:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44260204/13703204655_1a964b8b48_o.0.0.jpg)
Ohio State has finished their regular season and are headed to the Big Ten championship game to face Wisconsin. While the Buckeyes prepare for their Saturday night showdown in Indianapolis, the coaching staff has still been hard at work on the recruiting trail to make sure the future of the team is ready to compete for many potential championships that lie ahead.
As of right now these are my Top 10 Schools! pic.twitter.com/XYq5keWnwj
— Brandon Jones (@BlessedJones33) December 2, 2014
'16 safety Brandon Jones, who received an offer from Ohio State back in May of this year, just announced his top 10 schools. Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC have all made the latest cut from Jones. The 5'11, 183-pound safety is ranked as the 17th-best prospect in the country, the best safety in the nation, and the third-best player from the state of Texas. He would be a huge get for whichever program ends up with him.
Rated as a five-star under the 247Sports Composite, Jones was also named by MaxPreps as a first-team sophomore All-American. Last season, Jones compiled 95 tackles, five interceptions (one of them going for a touchdown), and eight passes broken up. As of now, the experts on the 247Sports Crystal Ball all have Jones ending up with Texas A&M, but there's a long way to go in his recruitment and you can't ever count out Urban Meyer.
Buckeyes get an early hoops commit:
Of course, the recruiting never stops on the hardwood, either. Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and his staff landed a early commit from shooting guard Dane Goodwin, who is just now entering high school and is in the class of 2018. Still, the 6'4, 170-pound youngster has quite a bright future on the court and could help the Buckeyes secure even more recruits to commit to Ohio State. Also as the son of a coach, you can bet Goodwin knows the right way to play basketball, and will no doubt be a huge get down the road.
Honored to accept an offer from Coach Matta and OSU staff, I have committed to play basketball at THE Ohio State University! #BuckeyeNation
— Dane Goodwin (@danegoodwin23) December 1, 2014
Matta to pitch Maker on Tuesday?
In other basketball news, '16 power forward Thon Maker will be making an appearance at the Louisville-Ohio State game on Tuesday for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. This is mostly good news for Louisville, considering he doesn't hold an offer from Ohio State. Still, the best power forward in the class of 2016 (according to the 247Sports Composite) watched Louisville practice Monday and will be there to see the Cardinals take on the Buckeyes.
The 7'0, 205-pound Maker might not be interested in the Buckeyes, but perhaps Coach Matta could end up making a pitch to the big man. One of the top prospects nationally, Maker is ranked second overall by the 247Sports Composite and is considering a move to the Class of 2015. For now, the Crystal Ball favors Kansas, with 53 percent of the vote.