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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 1/24 - Demetrius Knox latest, 2 new offers

We have the latest on Demetrius Knox, two new offers, and the coaching staff is all over the country visiting some of their top targets in the 2014, 2015, and even 2016 recruiting classes.

By Miles Joseph
Brandon Wimbush is high on Ohio State.
Brandon Wimbush is high on Ohio State.

With the recruiting contact period in full swing and the Ohio State coaches working to put the finishing touches on a very strong 2014 recruiting class, there has been quite a bit of recruiting news over the past couple of days.

Just a day after making headlines by saying he would be taking an official visit to Texas this weekend, Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal offensive guard Demetrius Knox, he tweeted that he would be, "chilling" at his house this weekend, which should ease the minds of Buckeye fans. It remains unclear if he'll make the trip to visit UCLA next weekend. We'll be on top of this situation leading up to National Signing Day.

The coaching staff is definitely making their presence felt in the state of New Jersey as the coaching staff made their second trip to the east coast in just as many weeks to check in with a couple of the state's top prospects.

One stop the staff made was offensive coordinator Tom Herman and offensive line coach Ed Warinner making the trip to prestigious St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, where they saw quarterback Brandon Wimbush and cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, who are two of Ohio State's top targets in the 2015 recruiting class. While they aren't a package deal, I'm sure they would love to play together at the next level.

"(The visit was) awesome! Great people on that staff. We actually went over a little bit of mechanics, where I currently stand with them, and the whole recruiting process."--- Brandon Wimbush

Offensive line coach Ed Warinner was in attendance for 2014 wide receiver/tight end prospect David Njoku's basketball game last night. He didn't really get to talk to Warinner, other than just a quick "hello", but the 6'4, 220-pound prospect is "very excited" to visit Ohio State and already has a high opinion of Buckeye head coach, saying, "he really likes me" and even received his scholarship offer straight from Meyer a couple of days back.

I'm not sure if the offer is committable at the moment, but if I had to bet, I would say it will be by the time Njoku arrives on campus next weekend. As things currently stand, I would say Ohio State is the odds on favorite to land the super athlete, who recently clocked a 4.46 40-yard dash.

Another high profile target Herman and Warinner visited is Union City (NJ) Union Hill offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez, who is one of the Buckeye's top targets along the offensive line for the 2015 recruiting class. From talking to Gonzalez it seemed like he had another good visit with Ohio State coaches. The Buckeyes are his early leader, but he doesn't plan on deciding until later in the recruiting cycle.

Urban Meyer will be on the east coast tomorrow and is scheduled to visit Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark, who told us Ohio State is his leader last week. Clark told me that he, "can't wait" to meet Meyer. The 6'6, 245-pound tight end will make his first trip to Columbus on March 21st, where he'll have the opportunity to see what Ohio State football is all about in-person.

Ohio State is in great shape for Clark early, which is very important because the coaching staff will be looking to add at least one, but probably two pure tight ends for the 2015 recruiting class.

The Buckeyes were also in Florida yesterday and stopped by the home of 2015 athlete and recent Michigan decommit George Campbell Jr. It remains unclear where the Buckeyes stand with him, but with Urban Meyer at the helm, you never know what  might happen.

They also checked in on a couple of defensive line targets yesterday including the likes of recently offered defensive end target Darius Fullwood and defensive tackle Adam McLean, who has yet to be offered by the Buckeyes, but has them has his number two school behind the Michigan State Spartans.

Ohio State offered a few more prospects yesterday when they extended scholarship offers to 2015 Tampa Bay (FL) Tampa Bay Tech athlete Deon Cain and 2016 Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Sam Bruce. It's unclear how interested either prospect is in the Buckeyes right now, but we'll try to get the scoop in the next couple of days.

As per usual, here are my latest picks to complete Ohio State's 2014 class (plus for good measure, some key dates to add to your calendar):

1. WR/TE David Njoku

2. Signing day surprise

Dropped Darius Slade (committed to MSU) and Jermaine Roberts (reaffirmed commitment to Texas)

IMPORTANT DATES:

  • January 31st visitor(s): WR/TE David Njoku, ATH Malik Hooker
  • February 5th, 2014: National Signing Day (Land-Grant Holy Land will have coverage all day)
  • February 17th visitor(s): LB Ricky DeBerry
  • March 21st visitor(s): TE Chris Clark

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