined by five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent, putting the staff on track to land yet another Top 5 recruiting class. And with plenty of talent still available, Ohio State will certainly be in contention for the No. 1 spot come National Signing Day.
So which names are at the top of the Buckeyes' list of priorities? Here's a position-by-position breakdown, with targets listed in alphabetical order:
QUARTERBACK
COMMITS: EMORY JONES
There was a lot of concern just a few short weeks ago about Jones' commitment to Ohio State, as he'd visited Alabama and talked publicly about his desire to check out Florida and Florida State. And even though he repeatedly said it was just to make sure Columbus was the place for him, speculation of a potential flip was aplenty.
Jones continues to say and do all the right things, and has seemingly taken his rightful place as lead recruiter for the Buckeyes in recent weeks. He played an instrumental role in helping the staff land fellow Georgian Brenton Cox and continues to recruit a number of high-profile targets on this list.
Ohio State will only take one quarterback this cycle, which means the staff won't recruit any others unless he reopens his recruitment down the road. That's highly unlikely, though, and any potential replacement would be hard to predict at this time.
RUNNING BACK
COMMITS: JAELEN GILL, BRIAN SNEAD
TARGETS: MASTER TEAGUE III, TAVION THOMAS, ZAMIR WHITE
Westerville South four-star running back Jaelen Gill joined the fold in early March, giving Ohio State its first in-state pledge for the Class of 2018.
He and Snead are two very different prospects that will complement each other well. But while most programs would be happy with such a haul, the lack of depth at the position in Columbus makes it imperative for the Buckeyes to chase a third.
Dayton Dunbar four-star Tavion Thomas seems like a natural fit, seeing as he's one of the most sought-after prospects in the country and in the Buckeyes' backyard. But having only played six games at running back in his high school career, as well as the fact that there are concerns over his grades, the staff will wait to see how things first unfold with North Carolina five-star running back Zamir White.
White, who didn't include Ohio State in his Top 4 a couple months back, attended the Spring Game and has since been quoted having the Buckeyes among his leaders. He's been on campus three times in the last year alone and set to decide his future on June 27 — his mom's birthday.
She's not been shy about her affection for Georgia, though, so the question becomes whether or not White will go against her wishes on her big day. There's a chance, but it's hard to fathom.
One prospect to keep an eye on in the coming weeks is Tennessee three-star Master Teague III, who has a lot of interest in the Buckeyes despite not currently holding an offer. Running backs coach Tony Alford recently stopped by his school and seems on the cusp of offering. If that happens, I expect Teague to find himself ahead of Thomas on the priority list.
WIDE RECEIVER
COMMITS: NONE
TARGETS: KAMRYN BABB, BRENNAN EAGLES, JUSTYN ROSS, L'CHRISTIAN SMITH
Wide receiver may have seen the greatest change of all the positions, as Ohio State recently missed the cut for Florida four-star Joshua Moore and Oklahoma four-star C.J. Moore elected to stay home and play for the Cowboys.
The staff has since singled out Texas five-star Brennan Eagles, Alabama four-star Justyn Ross and St. Louis four-star Kamryn Babb as their top priorities. Eagles and Ross recently included the Buckeyes among their top schools, while Babb, a holdover from our last update, has always been considered an Ohio State lean and is set to narrow down his list to eight or so in the coming weeks.
Huber Heights Wayne four-star L'Christian "Blue" Smith was on campus just this week, at which time head coach Urban Meyer made it clear he was a priority at wide receiver, despite all the outside talk at tight end. With that settled, he may very well become the Buckeyes' first pledge at the position later this summer.
TIGHT END
COMMITS: NONE
TARGETS: MUSTAPHA MUHAMMAD, JEREMY RUCKERT, ZACH SHEFFER
After going without one in this year's recruiting cycle, Ohio State will look to take two tight ends in 2018.
New York four-star Jeremy Ruckert is the obvious first choice, and he plans to make a commitment once his high school baseball season ends in a few weeks. The Buckeyes are the overwhelming favorite, and it would honestly be a surprise if he went anywhere else.
Texas four-star Mustapha Muhammad, meanwhile, has been trending toward Michigan since his trip to Ann Arbor last month for the Spring Game. The staff has been making a significant push for him to come back to campus, though, which could certainly shift the tides in their favor if that were to happen sometime soon. Muhammad's not afraid of competition, either, so Ruckert's assumed pledge would not have an effect on his decision.
The most likely pairing would come in the form of Florida three-star Zach Sheffer, however. His recent trip to Columbus put Ohio State at the top of his list, and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson continues to build a solid relationship with him.
OFFENSIVE LINE
COMMITS: MAX WRAY
TARGETS: VERDIS BROWN, JACKSON CARMAN, MATTHEW JONES, JAKE KRADEL, FREDRICK "JUICE" SCRUGGS
Tennessee four-star offensive tackle Max Wray went from virtually unknown to a commit in the matter of a few weeks, as he and his family fell in love with the program during a visit in early April and committed ahead of the Spring Game.
With Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman calling Clemson his leader and seemingly in no hurry to make a decision on his future, Wray's pledge was a welcome surprise. Carman seems to be having fun with the recruiting process after so many simply assumed he was going to end up at Ohio State, but most people — including myself — believe that assumption still holds true.
The staff will still potentially look to add one more offensive tackle to the fold, but it's unclear at this time who that may be. Locking down Carman will remain the priority, and the rest will figure itself out from there.
Offensive guard is a different story, however. The Buckeyes have identified Florida four-star Verdis Brown and Pennsylvania four-star Fredrick “Juice” Scruggs as their top priorities at their position and are considered the favorite for both. It's seemingly only a matter of time before they make the call.
Another prospect who could soon call Columbus his home is Pennsylvania three-star Jake Kradel. He's an offensive guard by trade, but the staff has earmarked him for center. Kradel is set to attend Ohio State's camp in early June, and if he performs well, could commit the following day.
If not, the Buckeyes could look to bring in New York four-star Matthew Jones with the idea of moving him to center, though most recruiting services peg him as a defensive tackle.
DEFENSIVE LINE
COMMITS: BRENTON COX, TARON VINCENT
TARGETS: AENEAS HAWKINS, PJ MUSTIPHER, MICAH PARSONS, TYREKE SMITH
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson seems to have made the greatest impact in this recruiting cycle, landing the aforementioned Vincent and Georgia four-star defensive end Brenton Cox. His relationship with Vincent goes all the way back to when the five-star defensive tackle was in eighth grade, so his pledge in early April was long considered a foregone conclusion.
Cox, meanwhile, was a heavy lean toward the in-state Bulldogs. But Johnson's ability to mold him into an NFL-caliber prospect swayed his decision toward the Buckeyes.
That, in itself, is one heck of a haul, yet Ohio State remains among the leaders for Pennsylvania five-star defensive end Micah Parsons, Cleveland Heights four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller four-star defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins. None of the three have plans to make a decision anytime soon, which certainly impacts the Buckeyes' pursuit of any potential replacements.
Maryland four-star defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher is another name to pay attention to, though, as his relationship with Johnson also goes back to elementary school — Johnson recruited his older brother, Sam, when he was at Penn State. The Nittany Lions, no less, are the favorite in his recruitment, though.
LINEBACKER
COMMITS: NONE
TARGETS: DALLAS GANT, MICHAEL HARRIS, TERADJA MITCHELL, CHRISTOPHER OATS, XAVIER PETERS
The picture will become much clearer at linebacker in the next few weeks, as Toledo four-star Dallas Gant will make his decision this Tuesday, May 16, while Virginia Beach five-star Teradja Mitchell will do so by the end of the month or in early June.
The Buckeyes are the favorite for Gant, though Notre Dame has a great chance of pulling the upset thanks to its religious similarities to his high school, St. John's Jesuit. Mitchell, meanwhile, is currently on a three-day visit to Florida State, and the staff is hoping his trip to Columbus last month made a lasting impact.
I feel less and less confident in Ohio State's chances with each passing day, which is why Georgia three-star Michael Harris remains among the staff's top priorities. If Mitchell chooses the Seminoles, Harris' spot is pretty much guaranteed — so long as he gets the necessary test scores. Lakota West four-star Xavier Peters will see his chances at an offer jump significantly with Mitchell off the board, too.
Cincinnati Winton Woods four-star Christopher Oats, meanwhile, doesn't conduct very many interviews but has repeatedly called Ohio State his top school. If and when he's ready to make a decision, expect him to pick the Buckeyes.
DEFENSIVE BACK
COMMITS: SEVYN BANKS, JOSH PROCTOR, JAIDEN WOODBEY
TARGETS: AMARI BURNEY, ANTHONY COOK, HOUSTON GRIFFITH
As mentioned above, California four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey surprisingly joined the fold just one day after our last update. He made his first visit to Columbus for Junior Day the week prior and that was all he needed to make his decision over heavily favored USC, where his father played.
Naturally, there were rumors of him reconsidering his pledge in the months since, but he said he was 100 percent committed following a second visit in March. Woodbey's third visit helped the Buckeyes secure a commitment from Oklahoma four-star safety Josh Proctor at halftime of the Spring Game. Proctor wasn't even on the list of expected attendees, but he and Woodbey were attached at the hip throughout the game.
The glorified scrimmage also made a significant impact on Florida four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks, who fits the mold both defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs like in their cornerbacks. He was considered a Florida lean since his older brother, Marcell Harris, plays for the Gators, but committed to Ohio State out of the blue just over two weeks ago.
That leaves the Buckeyes with no more than two spots remaining in the defensive backfield. Texas five-star Anthony Cook is the top target, and the Buckeyes have made great strides in his recruitment following his first trip to Columbus last month. The staff is hoping he'll follow in the footsteps of his close friend Jeffrey Okudah, whom they pulled out of the Lone Star State earlier this year.
Florida four-star cornerbacks Houston Griffith and Amari Burney both remain high on Ohio State but may fall victim to the Buckeyes numbers situation. It's hard to imagine the staff turning away Top 100 prospects, but that just might be the case with both expected to make a decision in the next few months.
