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Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes have pulled a couple of players from the state of Florida in the first two years of his tenure at Ohio State. It seems like the coaching staff wants to make a big mark in the 2015 class having offered a lot of the top players from the Sunshine State, many of whom are interested in the Bucks.
One player the Buckeyes have their eye on early is Tampa (FL) Sickles running back RayRay McCloud III, who received an offer from the Scarlet and Gray last month.
The 5'9, 175-pound running back possesses excellent speed andis also a very good defensive back, though most schools are recruiting him to be a running back.
He already holds offers from the likes of Arizona, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Massachusetts, Middle Tennessee State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Toledo, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.
McCloud hadn't been talking to many schools during the lengthy recruiting dead period, but now that it's over, contact is starting to pick back up.
"It has been slow recently, but it's just starting to pick back up again in the process with coaches being allowed to come visit me," McCloud said. "The only two schools that have been in to see me so far are UCLA and USC, but I expect more to come by soon."
Ohio State extended him an offer in the middle of December. He was really excited about receiving an offer from the Scarlet and Gray.
"They came by my school and really liked me at running back," he said. "They just told me that they really want me to play running back for them and offered me."
Growing up in Florida, McCloud is very familiar with current Ohio State and former Gator head coach Urban Meyer. He's a big fan of the Buckeye's head man.
"He's a great coach. He makes players better and coaches real well with his offensive schemes and stuff," he continued. "He also likes to win and does win a lot of games. I want to go somewhere I can win so I like that."
While he doesn't have a visit to Ohio State set up just yet, McCloud definitely wants to make the trip up north to Columbus in the next year. There are also a couple of other schools he'd like to check out.
"I'm not sure yet. I want to get there for a visit this summer or maybe one of my official visits," he told Land-Grant Holy Land. "I also want to see Alabama, Clemson, USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Florida and maybe a few other schools."
McCloud hasn't been too focused on recruiting, having only taken one visit, which was to South Florida and claims no leaders, saying he is "wide open" as far as his recruitment goes right now. He doesn't have a timetable for a decision either, but will decide "when the time feels right."
When he goes on his visits, there are a couple of things he'll be looking for after arriving on the college campus.
"I'm going going to be looking for a close campus environment and somewhere I would be comfortable spending three, four, or five years, however long I'm in college."
When he does sit down to make his decision sometime in the next year or so, there will be a couple of major things that factor into his decision.
"The big things will be academics, coaching, and the position I would play and how I would be used in the position I end up playing."
It's difficult to tell where the Buckeyes stand here because he hasn't taken many visits. He really likes Urban Meyer and Ohio State's offense, which is something the Bucks have going for them right now. We'll have a better idea of where he stands with OSU if/when he takes a visit.
If you haven't seen McCloud's highlights, make sure to check them out below:
