Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 8/1 - Cam Chambers announcing, more on James Daniels to Iowa

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.

James Daniels spurns Bucks for Iowa

One of Ohio State's top offensive line targets for the 2015 recruiting class, in the form of Warren (OH) G Harding center/offensive guard James Daniels verbally committed to Iowa yesterday over the likes of Ohio State and Alabama.

The in-state star was offered by the Buckeyes last winter and they were considered to be the heavy favorite to land his commitment after the offer went down and for months after. However, this race started turning in the Hawkeyes' favor over the last month or so and they ended up winning the battle. He was very comfortable with Iowa, especially because his brother, LeShun Jr,. plays for the Hawkeyes. Their father, LeShun Sr. was a lineman for the Buckeyes year ago.

This is a very good pickup for Iowa, but ultimately isn't a huge loss for the Scarlet and Gray, at least in my opinion, as long as Ohio State is able to hit on a couple of their higher priority targets later in the recruiting cycle. Top targets include Matthew Burrell, Drew Richmond, Isaiah Prince, and a couple of others.

Ohio State has already landed commitments from offensive tackles Grant Schmidt and Kevin Feder and also have a commitment from Joshua Alabi, who will be an offensive guard or defensive lineman when he reaches the college level next year.

Cameron Chambers announcing today

Philadelphia (PA) Timber Creek wide receiver Cameron Chambers is set to announce his college decision later today between Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes were once in pretty good shape for him, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore. I'm expecting him to choose Michigan, with Michigan State, the other school he recently visited, being right there to land his commitment.

There are plenty of talented wide receivers still on Ohio State's board for the 2016 class, so it's not a crippling loss, though Chambers is a very solid player.

Other recruiting news

- Top running back target Damien Harris is set to announce his top five schools today.

I would be absolutely shocked if the Buckeyes didn't make the cut as I think they're the clear leaders to land his commitment as his recruitment currently stands. Kentucky is likely running second, then after that it's pretty unclear as to who will make to the cut.

- Ohio State extended an offer to 2017 St. Joseph (MI) defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher last night.

It comes as no surprise the standout lineman received an offer. He performed at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights camp last Friday and has the chance to be one of the top players in the 2017 recruiting class as a whole.

Important Dates

• Aug. 2 visitor(s): Esa Ahmad (basketball)
• Sept. 6: Virginia Tech visitor(s) - QB/ATH Torrance Gibson, DE Josh Sweat, DE Mekhi Brown (Alabama commit), DE/LB Ricky DeBerry