OSU in pursuit of Cooper
Ohio State currently holds two pledges from prospects in the 2016 recruiting cycle in '16 OG Tyler Gerald and '16 RB George Hill. Both of those players will be staying in-state to play their college football. Another in-state talent the Buckeyes would like to include in that class would be '16 DE Jonathon Cooper of Gahanna Lincoln (OH).
Cooper is a 6'3, 215-pound weak-side defensive end that plays his high school ball about 15 minutes from Ohio Stadium. The Golden Lions' standout pass rusher is currently ranked as a four-star prospect in next years cycle. Cooper also stands at 12th in the state of Ohio, 13th at his position and 265th overall.
As for which schools are standing out in his recruitment, Cooper told 247Sports' Bill Kurelic that Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State were the three. Those programs all have extended a scholarship opportunity to the Columbus native. Cooper just got off of a visit to South Bend about two weeks ago as he watched the Fighting Irish sneak past Stanford, 17-14. Next up for Cooper is a visit to East Lansing on October 25th for the Spartans' game against Michigan. As for the Buckeyes, Cooper is currently expected to be in attendance for the game against the Wolverines in late November. All 20 predictions say Ohio State is the likely landing spot for Cooper on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.
Buckeyes to play host to big names
This weekend Ohio State will play host to some coveted recruiting targets for their game against Rutgers at 3:30 PM. As of now, some of those prospects include '15 OG Josh Wariboko, '16 WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, '16 WR Brad Hawkins, '16 WR Kierre Hawkins, '16 DE Ron Johnson and '17 DE Corey Malone-Hatcher.
Yesterday, two more recruits were confirmed to also be in attendance this Saturday. '17 RB Todd Sibley from Archbishop Hoban (OH) is one of those two. Sibley is a 5'10, 195-pounder who has yet to receive an offer from the Buckeyes, or any school for that matter. He is currently getting interest from programs like Alabama, Cincinnati, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State and Oregon. The 247Sports Crystal Ball has Sibley staying in-state as well, and joining '17 QB Danny Clark in the class.
I'm Attending the Ohio State game this weekend vs Rutgers! Early Birthday Present! Go Bucks! #Buckeys ⭕️HI⭕️
— Oct 19. (@ToddSib23) October 15, 2014
The other prospect was '17 CB Marcus Williamson of Westerville South (OH) according to Marc Givler of Rivals.com. The four-star prospect already holds offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Toledo as well as gaining interest from other big programs. Just like Sibley, Williamson does not hold an offer from Ohio State at this time but is projected to play his 3-5 college years in Columbus.