Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 4/7 - Ray Buford talks visit, D'Angelo Russell leads Montverde to title

Just like the last few weeks, the Buckeyes hosted a number of talented prospects on campus including many members of the Cass Tech football squad and 2015 Virginia offensive lineman Austin Clark.

Cass Tech, a Detroit powerhouse that sends multiple players to Division I programs every season (including incoming OSU freshman defensive back Damon Webb) made the trip down to C-bus from That State Up North, bringing along not just Webb, but also standout class of 2015 recruits running back Mike Weber and quite a few other of their top underclassmen to check out what the OSU program has to offer up close and personal.

Another one of the top class of 2015 prospects Michigan has to offer was in Columbus on Saturday as well. Southfield High athlete Ray Buford, the recent overall MVP of the Core 6 Showcase held in Cincinnati, also had the opportunity to watch OSU get ready for next weeks spring game and take a tour of the campus.

"A couple things that stood out to me were the quality of the facilities. They are absolutely top-notch," the 6'1 195 pound soon to be senior told Land-Grant Holy Land. "The practice was high intensity and fun to watch," Buford added.

While on campus, Ray had the chance to not just watch the Buckeyes practice, but also speak to one of their most beloved assistants.

"I spoke with Coach Coombs," Buford said. "He is a great coach with high energy. We spoke about some football things and also about me coming back up to camp in the summer and I plan on it."

Stating "An OSU offer would be a huge honor because they don't just offer everybody., Buford, who missed most of his junior campaign due to a knee injury, plans to work his tail off this summer hoping to not just earn an offer from the Buckeyes, but many other programs to add to his growing list that currently includes Boston College and Mid-American Conference teams such as Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Toledo.

Check out of some highlights of Buford in action below:

OSU offers a pair of prospects:

After recently missing out on recruits such as Steven Gonzalez, Josh Barajas, and Jalen Guyton, the Buckeyes have offered quite a few other top prospects. Over the last few days Georgia defensive back Micah Abernathy and Florida wide receiver Auden Tate have added OSU to their list of scholarship offers.

Abernathy, a Norcross, Georgia native who suits up for Greater Atlanta Christian School, adds the Bucks to a list of offers from mostly down south programs including Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, who's head man, Butch Jones, coached Micah's older brother, Ralph David Abernathy IV at Cincinnati.

A solid contributor on both sides of the ball in high school, take a look at this impressive 96 yard touchdown run by the shifty 6'1 185-pound Abernathy:

Auden Tate, a 6'4 195-pound wide out, caught 49 passes for over 800 yards and five touchdowns as a junior at Tampa's Wharton High. Tate, could add not just a big, but also a speedy target to the Buckeye offense, who could use someone with that skill set in many different situations. For that to take place Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes will have to fight off programs such as Kentucky, South Carolina and Miami to name a few.

After watching these highlights it won't take you long to see why the Buckeyes offered Tate:

Russell leads Montverde to Championship:

After participating in the McDonald's All-American game in Chicago on Wednesday , future Buckeye guard D'Angelo Russell led his Montverde Academy squad to another Dick's Sporting Goods National High School Tournament title over the weekend.

In the three day tournament that took place from Thursday to Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Russell and the Eagles soared to victories over Sagemont High (FL) and Huntington Prep (WV) to take on Oak Hill Academy (VA) in Saturday's championship bout.

Finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Russell was one of the key contributors all afternoon for Montverde in the 71-62 victory over Oak Hill alongside one-time Ohio State class of 2015 target, and current LSU commit Ben Simmons, who led all scorers with 24 points.

With the win, the Eagles finish the season a perfect 28-0.

After the game, Russell had to the following to say to GiveNGoBasketball.com on winning the title and more:

"It's a blessing to win again. Especially when you play basketball in front of a lot of people here in Madison Square Garden and of course on television. It's just a blessing but, once you get on the court you kind of forget about that stuff and you just play basketball. When you have a team as talented as ours sky is the limit.

I'm going to bring the same energy (to OSU), come in ready to win and do what I need to do in order to turn the program around." We have three other very good players committed. They didn't get as much National attention as I did, so not as many people know about them. They are all very talented and I'm happy to play with them next year."

Quick Hits:

• The Nike Football Training Camps were back at it over the weekend with stops in both Dallas and Houston, Texas. In Dallas, three OSU targets excelled enough against the completion to be selected to participate at The Opening. Wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge, linebacker Malik Jefferson and defensive back PJ Mbanasor were all picked to strut their stuff against some of the nations best later this year at the Nike headquarters in Oregon.
• Coming off visits to Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State, class of 2015 offensive lineman Jake Fruhmorgen, of Plant High School in Tampa will announce his college intentions on Thursday at 3:15. Many believe the 6'5 280-pound son of one-time Alabama and Miami Dolphin John Fruhmorgen will choose between Clemson and Florida.
• Class of 2016 wide receiver, Sam Bruce, the nephew of former NFL great Isaac Bruce, named a current top five of (In no order) Florida State, Miami, Florida, Ohio State and Oregon. Last season for University High, Bruce had nearly 700 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. The 5'8 standout has since transferred to St.Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.
• Speaking of St.Thomas Aquinas, fellow class of 2016 target Nick Bosa, the younger brother of OSU standout Joey Bosa, will attend next weeks Ohio State Spring Game at the 'Shoe, according to Derek Young of Scout.com.