Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 10/10 Raekwon McMillan & Dave Bell update

When Urban Meyer came to Ohio State we were all expecting great things to come, but were we really expecting him to do the things he has already done? The Buckeyes were coming off a 6-7 season and he was still able to bring in the fourth best class in the nation. Then, as we all know, the Buckeyes had the magical run of 12-0 last year that ended with the second ranked recruiting class. Now he has the Buckeyes off to a 6-0 start again, and once again is pulling together another strong class that currently ranks second by 247 Composite. With more high profile recruits still on the board could the Buckeyes challenge Alabama for the number one spot? That is yet to be seen, but they surely can solidify their spot with commitments from players like Thomas Holley, Mike Gesicki, Chad Mavety, and Raekwon McMillan.

So lets talk about Raekwon McMillan and what he could bring to the the Buckeyes. First, he could be a guy that comes right in and plays for the Ohio State defense, who as we all know is lacking the depth Urban wants. McMillan, who stands at 6-2 245ish already has the frame as a college linebacker and when you run a 4.79 forty at that size... watch-out. Raekwon has called the Buckeyes his leader on multiple occasions, but his latest comments were a little different. Here is what he told the AJC a week ago about his leaders.

"I would put them (Georgia) up there with them now. I would think Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia are making a big run for my top three."

As a fan, I personally would not look too deep into that and still believe the Buckeyes are the team to beat. LGHL's own Miles Joseph was able to catch up with the five star linebacker and asked him what is the coaches have in plan for him and tweeted this out.

"McMillan talks to the Ohio State coaches almost everyday, they talk about him becoming the next leader on defense."

Switching over to the hardwood, Dave Bell showed some why Thad Matta and the staff wanted him as a Buckeye during the Best of The Best Showcase. Bell, who is currently ranked a three star by ESPN, is part of the top ranked recruiting class for 2014. LGHL's own Zach Fleer has seen Bell in person many times and had this to say about what the future might hold.

"Bell has shown gradual strides in his game as of late. In the Garfield Heights Best of the Best Showcase, Bell was a force around the rim and looked to have a thicker frame. While the Ohio State commitments has yet to develop a consistent post move, he dominated the competition in the showcase. Over the summer, Bell was inconsistent with his performance, so developing more consistency will be crucial for the big man. With Goodluck Okonoboh and Elbert Robinson passing up on Ohio State, Bell could see playing time much earlier than expect when he makes his way to Columbus."

You can watch Bell's highlights from the showcase by clicking here.

With some of the top big men in the 2014 class shying away from the Buckeyes its seems they are running out of options. The emerging name Coach Matta and his staff seem to be going after is Payton Dastrup out of Arizona, who has also picked up heavy interest from Arizona, BYU and others. Dastrup is unusual in that he is rumored to want to take a 2 year church mission trip after high school, which would delay his enrollment. Our own Matt Brown also served a similar mission trip, and cautioned that there are a lot of unknowns involved, since Dastrup wouldn't be able to choose where he went, and may not have control over how much he could practice basketball over the duration of the trip. "Or, you know, he could come back 35 pounds heavier or with Malaria or something" he joked. With all kidding aside Payton could be a good pick up, but we will have to see if the Buckeyes can sway him away from the Cougars of BYU. Below you can see highlight of Payton at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.