Memorial Day may have slowed down the seemingly endless array of recruiting news as the Ohio State recruiting staff likely eased off, if ever so slightly. But that doesn't mean that the recruits themselves aren't busy tweeting about their favorite schools, or talking with other recruits about potentially becoming future teammates over the holiday weekend and beyond.
In fact, '16 safety Marlon Character released the final three schools that he's considering via Twitter on Saturday. Included in his list were Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and Ohio State. The 6'0, 170-pound Character holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Central Florida, Wake Forest, and Wisconsin, in addition to the teams that made his top three.
Rated as a four-star under the 247Sports Composite rankings, Character was ranked as the nation's 14th-best safety, in addition to being the 21st-best prospect at any position from the state of Georgia. Despite having visited the Bulldogs several times on unofficial visits, Georgia didn't make the list of final schools for the in-state prospect.
As it stands now, the experts for the 247Sports Crystal Ball have Character headed to South Carolina with 73 percent of the vote, followed by Georgia with 27 percent. Ohio State and Virginia Tech haven't been picked yet, though I would imagine that will change in the near future, since the Bulldogs are out of the running.
VT SC and OSU top three
— Marlon Character Jr. (@riptrizzle) May 24, 2015
Buckeyes high on '16 DB
One of the more interesting recruits from the class of 2016 is defensive back Jaylon Jones. As a member of a team that has won three straight state titles, Jones helped produce plenty of big plays as both a defensive back and a return man. With his explosiveness, Jones racked up 117 tackles, broke up five passes, had one interception, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2014.
The 5'11, 182-pound athlete has been clocked at running a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, and is rated as a four-star prospect under the 247Sports Composite rankings. Ranked as the nation's 19th-best cornerback, Jones is also considered the 30th best prospect at any position from the state of Texas.
Jones holds offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and USC. For now, it appears the experts at the 247Sports believe the Aggies hold the advantage over any other school. We'll continue to follow Jones' recruitment as he prepares to make a decision.