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As we roll into the month of November, we're just a little over three months from National Signing Day, which is on Wednesday, February 5th, 2014.
In past years, teams would only be about half way through their class at this point in the recruiting cycle. However, the recruiting cycle has sped up over the past couple of years and players started committing to schools early. Ohio State and many other top schools are in the process of finishing out their 2014 recruiting, with their eyes moving more towards the 2015 class.
Today, Land-Grant Holy Land is going to try and project which six recruits will close out the 2014 recruiting class.
OT Chad Mavety, Garden City (NJ) Nassau C.C.
Urban Meyer and his staff would like to add one more offensive lineman to their 2014 recruiting class, and the 6-foot-6-inch JUCO stand out is the top candidate to fill the spot.
The two schools in the running for his commitment are Florida State and Ohio State. He's going to be visiting the Seminoles this weekend and the Buckeyes for the Indiana game the weekend of November 22nd. Both of this visits will go a long way towards helping the stand out offensive tackle decide where he will be attending college next year.
I still like Ohio State to win this race, but the last four picks on the 247Sports Crystal Ball have been in favor of the Seminoles. I still feel the Bucks win this race in a close one.
DT Thomas Holley, Brooklyn (NY) Abraham Lincoln
Urban Meyer and company have already secured a commitment from the number two player in the Empire State and they have their eyes set on nabbing the state's top player.
There are three schools in a tight race for his commitment: Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State. He recently had a very good visit to Penn State, but I don't see him playing there in the end. I think this comes down to the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, with OSU holding a slight edge. His trip to Columbus reportedly went pretty well and his official to South Bend is still forthcoming.
I'm sticking with my current Ohio State Crystal Ball pick, but this is one of those races that could change a lot before National Signing Day hits.
DE Solomon Thomas, Coppell (TX)
I've always thought we'd see a surprise member in this class, and Thomas seems to be the guy as things currently stand.
I think there are three teams that have a pretty good chance at scoring a commitment from the 6-foot-3-inch, 255 pound defensive end in Ohio State, Stanford, and Texas. He's nowhere close to making a decision as he has yet to take any of his official visits, but I think this race is starting to trend towards Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
I've thought Holley could be a surprise player in this class for quite some time, and the way things have been shaping up, there is definitely a legit chance of this happening.
LB Raekwon McMillan, Hinesville (GA) Liberty County
As I mentioned in "State Secrets" last Friday, I talked to Raekwon when he was driving back from Columbus after his first visit and thought he was going to be in this class after our conversation. My opinion hasn't changed.
McMillan has been pretty quiet about his recruitment recently, but I've heard from multiple people about his trip to Columbus last weekend. He is still slated to visit Alabama, Clemson, and Florida. The only official he has taken in addition to Ohio State is Georgia from a couple weeks ago.
Alabama and Clemson will provide some competition, but I'm still very confident that he'll end up as a Buckeye. It sounds like he could commit sometime this month.
S Erick Smith, Cleveland (OH) Glenville
There are two players I think are locks to be in this class, and the 6-foot-1-inch, 185 pound safety is one of them.
He was in attendance at the Ohio State-Wisconsin showdown under the lights in late September, but hasn't been focusing on recruiting this fall. He'll probably commit closer to National Signing Day like most Glenville Tarblooders have done in the past.
Smith will be yet another Cleveland Glenville star that will don the scarlet and gray for his college career.
ATH Marshon Lattimore, Cleveland (OH) Glenville
There are currently 50 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for Lattimore. All 50 of them have Ohio's top recruit landing at Ohio State.
He's going to take an official visit to Alabama and maybe Oregon. While Bama might provide a small threat to the Buckeyes, I think Marshon is a lock to be a member of Ohio State's class.
He has been very quiet throughout the duration of his recruitment, but I think he's another one of the locks to be a member of this class.
OTHER TARGETS: Damian Prince, Mike Rogers, Frank Ragnow, Alex Bookser