Heat Check: Buckeyes' 2018 Recruiting Class Poised for Yet Another Big Month Following June's Commitment Barrage

Happy Independence Day, ladies and gents. Hopefully your day has been filled with sunshine, family, brisket, and all things Merica. 

Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class produced some early fireworks in June as four new commitments helped to temporarily push the Buckeyes ahead of the Hurricanes for the top spot in the team rankings. The battle for the top spot will wage on into July, and don't be surprised if Ohio State takes the lead again despite Miami already having a whopping 19 pledges.

Urban Meyer's class is up to 14 commitments and is expected to end up somewhere in the ballpark of 23-25 signees. The 2018 haul has a chance to not only put an end to Alabama's reign atop the team rankings, but it could potentially go down as the highest-rated class of all time.

July brings with it Friday Night Lights, which is always one of the premier recruiting events of the year. There are still a number of prospects on commitment watch, and July is shaping up to be yet another huge month for Urban Meyer and Co.

Andrew Chatfield, Teradja Mitchell, Master Teague, and Matthew Jones all made their intentions know in June. Four new commitments – and a whole lot of activity around the country – brings some big changes to our 2018 recruiting board.

*Last month's version can be found HERE. 

Jackson Carman is still firmly entrenched at the top, and Clemson and USC appear to round out his list of top schools. The five-star stated that he will show up either at Ohio State or Clemson on July 21. If he opts for the Fighting Dabos instead of Friday Night Lights, then you can bet that there will be a lot of people freaking out; likely over nothing.

If there's one prospect who may earn a fifth star following this week's Opening festivities, then that may very well be Jeremy Ruckert. Ohio State's top tight end target was all over the place in Beaverton, and yesterday news broke that a decision will come this month. 

If there's any question as to how high Ruckert is on the Ohio State recruiting board, then ask yourself this: How many times have we heard of a recruitment in which Urban Meyer has built a relationship with not just the prospect and his family, but with his girlfriend and her family as well? To say that Meyer is covering all bases would be an understatement. 

Tight end @Jeremy_Ruckert1 might be the best player at @TheOpening.

— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) July 3, 2017

Michigan is likely the biggest threat, but we are expecting the 6-foot-5.5, 238-pounder to join Ohio State's 2018 class sometime this month.

Kamryn Babb was also putting on a show in Oregon this week. The four-star looks like a versatile wideout who could play the slot or serve as more of an outside target. LSU may be emerging as a contender for the country's No. 10 wideout, but the Buckeyes look to be the runaway favorite.

247Sports actually lists the St. Louis product as the top-ranked wideout in the country. Following his performance at The Opening, don't be surprised if Babb sees a rankings boost on the other outlets.

Five-star defensive end Micah Parsons holds steady toward the top of the board. The crystal ball continues to favor the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions, but the country's No. 4 prospect appears to be in no rush to make a decision. Nebraska has emerged as a contender and Parsons will likely visit several SEC programs. He plans to return to Columbus for Friday Night Lights.

Sticking with the pass-rushing theme, Tyreke Smith and Jayson Oweh are two other prospects who are likely to come down to Ohio State and Penn State. We've long included Smith on our board, but Oweh now makes his debut as a number of reports have stated that Larry Johnson is extremely high on the 6-foot-5, 236-pounder. The New Jersey product has only played football for a year, so the potential could be through the roof.

As for Tyreke Smith, the Cleveland (Heights) star was listed by many as one of the top performers at The Opening. He unveiled a top five consisting of Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Alabama, and Oregon. However, it would be a surprise if it's anyone but the Buckeyes or Nits. 

Three of the country's top defensive ends and three players heavily considering the two Big Ten foes. Right now Smith appears to the most likely to sign with Ohio State while there's still a long way to go for Parsons and Oweh. There's been some talk about Smith potentially sliding over to defensive tackle, but he certainly looks comfortable at defensive end.

4-star DE Tyreke Smith with a good rep at #TheOpening pic.twitter.com/cOWAoXkRRC

— Keith Niebuhr (@Keith247Sports) July 2, 2017

With Brenton Cox and Andrew Chatfield already in the fold, it will be interesting to see how Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes elect to handle things on the defensive line.

The 2018 class is already in a good spot at defensive back, and Sevyn Banks appears to be bouncing back nicely from last year's torn ACL. The staff will likely look to add two more corners to the fold, and you're really splitting hairs when trying to figure out who's the top target right now. 

Anthony Cook and Tyson Campbell are no doubt at the top of the board at the position. Cook has been there for a while and we've likely simply underestimated just how important Campbell is to the Buckeye staff. He's nearly 6-foot-3 and was one of the fastest prospects at The Opening. Pulling him away from the Hurricanes won't be easy, but Zach Smith and Kerry Coombs have Ohio State in a good spot right now. 

Cook has been right at the top of the board for a while now, and the five-star is preparing to unleash his top-three schools. That list will almost certainly include Ohio State and Texas, and Clemson maybe a safe bet for the third spot. There doesn't seem to be a lot of confidence on the Longhorn side, so the Buckeyes may be on the verge of pulling another five-star corner from the Lone Star State. 

Cook will be an early enrollee and wants to make a decision by the end of October. 

The Buckeyes are in an interesting spot at linebacker. Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant are already in, and it's unclear how many the staff would like to add to the group. Things are looking murky for four-star Michael Harris, a player who grew up wanting to play for Ohio State. Right now, I've got Harris pegged to Auburn with Georgia still lurking.

The situation is a little different for K'Vaughan Pope as the Virginia four-star is hoping to finalize things this week. Pope has been added to the board and honestly we struggled to identify another team that's in the mix, which shows just how badly he is wanting to get things over with. The Ohio State coaching staff has been on vacation lately, and this may come down to a discussion between Urban Meyer and Billy Davis. 

The Buckeyes have put themselves in a great spot for Solomon Tuliaupupu. The California four-star still seems fairly wide open in his recruitment, but USC and Ohio State are two schools that will likely be in it until the end. He already is planning an official visit to Columbus and Davis has done a heck of a job in this recruitment. 

My opinion? I would take Pope right now and plan on him being in the mold of a Jerome Baker or Keandre Jones. Then keep chasing Tuliaupupu all the way until his recruitment is over. Chris Worley is entering his final season and there's certainly a chance that Jerome Baker and even Dante Booker could be doing the same. There could be a bit of a numbers crunch, but there also will surely be some attrition at the position. 

Four-star wideout L'Christian "Blue" Smith had been looking at a July announcement, but he's now eyeing week one of his senior season. The Wayne High School standout has a number of teams that he's still looking at, but it would be a surprise if he ends anywhere outside of Columbus or Lexington. The Buckeyes are the heavy favorite for one of the country's most dynamic athletes.

The Opening festivities are now behind us, and a number of Buckeye commits and targets put on a show while in Oregon. Andrew Lind was on-site and provided an insane amount of coverage, including photos, interviews, and highlights. The next big shindig will be the annual Friday Night Lights camp on July 21. 

There's a lot to be on the lookout for this month as Ohio State will likely reel in at least one of its top overall targets, and it's always wise to expect the unexpected when Friday Night Lights rolls around.

For now, enjoy your 4th of July festivities and stay safe while celebrating the greatest country on planet Earth.