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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 10/18 - Mike Gesicki committed

Mike Gesicki decided to commit to Penn State, Thomas Holley is officially visiting Ohio State this weekend, and more. LGHL breaks down the latest Buckeye recruiting news.

By Miles Joseph
Gesicki will be spending his college career in Happy Valley playing for Penn State.
Gesicki will be spending his college career in Happy Valley playing for Penn State.

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The Buckeyes got some bad news last night when Manahawkin (NJ) Southern Reg tight end Mike Gesicki decided to commit to the Penn State Nittany Lions over Ohio State. the 6-foot-5-inch, 236 pound freak athlete had a great visit to Happy Valley last weekend for Penn State's victory over Michigan.

It's unclear whether or not the Bucks will make a run at another tight end, but if they do, the top target left on the board is Derby (KS) tight end Deandre Goolsby, who made his official visit to Columbus for the Wisconsin game a few weeks back.

Arkansas appears to be the leader for the big tight end as things currently stand, but if Urban Meyer and the Ohio State coaching staff decide to make a push for his services, you never know what could happen. If I had to make a guess right now, where we're currently standing in the 2014 recruiting cycle, I don't think we'll see a tight end as a member of this recruiting class.

Despite the bad news, the recruiting world keeps turning as Urban Meyer and his staff ready for a couple of big visitors on tap for the Iowa game Saturday.

This weekend's biggest visitor comes in the form of Brooklyn (NY) Abraham Lincoln defensive tackle Thomas Holley, who is fresh off a visit to Penn State last weekend, where, like Gesicki, he enjoyed his time in Happy Valley.

I'm of the opinion that the Buckeyes hold a small lead over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the 6-foot-4-inch, 285 pound defensive linemen's commitment, with Penn State a close third. This weekend will go a long way in Holley ending up at Ohio State. It will be his second visit to Columbus.

This weekend's other major 2014 visitor comes in the form of Chanhassen (MN) offensive tackle Frank Ragnow who recently received an offer from the Scarlet and Gray.

I don't think the Buckeyes would accept a commitment from the 6-foot-6-inch tackle as long as they still have a legit shot at one or both of Chad Mavety and Damian Prince. There has recently been a run of Crystal Ballers projecting the massive offensive tackle to OSU, but I'm leaning towards projecting him to Florida State right now. Things could definitely change here if the Bucks miss out on their top targets along the offensive line.

On the basketball side of things, one of Ohio State's final targets, power forward/center Myles Turner will be on campus this weekend for his official visit. It seems like Turner will end up a Kansas Jayhawk, but Thad Matta and his staff will have a chance to work their magic this weekend.

To round out the news on 2014 visitors, athlete commit Curtis Samuel will be taking his official visit to Columbus this weekend. Fellow commits in the likes of Sam Hubbard, Terry McLaurin, and Kyle Trout will also be in town for the game.

Two top-notch 2015 prospects from Cincinnati will be in attendance for Saturday's game including the likes of St. Xavier linebacker Justin Hilliard and Winton Woods offensive tackle/defensive tackle George Brown Jr.

Despite being an Ohio high school prospect, the Buckeyes might have ground to make up on as many as three teams: Iowa, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Kentucky holds the early lead for Brown, but the Buckeyes have yet  to offer. An offer from OSU could definitely change the race to land the versatile offensive linemen.

It's very early in the 2015 recruiting cycle, but these visits could go a long way towards the Buckeyes chances in their recruitment's when it's all said and done.

To rounds things out, a story on Bleacher Report has 2014 Arlington (TX) James Martin five-star defensive end Myles Garrett stating his top five as Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, and TCU. I would be pretty surprised if the standout defensive end ended up anywhere but Texas A&M when his recruitment comes to a close.

QUICK HITS:

  • 2015 offensive linemen Steven Gonzalez has Ohio State in his top five along with Florida State, Louisville, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.
  • Stay tuned to Land-Grant Holy Land for all of your weekend recruiting updates.

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