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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 4/11 - Jamarco Jones update

We check in with OL James McHale, plus updates on Jamarco Jones, Chad Mavety, and more.

By Luke Zimmermann

Ohio State's recruiting drive is reaching a never fever pitch. With two commits in the last two weeks, it's hard not to openly wonder who's next. Some whispers around our neck of the woods (as well as some of the other key players in the OSU recruiting scene) suggest '14 WR Derek Kief could be on deck. Kief, a lanky 6-5 197 pound wide receiver from the Cincinnati area, might be looking to cap Ohio State's high impact weekend in the region by pledging to make the trek north to play his college ball in Columbus. Kief grades out as the 190th best player in the 247Composite rankings, the 21st best receiver in the class, and the 8th best player in the state of Ohio. Keep your eyes peeled for a possible commit this weekend.

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Another player who's commitment isn't likely to be coming quite as quickly but could very well wind up a Buckeye when everything's said and done is 4-star OT Jamarco Jones. His coach told 247Sports that Jones favors Ohio State amongst some 30+ offers and could make things official come either May or June. With Kyle Trout and Marcelys Jones already in the fold, adding Jones would make offensive line coach Ed Warinner's depth issues a thing of the past come the season after next.

And speaking of the offensive line, with some whispers that Warinner's pined for as many as five in the class of 2014, JUCO OT Chad Mavety, who'd wanted to make it for Ohio State's student appreciation day practice but had his plans squashed by NCAA/Junior College visit guidelines, is thinking that his future plans might just come down to Ohio State and two time defending national champs, Alabama. Mavety admitted last night to speaking to head coach Urban Meyer and getting good news about how they see him potentially fitting into their future plans:

One name not getting as much burn but could wind up just as much in the mix is unranked Scranton, PA offensive tackle James McHale. McHale took an unofficial visit to Ohio State's Columbus campus yesterday and shared his thoughts with us on how the visit went:

Yeah, I went today. I hadn't really talked to any coaches up until today, but Coach Meyer and Coach Warinner are the coaches who I talked to the most. Coach Warinner said he will be at my school next Friday. Overall, I had a great time; I'm coming back for [Ohio State's] camp in June.

McHale will likely have to show the Buckeyes something this summer to find his way into an offer, but given his upside, don't write him off just quite yet. McHale's previously visited Penn State a ton and also taken an unofficial to Michigan State.

A few quick reads to wrap up your Thursday morning in recruiting:

  • All everything quarterback Deshaun Watson, who we mentioned yesterday would be making a visit to Ohio State sometime this summer after all, talked with Kevin Noon of Rivals' Buckeye Grove and made it very clear Ohio State was still in the mix. For all the talk of him being all-in for Clemson, it's sort of hard to be steadfast and committed when you still have a top 3 (of which the Buckeyes are firmly included).
  • Clifton Garrett is an impact maker on the field, but ever the gentleman and scholar off it. In spite of all his positive attributes, it appears the scuttlebutt amongst recruitniks that his interest has been veering away from Ohio State appears accurate. It sounds more and more like Garrett will wind up in the SEC when everything's said and done.
  • Shaker Heights DE Joe Henderson might just be the best defensive lineman in the state of Ohio ($). The high school teammates of Donovan Munger has interest from just about everyone in-state (as well as Buckeye arch rivals Michigan) and will visit both power programs this summer. Much like Munger did, he's expected to take his time before making a decision.
  • 4-star TE Ethan Wolf from Minster, OH committed to Butch Jones and Tennessee Wednesday.
  • Ohio State QB target Kyle Allen is taking a bunch of unofficials in the month ahead (Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Wisconsin) to places that aren't OSU's central Ohio campus.

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