Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 7/1 - Elite 11 2013, weekend recap

Current class of 2014 basketball commit Jae'Sean Tate of Pickerington Central was in Washington, D.C. over the weekend participating in the Kevin Durant Skills Academy. The camp had most of the top high school and college shooting guards and small forwards in the country in attendance including current Buckeyes Sam Thompson, LaQuinton Ross and current Thad Matta targets LeRon Black of Tennessee and Chicago guard Charles Matthews.

The name Charles Matthews might be a new one to some of Buckeye Nation. The 6-5 190 pound five star shooting guard received a scholarship offer from the Bucks over the weekend, joining Kentucky, Illinois, Arizona and quite a few other top programs. According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the St. Rita junior to be is the seventh player in the class of 2015, the top shooting guard and the best player the state of Illinois has to offer.

Cleveland Vila Angela St. Joseph class of 2015 forward Carlton Bragg visited Ohio State on Friday. The 6-8 Bragg, is one of the top talents in Ohio and is currently putting together a very strong offer list with teams like Indiana, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin and more all fighting the Buckeyes for his services. Bragg was accompanied by his assistant coach Michael Graves, who told Land-Grant Holy Land that the visit was great. Graves told LGHL they went down for the day and had a chance to tour to the new renovations going on and meet with the trainer. Fans might have to wait awhile for a commit from Bragg, though. He has been quoted as saying he is in no rush to make his college decision.

Here are some highlights of what Bragg could potentially bring to the Buckeyes:

Now to the gridiron: future Buckeye Stephen Collier was one of 18 signal callers who participated in the Elite 11 quarterback competition held in Beaverton, Oregon over the weekend. From the sound of things, the Peach State passer had a pretty decent outing but could definitely work on some aspects of his game. Don't take my word for it, though. SB Nation Recruiting's resident guru Bud Elliott is in Oregon for the event and told me the following on Collier's performance:

"Stephen Collier is a promising recruit, but it's clear that he is a developmental prospect at this point in his football career. Collier has very good physical tools and is very bright in the classroom, but he just isn't very polished at this point. His performance has been inconsistent (disappointing on Day 1, a big bounce back on Day 2 and somewhere in the middle on Day 3, according to Elite 11 coachTrent Dilfer). His mechanics need further refinement, but he has a good support structure, and provided he's not rushed in college (I suspect he shouldn't be starting before 2016), he can reach his potential. If he makes the Top 11, it would likely be at the tail end."

With the Buckeyes' 2013 edition of Friday Night Lights rapidly creeping right around the corner (Friday, July 26), many prospects are starting to finalize their travel plans to Columbus. A pair of quarterbacks announced over the weekend that they will be on hand. Shelby Spence, who recently visited Ohio State with Chicago De La Salle teammate/future OSU lineman Jamarco Jones, and Georgia class of 2015 dual threat quarterback Lorenzo Nunez, who was offered after attending camp last month, will both be returning to the 614 to show off their talents to the all-world OSU coaching staff.

Our Adam Waters caught up with Spence and asked him to break down what he is most looking forward to doing during Friday Night Lights:

"I'm most excited about competing at Friday Night Lights, seeing the coaches like Urban Meyer again and potentially earning an offer from Ohio State."

Five star class of 2015 defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson will also be hand for Friday Night Lights. The 6-2 260 pounder is the tenth best player in his class, third strong side defensive end and second overall prospect the State of Florida has to offer, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Buckeyes aren't the only team after Jefferson; Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Louisville and USC are just a few of the many schools to offer him a scholarship. Even though so many programs are after him, he seems to be really excited to get to Columbus:

Can't wait to go to Ohio State.

— The CeCe Jefferson. (@cecejeferson7) June 29, 2013

QUICK HITS:

• 2014 North Carolina wide receiver Trevion Thompson released his Top 6 schools over the weekend. Ohio State, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State and West Virginia all made the cut for the 6-2 180 pound four star talent.
• 2015 St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) wide out Devante Peete announced his current top four yesterday with Alabama, Florida, Miami and the Buckeyes all making the list for the tall but lanky receiver.
• Cleveland Glenville star Marshon Lattimore told our Adam Waters that he will announce his college decision at the 2014 US Army All-American game.