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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 5/23 - Justin Hilliard releases Top 5, Torrance Gibson latest, and more

Land-Grant Holy Land gets you caught up on the latest Ohio State recruiting news.

By Miles Joseph

There was quite a bit of news on the Ohio State football recruiting front yesterday and we're here to get you caught up on all of the latest happenings.

Hilliard reveals Top 5

Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier linebacker Justin Hilliard, is ranked as the top player in the state of Ohio, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

On Friday morning, Hilliard revealed his top five of Alabama, Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio State:

Ohio State has gotten Hilliard on campus multiple times since the fall and are currently sitting in a pretty good position to land his commitment. But as is the case with former Michigan commit Damien Harris, there's quite a bit of time left in his recruitment before everything's said and done.

Torrance Gibson in trouble?

Top Ohio State quarterback target Torrance Gibson appears to be in some hot water with his high school as, according to reports, he was suspended from school and the football team due to an incident at the school.

I'll be interested to learn more about the situation over the next couple of weeks as more details emerge. While it certainly doesn't look good right now, the Buckeyes and other schools are likely to keep pursuing him unless the situation becomes worse and he isn't able to turn things around.

We'll be on top of this evolving story over the coming days and weeks ahead and will let you know if there are any developments. Some have speculated that the news could result in him transferring from him American Heritage high school.

Buckeyes check in on Damien Harris

Ohio State coaches were in Kentucky yesterday, where they visited Madison Southern running back Damien Harris. Many people (including myself) believe he is the top running back in the 2015 recruiting class as a whole.

I think the Buckeyes are in a very good spot to land Harris' commitment, but there's a lot left to go in this race. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, USC, Michigan, and other will all be major players in Harris' recruitment, though I just don't see him re-committing to the Wolverines.

Harris doesn't plan on making his second commitment until National Signing Day '15, which leaves plenty of time for the country's top programs to battle things out.

Bucks make the cut for Kahlil McKenzie

Newly minted 247Sports five-star (and Buckeye defensive tackle target) Kahlil McKenzie cut his list to 12 yesterday and the Buckeyes made the cut.

It doesn't look great for the Scarlet and Gray however, as his list is in order and they check in near the end of his list. The order is: Tennessee, Arizona, USC, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, UCLA, Miami, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Oregon, and Texas Tech.

He's a Tennessee legacy and is pretty heavily leaning towards the Vols. It's very doubtful he'll sign with OSU February of next year. The staff will definitely need to get him on campus at least once to be a serious contender in the race to land his commitment.

Other recruiting updates

- The Buckeyes made the top ten for standout defensive tackle Kahlil Haughton, who they offered about a month ago:

I don't see him in this class right now as the coaching staff still needs to get him to visit sometime this summer or fall. I'm also not sure he has an committable offer right now. A camp trip to Columbus may be necessary.

- Ohio State had coaches in Florida yesterday to check in on top wide receiver/quarterback Deon Cain. He could very well play either position, but I think his best fit is at wide receiver right now.

He has told me in the past that he wants to visit Ohio State this summer, and if that does in fact happen, the Bucks could become legitimate contenders for his services.

- Make sure to reach Bud Elliott's scouting report on Ohio State's top wide receiver target Christian Kirk.

Texas A&M and Ohio State are at the top of the list for Kirk right now and he plans on taking official visits before making his college decision. He also plans on enrolling early at his school of choice.

Important dates

  • March 6th visitor(s): LB Nick Conner, ATH Eric Glover-Williams
  • March 18th visitor(s): QB Tommy Stevens
  • March 20th visitor(s): LB Josh Barajas, DE Jonathon Cooper (2016), ATH Jerome Baker
  • March 21st-22nd visitor(s): RB Larry Scott, WR Steven Smothers (2016), WR Van Jefferson, OLPatrick Allen, OL Simon Stepaniak, OL James Daniels, DE Dre'Mont Jones, LB Anthony McKee, LB Justin Hilliard, DB Jordan Whitehead, ATH Brian Cole
  • March 25th visitor(s): LB Ethan Tucky (2016)
  • March 26th visitor(s): TE Jake Pickard
  • March 27th visitor(s): QB Danny Clark (2017 commit)
  • March 28th-29th visitor(s): WR Jabari Greenwood, TE CJ Conrad, OL Tyler Gerald (2016), OL Jake Fruhmorgen, OL Quinn Oseland, OL David Robbins, DE Darius Fullwood, LB Chris Green, ATH Denzel Ward
  • April 2nd visitor(s): OL Gabe Megginson
  • April 3rd visitor(s): TE Hale Hentges, OL Tommy Kraemer
  • April 4th-5th visitor(s): OL Austin Clark, OL Emani Mason, ATH Malik Hooker(2014 signee)
  • April 5th visitor(s): Cass Tech Day
  • April 7th visitor(s): RB Andrew Dowell, ATH David Dowell
  • April 9th visitor(s): QB Reese Ryan, TE Sam Letton (2016), WR Keyshawn Johnson Jr. (2017), DB Darnay Holmes (2017)
  • April 11th visitor(s): OL Sterling Jenkins, OL Michal Menet, ATH Chandler Cox, Trevor Thompson(hoops)
  • April 12th/Spring Game visitor(s): QB Danny Clark (2017 commit), RB Damien Harris, RB Todd Sibley(2017), OL Tommy Kraemer (2016), OL Josh Myers(2017), LB Sh'mar Kilby-Lane, DE Dre'Mont Jones, DE Nick Bosa (2016), DE/LB Jonathon Cooper, LB Darrin Kirkland, LB Joshua McMillon, ATH Richard LeCounte (2017)
  • April 15th visitor(s): RB Robert Washington
  • April 17th visitor(s): DT Elijah Taylor
  • April 18th-19th visitor(s): TE Chris Clark, OT Matthew Burrell, DE/LB Ricky DeBerry
  • May 1st visitor(s): PF Esa Ahmad
  • May 2nd-3rd visitor(s): SG Austin Grandstaff
  • May 10th visitor(s): Core 6 Day (Miles Boykin)
  • May 17th visitor(s): CB Jordan Whitehead
  • May 31st-June 1st visitor(s): QB Danny Clark (2017 commit), WR Alex Ofodile, WR Jeff Thomas(2017), OL Matthew Burrell, DE Terry Beckner Jr., DE Sterling Johnson, LB Brendan Ferns, CB Shaun Crawford, ATH Jerome Baker, ATH Nyheim Hines
  • June 1st: Columbus NFTC
  • June 2nd: Columbus Elite 11
  • June 8th: One day camp
  • June 19th: One day camp
  • June 21st: One day camp
  • July 25th: Friday Night Lights

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