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Just like on Thursday, the Buckeye football coaching staff hit the road this weekend visiting with many top prospects across the country. While a few assistants were out of state tracking down talent, Urban Meyer, Kerry Coombs, and Chris Ash stuck around Ohio for the most part.
Meyer and Coombs were in Cincinnati on Friday. The pair made appearances at nearly every top school in the Queen City with one of their main stops being at St. Xavier to mingle with OSU linebacker commit Justin Hilliard.
According to multiple reports, Ash, the Buckeye co-defensive coordinator, met with St. Clairsville class of 2016 linebacker Brendan Ferns on Friday morning. Ferns, the younger brother of onetime Michigan (now West Virginia) linebacker Michael Ferns, is one of the key targets for the Buckeyes in the 2016 class.
A 6'3, 223-pound, four-star prospect, Ferns, a lifelong OSU fan, holds scholarship offers from not just the Buckeyes, but also Penn State, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and many others.
Gibson checks out Auburn:
Longtime OSU commit Torrance Gibson took an official visit to Auburn over the weekend. The four-star prospect, who has been a part of the Elite '15 since early November, left Alabama with a lot to think over.
"Everything went well. Everything is looking good. (The visit) changed things a lot. We'll see what the future holds," the four-star dual threat quarterback told Jeffrey Lee of AuburnSports.com.
"I'm committed (to Ohio State), but I'm considering Auburn a lot," Gibson said. "I don't have a problem redshirting, but sitting two or three years, that's not what I want to do. I want to come in and get a fair opportunity to play quarterback."
With so much young talent already on the OSU roster, and fellow class of 2015 prospect Joe Burrow set to sign his national letter of intent in a few weeks, seeing the field as the full-time signal caller at OSU might not happen anytime soon for the American Heritage (FL) senior.
Knowing early playing time under center is something Gibson wants, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is already trying to poach the 6'4, 200-pound standout away from Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes with the promise of just that.
"I sat in Coach Malzahn's office and he told me that I'm their guy," Gibson told Jeffrey Lee. "He said he wants me to come in and I would get a fair opportunity to play quarterback, and I believe him."
Auburn won't be the last visit for Gibson, as he plans to check out LSU this upcoming weekend. With national signing day coming up, Buckeye boss Urban Meyer will have a chance to sit down with Gibson and his family later this month during an in-home visit.
From the sounds of things, it is definitely shaping up to be an exciting next few weeks on the recruiting trail.
Hill to visit OSU:
After taking a weekend visit to Alabama, Army All-American K.J. Hill, one of the top wide receivers in the 2015 class, announced via his twitter page that he is no longer verbally committed to his home state Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday evening:
I know this will disappoint many, but after careful consideration I am re-opening my recruiting and deconmiting from Arkansas!!
— KMFJ (@KayJayHill) January 18, 2015
With his recruitment now open, the 6'0, 190-pound four-star prospect isn't done taking official visits. Per reports Hill will visit OSU this weekend before giving Arkansas one last look later this month.
Hill was scheduled to visit OSU over the summer, but didn't end up making the trip to Columbus before giving his pledge to Arkansas. If he does in fact make it to campus this time around, Urban Meyer and his crew would finally have a chance to work their magic on Hill.
A very solid route runner with soft hands, K.J. is considered the 21st wide out and 161st-overall prospect in the 2015 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. As a senior he caught 58 passes for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns for North Little Rock High School.
Quick Hits:
- One day after visiting with class of 2015 defensive back Kareem Orr, OSU assistant coach Tim Hinton offered the three-star prospect a scholarship to play for the Buckeyes. Orr, a Chattanooga, Tennessee native, received his offer from OSU soon after getting off a plane for his Arizona State official visit on Friday. OSU could have the 6'0, 190-pound recruit on campus soon, as Kareem previously stated to Land-Grant Holy Land that he plans to take two more visits before committing to a school on the 2nd of February.
- Ohio State also offered class of 2015 wide receiver Joshua Hammond on Friday. A 6'1, 180-pound speedster, Hammond now holds over a dozen scholarship offers. Duke, LSU, Mississippi State, Louisville, and Vanderbilt are just a few of the schools the Bucks currently find themselves up against for the three-star prospect.
- Future Buckeye wide receiver Alex Stump of Lakewood St. Edward and defensive end Dre'Mont Jones of Cleveland St. Ignatius both got a taste of the future over the weekend. After taking quite a few unofficial trips, the two finally took their official visit to the Ohio State campus.