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We get things started with '15 LB Justin Hilliard being honored as a first-team All-American on Christmas Eve. The future Buckeye was definitely deserving with the impact he had on the St. Xavier Bombers (OH) squad. According to Bill Kurelic of 247Sports, the five-star linebacker piled up 107 tackles and eight sacks this past season.
Beckner, Jr. to take official Columbus visit:
Joining Hilliard on the list of talented players was '15 DL Terry Beckner Jr. The East St. Louis standout is planning an official visit the Ohio State campus in the later days of January. As we all know, the Buckeyes are surely looking for another DT to pair with Robert Landers, the former West Virginia commit. Could Urban Meyer grab another five-star? Only time will tell but as of now, the Buckeyes will have a few schools like Florida State and Missouri in their way.
'16 prospects make Buckeye connections:
Looking at the 2016 class, in-state OG Tyler Gerald will no longer be playing his high school ball at Sciotoville. Instead, the four-star lineman will make his way to Florida and play at IMG Academy. As others may have noticed, that is also home to '15 OL Mirko Jurkovic, who decommitted from Nebraska to choose the Scarlet and Gray.
Lastly, '16 ILB Tristian Pipp from Greendale (WI) tweeted that he had communicated with Coach Chris Ash early Wednesday. As of now, no offer has been given to the 6'3, 220-pounder from Ohio State and he is not sure when or if it will happen. However, the Buckeyes are intrigued by the three-star player. Pipp told me that Ash called to "make sure that if Wisconsin were to offer me, I wouldn't jump on it right away." Pipp included that the conversations with the Bucks coaching staff just recently started but Ash was "very impressed" with his highlight tape.
As of today, Pipp holds zero offers but is receiving interest from Big Ten programs including Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin and now Ohio State. Pipp is currently graded as the No. 2 player in Wisconsin, the No. 23 inside linebacker and the 646th player in the 2016 recruiting class.