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While the Buckeyes have brought in a bevy of skill players on the offensive side of the football in the past two recruiting classes, they're always looking to add weapons to the offense.
One player on the top Ohio State's list for the 2015 recruiting class is Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood wide receiver Van Jefferson, who checks in as the 274th overall and the 34th ranked receiver in the 247Composite rankings.
The 6'3 180-pound wideout already holds offers from the likes of Auburn, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. He expects to pick up even more offers in the coming months, too.
With the start of the contact period coming a little over a week ago, schools have been flocking to Ravenwood high school to check in on the standout wide receiver.
"Ole Miss, Purdue, Clemson, and Tennessee have all stopped by," Jefferson said. "They all just asked how I was doing and told me how I would be used in their offense."
Jefferson only took two visits during the football season, one to Vanderbilt and the second to Columbus to watch Ohio State take on Indiana in November.
"The Vanderbilt visit was a lot of fun," he said. "I really liked the coaches, but since they're gone, I'm not really sure about the situation with the new coaching staff. Their campus is great though."
"The (Ohio State) visit was a lot of fun. I got to talk to Coach Meyer, Coach Hinton, and got to say hey to Philly Brown," he continued. "It was fun being at the game and I think my family had a good time on the trip too."
He has been able to develop a very good relationship with Ohio State tight ends coach Tim Hinton, who serves as his primary recruiter. Jefferson even mentioned Hinton as one of the coaches he has developed the best relationship with so far in the recruiting process.
"Coach Hinton and I have a great relationship," Jefferson told Land-Grant Holy Land. "He's a fun guy to talk to and we talk pretty frequently."
"Right now Coach Hinton would definitely be one (of the coaches he's closest to), coach Parker from Purdue, and coach Azzanni from Tennessee."
Even though he's not from the area, Jefferson grew up rooting for the Scarlet and Gray, but that doesn't necessarily mean that will influence his college decision.
"Ohio State has been my school since I was a little kid. Coach Urban Meyer being there and how he uses is receivers is a plus, too," Jefferson stated. "However, I need to make sure I look at all of my options equally before making my decision."
Purdue is another Big Ten program after the standout wide receiver. He has built a pretty good relationship with Boilermaker head coach Darrell Hazell.
"I know their football program isn't where they've wanted it to be for a few years, but Coach Hazell is a great guy and they tell me I can come in and make an immediate impact."
Van's father, Shawn Jefferson, played in the NFL and is currently serving as the Tennessee Titans wide receivers coach. He also coached the same position in Detroit for seven years before heading to Nashville. Being around the NFL has helped Van elevate his game.
"It has helped me out a lot. It has given me advantages because my dad is a receivers coach. Then I also got to learn from Calvin Johnson when my dad coaches the Lions and now Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter," he said. "It's just nice to be able to go out to the field with my dad and run some routes. It's really helped my game a lot."
Jefferson doesn't have any leaders right now and is unsure of when he'll be making his college decision as he wants to see which other schools offer him.
"Everyone is even right now, I'm just looking into the schools who have offered," Jefferson said. "I'm still unsure about that (when he'll decide) I'd just like to see which other offers I get in the next couple of months."
There will be a couple of main factors that go into his decision when he sits down to make it.
"First is academics. I want to make sure that once football is over, I can go get a good job with the degree I get," he continued. "Then the relationships with the coaches, coach trust, and how early I would be able to get on the field."
Jefferson would like to make visits to Penn State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Purude in the next couple of months, but doesn't have any dates set.
He's already a very polished player, but he would like to improve on his speed in between now and the start of his senior season.
"Route running is probably the best part of my game. That's something my dad really helped me with," he told Land-Grant Holy Land. "I still want to get a little faster and get bigger in the weight room too."
I think Ohio State is in a solid position right now, but Penn State is definitely a team to watch out for as he has good relationships with their coaches from when they were at Vanderbilt. He told me he hadn't spoken to any of the Penn State coaches since the hire, but I'd expect that to change soon. Right now my pick is Ohio State, but things can change quickly in the world of recruiting.
If you haven't seen Jefferson in action, you can watch his highlights here and below:
