Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 5/24 - Dante Booker commits, Derek Kief names Top 5

As nearly everyone expected, 4-star linebacker and teammate of Buckeye commit Parris Campbell, Dante Booker, gave his pledge to become a member of Ohio State's 2014 recruiting class. The 4-star linebacker has been long-expected to give his word to become a Buckeye, and the day finally came. It came as a shock to no one participating in Booker's 247Sports' Crystal Ball prediction page, as I, Charles Doss, Bret Favachio, and 11 others all had Booker to the Buckeyes. With Kyle Berger and now Dante Booker in the fold, stay tuned to who else will make up the Buckeyes' '14 linebacker class. Chase Winovich and Raekwon McMillan seem to be the early favorites.

In expected (but nonetheless exciting) news, '14 4-star wide receiver Derek Kief, out of Cincinnati, named his initial top five schools. In a rather unique way to announce a first cut of schools, Kief included Notre Dame, Kentucky, Ohio State, Northwestern, and Alabama in a creative saying that words cannot do justice. See for yourself below:

In the only offer issued yesterday, the staff reached out to '14 Boston College defensive end commit Harold Landry. Since giving his verbal to the Eagles back on April 5th, many major programs have thrown offers at him, attempting to sway him from his commitment. In addition to Ohio State, big-time schools like Clemson, Miami, Ole Miss, Florida State, Auburn, and others have all conducted their own research on Landry, and some schools have certainly impressed him enough to think about taking some visits ($).

Despite his love for the city of Boston and interest in starting as a freshman at Boston College, something tells me Landry's recruitment is far from over. His offer list suggests otherwise, but Landry is not ranked extraordinarily high in 247Sports' Composite Rankings, checking in as the 980th best overall player in the country, the 45th best weak-side defensive end in the country, and the 30th best player from the state of North Carolina. Formulate your own opinion on Ohio State's newest offer after watching his highlight clip here:

For some rare negative Buckeye recruiting news for you all to soak in, I am sorry to inform you that both '14 quarterbacks DeShone Kizer (whom the Buckeyes checked in on a few days ago) and Brandon Harris will be visiting LSU this weekend. Of Harris' seven schools that he will visit this summer, Harris is thought by most to be favoriting LSU and Texas A&M. Harris' visit to LSU this weekend certainly shouldn't hurt the Mad Hatter's (Les Miles) chances of landing the now top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 class.

Florida st in July Ohio State in June

— Jalyn Holmes #⃣1⃣1⃣ (@JayHolmes_) May 24, 2013

The above tweet is from '14 4-star defensive end prospect Jalyn Holmes, from Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, Virginia. As indicated, he has set two summer visits, one to Florida State in July and one to Ohio State in June. Additionally, I contacted Holmes and locked down the exact date, June 19th. I did an in-depth interview with Holmes back in February, and like now, he listed both Ohio State and Florida State as the schools recruiting him the hardest. Holmes strikes me as a prospect who's recruitment will play out until the end, so stay posted, as his favorites may vary over time.

One of the best recruiters on the Ohio State coaching staff, Everett Withers, was in The Palmetto State yesterday visiting elite 2014 offensive line prospect Donell Stanley. According to 247Sports' Composite Rankings, Stanley is the 72nd best overall prospect in the country, the 4th best offensive guard prospect in the country, and the 2nd best player from South Carolina. As expected, the elite of the elite are after him, including South Carolina, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU, and others. Our Charles Doss caught up with Stanley to recap his visit from Coach Withers, and here's what Stanley had to say:

"Coach [Everett] Withers came by the school today and saw me at lunch. He really couldn't talk to me much, so he talked to the AD and my uncle, who is a coach. He just wanted to know if I was still going to visit at the end of July. I am, me and our running back RJ McClam are going."

The key for a prospect to go from having a general interest in a school to seriously considering choosing that school often depends on a campus visit, and getting Stanley on campus is huge. Just like Jalyn Holmes, pulling these elite talents from SEC country and from SEC schools should provide the founding support for the B1G's (or at least Ohio State's) assertion of power over recent SEC champions.

QUICK HITS:

• According to 247Sports' Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, the 2014 Ohio State recruiting class is now ranked the 8th best class in the nation.
• '14 4-star safety and Buckeye target Cortez McDowell, out of Locust Grove, GA, announced that he is committing at the end of this summer.
• '15 quarterback Jaylend Ratliffe, out of Laurinburg, NC, was visited by the Ohio State staff yesterday.
• '15 offensive lineman and Buckeye target Tommy Hatton, out of Montvale, NJ, was visited by the Ohio State staff yesterday.
• '15 wide receiver Isaiah Calaway, out of Whiteland, IN, announced his plans to camp at Ohio State.
• '14 defensive end Terry Ramsey and '14 defensive lineman Blake Harper, out of Clayton, OH, were visited by coach Mike Vrabel yesterday.