clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 8/30 - The latest on Thomas Holley

Could Ohio State add another New York product this winter? Plus we speak with LB Anthony McKee and much more.

By Andrew Lind
247Sports

State-secrets_medium

With football season officially underway, you would be led to believe head coach Urban Meyer and the rest of his staff will shift their focus from recruiting to the regular season. However, recruiting is a game played all year round.

The original estimation of open spots in the 2014 class was 22, but with the departure of defensive back Najee Murray for Kent State, coupled with defensive back Adam Griffin and tight end Blake Thomas suffering career ending injuries, it's possible OSU pushes for 23.

The current class stands at 17, with athlete Curtis Samuels being the Buckeyes' most recent pledge. With players such as linebacker Raekwon McMillan, athlete Marshon Lattimore, offensive lineman Chad Mavety, and defensive lineman Thomas Holley still undecided, this class could be among the best to ever sign with Ohio State.

More: A comprehensive preview of Ohio State-Buffalo

However, if the Buckeyes are unable to land all, or any of these top players, there's quite a few players who would gladly take their place.

One of those players is tight end DeAndre Goolsby. The 11th ranked prospect at his position, Goolsby has the size and speed offensive coordinator Tom Herman would love to have in his offense.

Goolsby, who hails from Derby, Kansas, narrowed his list of colleges to five yesterday. Among those listed were Arkansas, Florida, Kansas State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Goolsby pledged to visit all five schools, but has not set a date for any official visits.

While it is possible that Goolsby stays in-state and plays for the Wildcats like his father, Land-Grant Holy Land's Luke Zimmermann forecasts that he will end up at Arkansas.

With such a scholarship crunch, it would be easier for the coaches to find out who's going where now, but in the case of defensive lineman Thomas Holley, it'll be worth the wait. According to Holley's high school coach, the four-star tackle out of Brooklyn (NY) Abraham Lincoln won't take any more visits until after his high school season ends.

Lincoln's season should end on November 3rd, barring a trip to the New York State Playoffs.

One of the top juniors in the state of Ohio, linebacker Anthony McKee tells Land-Grant Holy Land's Charles Doss that he is visiting Cincinnati this weekend, but hopes to visit Ohio State and West Virginia during the season.

The Columbus Walnut Ridge product fields offers from Arkansas, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Tennessee, Toledo, and West Virginia. His 116 tackles last season ranked in the top 20 in the state.

On the hardwood, head coach Thad Matta has put together the number two ranked recruiting class for 2014. It seems as if the Buckeyes are done recruiting for the upcoming season, but if one of the top players in the class chose to come to Columbus, Matta would be hard pressed to say no.

While it seems like the Buckeyes are out of the running for center Jahlil Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones, the 1st and 4th ranked prospects in the class, there are still a number of players interested in playing their college ball at Ohio State.

The only thing missing from this class is a big man. Enter 7-footer Elbert Robinson. The center from Lakeview Centennial (Garland, TX) High School narrowed his list to three schools in May, but has since backed off of that list. Robinson is planning to visit Georgia Tech this weekend, and will even take a trip to Nebraska.

Another name to remember, even if he doesn't wind up at Ohio State, is James Blackmon, Jr. The son of a former Kentucky basketball player by the same name, Blackmon recently de-committed from Indiana. One of the top players in the state of Indiana, the shooting guard had been committed to the Hoosiers since his freshman year.

The elder Blackmon said that his son re-opened his recruitment based on the simple fact that he was young and had nothing to compare Indiana to. Since then, Blackmon has been on a tour of some of the best schools in the country. After visiting Michigan State earlier in the week, Blackmon visited Kentucky yesterday.

I'm sure his father is doing everything he can to persuade his son to follow in his footsteps and become a member of Big Blue Nation. Blackmon has also scheduled visits to Louisville and Michigan over the weekend, so even if he doesn't visit Columbus, we could be hearing a lot from Blackmon in the future.

QUICK HITS:

  • Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor hoped to potentially seal up the Oakland Raiders' starting quarterback job Thursday night, but struggled passing. Pryor, the number one overall recruit in the class of 2008, was 3/8 passing for 31 yards and an INT (though he did rush 3 times for 48 yards, including a 25-yarder) in the team's final preseason game against the Seahawks. Even if Pryor doesn't get the nod as the starter, expect to see him utilized in Pryor-specific packages.

More From Land-Grant Holy Land