Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 12/5 - Mirko Jurkovic commits, Joe Burrow shines in state championship loss

Just a few days removed from visiting the Ohio State campus, class of 2015 offensive lineman Mirko Jurkovic, a one-time Nebraska pledge. verbally committed to play his college ball for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes last night.

The son of a former Notre Dame All-American, Mirko, a 6'5, 275 pound four-star prospect, gives OSU 23 verbal commitments for the Elite '15. Now alongside Kevin Feder, Grant Schmidt, Branden Bowen, and Matthew Burrell, Jurkovic is the fifth and more than likely last offensive lineman to join the ultra-talented class.

According to the 247Sports Composite, the IMG Academy (FL) senior is currently the 51st offensive guard and 798th-overall prospect in the 2015 class, but find himself climbing up the rankings after having a more than stellar campaign this year.

For highlights, and more on Mirko's pledge to OSU, check out our commitment piece.

Burrow shines in state championship loss:

In a back and forth battle that saw many lead changes and well over 1,200 yards of total offense, OSU commit Joe Burrow and Athens High had multiple chances to end the game and stop Toledo Central Catholic's momentum. This included at least three chances on the final drive of the game for the Irish. Athens failed to so, giving Central Catholic a Division III state championship trophy to add to their display case.

In the heartbreaking 56-52 loss, Burrow, the Mr. Football award winner for the State of Ohio, was his normal cool self in the pocket. He completed 26 of 45 passing attempts for 446 yards, and added six touchdowns through the air, while also rushing for 57 yards. This included a 49-yard scamper in the first quarter to set up a Bulldog score.

A constant stat sheet crusher all season for Athens, Burrow ends his final year on the high school level with some rather eye-popping numbers. The 6'4, 205-pound signal caller accounted for over 5,000 yards of total offense and nearly 70 touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who finish the year 14-1.

Joe and Athens came up on the short end of the stick last night, but two of his future teammates will have the opportunity to lead their squads to a state championship later today. This morning at 10:00 ET, Jerome Baker and Cleveland Benedictine will take on Kettering Archbishop Alter in the Division IV title game.

For a nightcap, in the Division II title game Buckeye fans can watch Denzel Ward and the Nordonia Knights take the field against a very tough Cincinnati LaSalle club at 8:00 ET.

Bucks visit Sweat:

Last night Urban Meyer, Zach Smith, and Larry Johnson had one more chance to convince Virginia defensive end Josh Sweat (the top overall prospect in the 2015 class) that Ohio State is the right spot for him, during an in-home visit. That report comes courtesy of Bucknuts recruiting writer Bill Kurelic.

The five-star recruit, who missed most of his senior season at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, Virginia due to a torn ACL, will announce his college plans on Wednesday morning. Holding scholarship offers from nearly every program in the country, it looks like Sweat will pick between OSU, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Oregon, where he will officially visit this weekend.

With just a couple spots left in the Bucks' 2015 class, the 6'5, 240 pound Sweat (who runs a reported sub 4.5 forty yard dash) would be welcomed to the Elite '15 fraternity with open arms. But unless Meyer and company knocked the visit out of the park, it doesn't look very promising at the moment, with all signals pointing towards him staying in the South.

Of course, with the way recruiting changes daily, and having a rock star coaching staff such as Ohio State does, anything is possible until Sweat signs on the dotted line with a school.

Quick Hits:

• In what shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, class of 2016 running back Antonio Williams, who holds a recent OSU offer, committed to Wisconsin last night.
• Just about a week after visiting OSU and hoping to earn an offer from the OSU coaching staff, Pickerington Central defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, a former Ohio University and Pittsburgh pledge, committed to Mark Stoops and the University of Kentucky on Thursday evening.