Heat Check: Ohio State Recruiting Heading Into an August Rush Following A Pair of July Commitments

One of Ohio State's biggest annual recruiting events – July's Friday Night Lights – has come and gone, and the 2018 class now sits at 16 after landing a pair of commitments last month. That's good for the No. 1 class in America with the Hurricanes and Longhorns rounding out the top three. 

Jeremy Ruckert is the country's top tight end, and the Lindenhurst, New York product is well on his way to ending up as a five-star prospect. Ruckert's commitment on July 17 was expected, but an argument could be made for it being the biggest pledge so far in the 2018 class. Simply put, he excels at virtually every facet of the game and was close to being a must-get for Urban Meyer and the Ohio State staff.

The offer and subsequent commitment from Pennsylvania defensive back Marcus Hooker caught many people – myself included – a bit off guard. Jaiden Woodbey and Josh Proctor are already in the fold at safety, but Hooker has performed in front of the staff on multiple occasions and clearly caught the eye of Greg Schiano. He has some pretty decent bloodlines as well. 

This summer has seen a lot of movement on the recruiting trail as Ohio State and Miami have battled it out for the top spot in the nation. With the college football season just a few short weeks away, the Buckeyes likely have room for roughly eight more players in the Class of 2018.

Thanks to everything that went down in July and a growing sentiment that one current pledge is likely to end up elsewhere, we offer an updated look at our 2018 recruiting board.

*Last month's version can be found HERE.  

Last month we talked about Jackson Carman's decision on a big July visit. The five-star was set to visit either Ohio State or Clemson on July 21, and while we said it wouldn't be that big of a deal if he headed to South Carolina, it was still good to see him in Columbus. Otherwise everything is mostly still the same with this one. Clemson and USC are both threats, but the Buckeyes are expected to win out – whenever it may be.

You'll notice that Carman is the only offensive linemen on our list at the moment. Ohio State will try to add one or two more in addition to the Fairfield standout, but right now things haven't exactly taken off with other targets. Verdis Brown committed to Florida State and Juice Scruggs is expected to pledge to Penn State tomorrow.

Nicholas Petit-Frere and William Barnes are very much worth watching, though both could end up at Florida. I still maintain that an offer to Cleveland's Darian Kinnard would be a wise move as well. Any one of these players would be a nice addition to a unit that should eventually be comprised of Carman, Max Wray, and Matthew Jones.

At wideout, Kamryn Babb continues to be a top-of-the-board target despite missing out on Friday Night Lights. Babb is expected to commit to Ohio State at some point within the next month or so, and it may just be a matter of getting him back on campus.

The Buckeyes likely have one spot remaining in the secondary, and Anthony Cook and Tyson Campbell are two players Greg Schiano and Kerry Coombs have got their eyes on. Ohio State was recently listed in Cook's top three, and while the crystal ball favors the Buckeyes, the five-star is probably going to be watching the Longhorns closely this fall. 

Tyson Campbell's recruitment is a bit of an interesting one. The freshly minted five-star is considering Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, and Miami, but he doesn't appear to be close to a decision. For the Buckeyes, it's probably not a good sign that the summer has gone by without a trip to Columbus, but this is one the staff continues to be extremely high on. 

If it comes down to it, there's no question the staff would take both Cook and Campbell. However, the more likely scenario is adding one of them, and right now Cook is the safer bet.

Three defensive end targets remain on the list and it's likely that Ohio State can add two – and possibly even all three – of the trio. Micah Parsons is probably the most athletic of the bunch, but Jayson Oweh isn't far beyond and his potential is seemingly limitless. Parsons worked out at Friday Night Lights in what was seemingly his fifteenth visit to Columbus, but he doesn't look to be close to deciding. The frontrunners remain the same with Ohio State and Penn State the most likely options.

Columbus was great Learned a lot! pic.twitter.com/UAT0jREQh4

— Clout J (@JaysonOweh) July 23, 2017

Oweh has adjusted his timeline and now looks to announce at the Under Armour Game. The Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, and Fighting Irish are all in the running, but it would be a surprise if the choice was anyone other than Ohio State or Penn State. Right now we feel very good about Ohio State's chances, even if the staff has to wait a few months before it''s official. Larry Johnson has done an incredible job with this one. 

Urban Meyer versus James Franklin is clearly the common theme at defensive end, and the same goes for Cleveland's Tyreke Smith. The four-star is also considering some West Coast programs, and it's looking like a decision could come as soon as this month. Penn State is making this one tricky, but Ohio State is expected to be the pick for one of the state's top players. 

How could it be possible to add three more defensive ends with two already in the fold? First of all, the upcoming departures of Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes, and likely Sam Hubbard is reason enough to bring in several signees. While he may not have seen a ton of playing time, Darius Slade's departure also opens up a spot. 

Additionally, defensive end commit Andrew Chatfield recently checked out Florida's Friday Night Lights instead of the one in Columbus. Obviously distance may have been a factor in that decision, but the Gators extended an offer and right now we are expecting him to end up somewhere in the Sunshine State. Definitely something to watch as it pertains to the numbers crunch at defensive end. 

Speaking of Chatfield, the American Heritage defender is teammates with the aforementioned Tyson Campbell as well as defensive tackle Nesta Silvera. I am of the opinion that bringing in two true tackles is necessary in this class, and Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes are working to flip Silvera from the Hurricanes.

Things seemed to be picking up back when Chatfield committed, but it has quieted down a bit since. There's a lot of time left in this one, but losing Andrew Chatfield isn't going to help things on the American Heritage front.

Idaho defensive tackle Tommy Togiai looks like the best possibility at this point, but keeping the four-star away from USC and Washington is going to be a tall task. Checking in as the nation's No. 9 player at the position, Togiai was in town for Friday Night Lights and is scheduled to return for the Oklahoma game. The official visits will likely tell the tale with this one. 

The Buckeyes have two linebackers committed in Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant, and they definitely are planning on adding at least one more. It's been an interesting few months for K'Vaughan Pope. The Ohio State interest really took off in June but then it appeared both parties took a few steps back and slowed things down a bit.

Pope visited Georgia a few weeks ago and is now set to announce a decision tomorrow evening. He's listed as an inside linebacker but all signs point to him manning one of the outside spots in college. The Dinwiddle, Virginia star would be an excellent complement to Mitchell and Gant.

Stay dialed into Eleven Warriors tomorrow for much more on the Pope decision. 

Blue Smith was in town for Friday Night Lights, and the four-star is expected to announce later this month.

The L'Christian Smith recruitment continues to have its twists and turns, but things appear to still be on track for an Aug. 27 announcement. Anyone who's been following this one knows that things are down to the Buckeyes and Wildcats, but it may be closer than some expect. 

Vince Marrow has done an exceptional job recruiting the state of Ohio, but again we must reiterate that Kentucky doesn't really land players that Urban Meyer wants. Meyer certainly looks to have honed in on Smith, who is one of the country's most impressive athletes. 

A Blue Smith/Kamryn Babb wide receiver haul would be worth getting excited over. 

Reminder: The Buckeyes travel to Bloomington in four weeks, and then 48 hours later we will all be watching the Crimson Tide take on the Seminoles. Praise the lord. 

Here's a little blast from the past. Because why not?