Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 9/12 - Ron Johnson offered, Mickey Mitchell recommits

To kick off Thursday, Ohio State dished out a scholarship to one of the top junior defensive lineman in the country. Four-star defensive end Ron Johnson of Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey tweeted that the Buckeyes are the latest program he has received a scholarship from.

Still two years away from playing on the college level, the 6'4 240 pound Johnson is starting to put together a impressive scholarship list. OSU joins programs such as Miami, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers South Carolina, and West Virginia as a few of the teams to offer so far.

According to the 247Sports Rankings, Ron is currently the 15th weak-side defensive end and 273rd overall prospect in the 2016 class.

Johnson has yet to set up a visit to Ohio State, but will make the short trip to Rutgers this weekend to check out their game against Penn State.

Ohio state Offered

— RONdoNumba7™ (@RonJohn24) September 11, 2014

Mitchell re-commits:

When Shaker Heights standout Esa Ahmad committed to West Virginia yesterday, many Buckeye fans questioned Thad Matta's recruiting. Twenty-four hours later, those concerns are all but a distant memory, as 2015 forward Mickey Mitchell announced his commitment to the Buckeyes just weeks after de-committing.

After short consideration, The Ohio State University is the only place for me, staff & players are family. Can't wait to get back! GO BUCKS!

— SOMI JaMITCHELL (@MickeyMitchell0) September 12, 2014

The little brother of former OSU football player Mike Mitchell, who transferred to Texas Tech to be closer to his family in Plano, Texas, Mickey took his official visit to Ohio State last weekend, and must have had all his questions answered while spending time with Thad Matta, Jeff Boals, and the OSU coaching staff.

Once again, the 6'7 high flyer is a huge piece of the 2015 recruiting class, joining Dayton Dunbar point guard A.J. Harris, Georgia big man Daniel Giddens, and fellow Texas prospect -- and good friend -- Austin Grandstaff.

Matta, OSU watch local recruits:

Thad Matta and staff have had a busy week checking out prospects in open gyms. Just like the last few days, the OSU coaching staff was back at it yesterday trying to find future Buckeyes.

Our Zach Fleer reported that Matta and crew stuck around Columbus visiting with a number of the top talents in the city. Northland class of 2016 forward Seth Towns, 2017 big man Caleb Wesson of Westerville South, and 2018 Upper Arlington shooting guard Dane Goodwin all had OSU stop by their respective schools.

Zach was on hand for the Northland open gym that didn't just have Matta in the stands, but also coaches from UCLA and Michigan.

Catching up with Towns after the open gym, Fleer had him break down his interaction with Matta and the other coaches:

"They're coming at me pretty hard, talking about how I fit into their systems, and how I would be a great addition to their programs. Right now, I'm just sitting back, seeing how things work out, you know, whoever shows me love, I show love back to."

Alexander to commit:

The Buckeyes could receive some good news later today. Class of 2015 wide receiver A.J. Alexander will announce his college plans before he and his Lake Braddox, VA teammates take on Robinson High this evening.

Wisconsin has always seemed to be the front runner in Alexander's recruitment, but the Buckeyes and Nebraska have made a late push at the three-star prospect.

Alexander has built a strong relationship not just with Tim Hinton and Larry Johnson, but also Urban Meyer during the recruiting process. That bond now has many around the recruiting scene predicting that Ohio State might just be the team to beat for his verbal commitment.

A big target at 6'4 and 220 pounds, the OSU coaching staff plans to use Alexander in the H-Back role if he does in fact decide to play his college ball for the Bucks.

Buckeyes to host 2016 standouts:

The list might not be as impressive as last weekend, but Meyer and the OSU football team will have a decent amount of prospects on hand for their match-up against Kent State Saturday.

Indiana class of 2016 recruits wide receiver Austin Mack, quarterback Noah Wezensky, and defensive end Auston Robertson will all be on campus, as will Delaware Hayes linebacker Ethan Tucky, and DeSales defensive back Austin Andrews, who previewed his visit with Land-Grant Holy Land earlier this week.

Our recruiting team will have visit recaps for a number of the aforementioned recruits over the next few days. Stay tuned.