:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27587903/10926473816_218a87a3ba_o.0.jpg)
As National Signing Day 2014 approaches, the Buckeyes are set on finishing out the class of 2014 strong and perhaps, with a bang. Reports surfaced on Monday that '14 DE Malik McDowell had decided to take an official visit to Ohio State instead of LSU this weekend after a visit from Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. McDowell, a 5-star prospect, has been predicted by the majority on the 247Crystal Ball to commit to Michigan State (63%) but with Coach Meyer able to land that official visit (and the final one at that), Ohio State couldn't be positioned better given where things stood even as recently as a month ago.
A few hours after McDowell's official visit news came to light, the 6'7 290-pound defensive end took to social media to talk about his final list of teams he'd be considering. While Michigan State and Michigan, likely in that order, have to be considered the favorites at this point, anything is possible with a closer like Meyer working his magic:
My top 4 colleges! Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State, Ohio State.
— FAT LEEK (@D1_LEEK) January 28, 2014
Monday turned out to be a pretty busy day for the Ohio State recruiting staff, as the Buckeyes dealt out five new offers to four recruits in the class of 2015 and one in the class of 2016. So while the staff remains focused on finishing strong, they're also able to multitask and hand out offers to recruits in future classes, sparking interest early on.
Ohio State offer number #15 #blessed 🙏
— Cameron Chambers (@justcallme_cam) January 27, 2014
'16 WR Cameron Chambers received an offer from Ohio State on Monday, but has been in contact with the coaching staff for quite some time and even took an unofficial visit to Columbus on October 26th, for the Penn State game. Chambers stands 6'3, 195-pounds and has been clocked at a 4.59 40-yard dash and holds 15 offers from major programs.
2015 North Carolina WR Juval Mollette RT @TheeRealJuval Ohio state stopped by today! 💯🏈 #BIG10
— Charles Doss (@CDoss_LGHL) January 27, 2014
'15 WR Juval Mollette, who already had been offered by Ohio State on October 24th, was visited by the coaching staff on Monday to check in with Mollette. The North Carolina-native is projected to commit to the Tar Heels later on in his recruitment, but with more interest from the Buckeyes, one can hope that the 6'4, 187-pound receiver's mind can be changed.
O.H.I.O St. offered just now 🅾 #BuckeyeNation
— Jordan Cronkrite (@JC_Knows) January 27, 2014
'15 ATH Jordan Cronkrite from Miami, Florida, called Ohio State assistant Zach Smith on Monday evening and in turn received an offer to play for the Buckeyes. The 5'11, 196-pound athlete is listed as a running back or safety and is a 4-star prospect. Cronkrite already holds offers from top programs such as Alabama, Florida State, Miami, and Tennessee, among others.
2015 Clayton (NC) Cleveland DT Sterling Johnson has been offered by #OhioState #Buckeyes
— Michael Clark (@MClarkScout) January 27, 2014
'15 DE Sterling Johnson got a visit from new Ohio State assistant coach Chris Ash and with that, included an offer to Ohio State. The 6'5, 274-pound defensive end can also play on the inside at tackle and has been offered from schools such as Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, to name just a few.
#OhioState offers 4-star ATH Tim Irvin. (FREE) http://t.co/LrzMSTiriA @jcshurburtt @Bill_Kurelic @alexgleitman @Bucknuts1 #Bucknuts
— RyanBartow247 (@RyanBartow) January 27, 2014
The recruiting expansion into the state of Florida continues for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes offer yet another Sunshine State product in '15 ATH Tim Irvin. Irvin, 5'9, 186-pounds is, in fact, related to football-great and wide receiver Michael Irvin. The nephew of the former college and NFL star resides in Miami, Florida, and holds about 20 offers from some of the top colleges in the country. The Bucks are the latest to offer the 4-star recruit, and it will be interesting to see where his recruitment goes from here, in relation to Ohio State.
Per his coach, 2015 Princeton (NC) RB Johnny Frasier @JohnnyOsoFast was offered by #OhioState today http://t.co/CdVMo3rs37
— Michael Clark (@MClarkScout) January 28, 2014
'15 RB Johnny Frasier was the last to receive an offer from Ohio State on Monday. At 5'11, 200 pounds, the Princeton, North Carolina product checks in as a 3-star on the early 247Composite. The tailback grades out as the 651st ranked player overall in his class, the 57th best running back, and the 23rd best player from the state of North Carolina in the 2015 class.
While all of these prospects obviously have a long way to go between now and National Signing Day 2015 and National Signing Day 2016 respectively, as Urban Meyer and his staff continue to build momentum, it'll only be harder to turn them down.
QUICK HITS:
- Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton visited 2015 NC APB Bryce Love on Monday.
- OSU's coaches are expected to be in Jacksonville today where they'll check in on OSU offerees 2015 two-way standout Jeffrey Holland, 2015 CB (and LSU commit) Kevin Tolliver II, and 2015 safety Ben Edwards, who our Miles Joseph recently caught up with.
- The Buckeyes checked in on '15 SSDE (and presumed Florida lean) CeCe Jefferson
- Urban Meyer stopped by to get some face time with Buckeyes commit CB Damon Webb at his Cass Tech (MI) high school yesterday:
Urban at Cass Tech RT @ProfessorSWebb: Me, @DameWebb, @OSUCoachMeyer, @webbdamon pic.twitter.com/5jVgf1rPja
— LGHL Recruiting (@LGHLRecruiting) January 27, 2014 - Check out this great read from SBNation.com's Ian Boyd on the five hardest positions to recruit for in college football. Based on his three classes at Ohio State, Meyer has an authoritative handle on at least four (if not all five).
