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For the Buckeyes themselves, it was a fairly quiet weekend on the recruiting front, as many of the top prospects were attending camps or were visiting other campuses. We have no doubt that these recruits made time to talk with head coach Urban Meyer or another staff member, but all things considered, this past weekend was pretty uneventful.
That doesn't mean the Buckeyes weren't still working around the clock to snatch any recruits they can get their hands on. In fact, '14 OLB Chase Winovich from the state of Pennsylvania was in Columbus over the weekend, which caught some people by surprise. It sounds like it was supposed to mostly be kept a secret because Winovich wanted to mostly stay under the radar. Winovich received an offer from Ohio State on April 6th and seems to have been in constant contact with the Buckeyes recruiting staff. Luke Fickell, Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator, has mostly taken the reins on Winovich's recruiting, and has reportedly been pursuing Winovich very hard.
The 6'4", 215-pound Winovich has been clocked at a 4.65 40-yard dash and holds offers from Florida State, Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and plenty more. It is said that Winovich is deciding between Northwestern, Ohio State and Pitt. Michigan may actually come into play in the upcoming months, as Winovich definitely has the potential to be a great college linebacker.
Now, the Buckeyes have made it no secret that their main targets in the linebacking core are '14 LB Raekwon McMillan and '14 LB Dante Booker. The way I understand it, regardless of what happens with the Winovich situation, McMillan will have a spot waiting for him no matter what. For Booker, it's much the same, since McMillan is a middle linebacker, and Booker/Winovich are both outside linebackers. Ohio State would happily take all three, but whether that happens or not, remains to be seen.
Here are some highlights from Winovich's junior season:
Finally, '14 TE Ian Bunting has planned an unofficial visit to Ohio State for May 10th, which is good news for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has been recruiting and following a few tight ends closely for a while now, with '14 TE Jeb Blazevich being one of those names. In 2012, Bunting had 16 receptions for 412 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. Bunting is ranked as the 11th-best tight end in the country for the class of 2014 and holds offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Vanderbilt and plenty of others.
Right now, all signs point Bunting towards South Bend to join the Fighting Irish, but this may be a key visit on the 10th to swing him towards the scarlet and gray. Blazevich is expected to announce on Monday or Tuesday, but Ohio State is unlikely to be his final choice.