Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 1/9 - Damien Harris announcing decision, Isaiah Prince to visit

One college football fanbase will be going nuts later today after landing the commitment of arguably the top overall running back in the class of 2015. Former Michigan verbal pledge Damien Harris of Madison Southern High in Berea, Kentucky will make his college plans known to the public during a ceremony at 1:00 EST at his school.

A five-star prospect, Harris received well over 20 scholarship offers throughout the recruiting process, but will continue his playing days at either Alabama, Kentucky, or Ohio State.

Missing quite a bit of time due to an MCL strain this past year, Harris still finished his senior season with over 1,500 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns. During his career on the high school level, the 5'11, 205-pound Under Armour All-American accounted for over 6,700 yards and 111 rushing touchdowns.

The Buckeyes might have made his final cut, but Harris probably isn't Columbus bound. Looked at as a one time lock to join the Elite '15 by many, it now seems to be a two horse race for the talented running back, with all things pointing towards Damien rolling with the Crimson Tide of Alabama.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Harris is the second-ranked running back, and 30th overall prospect in the entire class of 2015.

Prince to visit:

University of Tennessee commit Venzell Boulware won't be the only talented class of 2015 offensive lineman visiting the Ohio State campus later this month. Per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN, the Buckeyes will also play host to Isaiah Prince on January 23-25.

Before he makes it back to Columbus, the 6'6, 270-pound tackle will visit Alabama on January 16-18. Both the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide have offered the four-star prospect from Greenbelt, Maryland. With signing day just around the corner, his home state Maryland Terrapins are also in the mix for his commitment.

Urban Meyer and the OSU coaching staff have already put together one of the top offensive line classes for 2015. If Prince, a U.S. Army All-American, decides to suit up for the Buckeyes, he would join fellow senior standouts Kevin Feder, Grant Schmidt, Branden Bowen, Mirko Jurkovic, and Matthew Burrell in the Elite '15.

This past season for Eleanor Roosevelt, Prince was one of the main reasons why his squad finished the year 11-1. Playing both sides of the ball, he helped block the Raiders offense to nearly 5,000 all purpose yards, while snatching up 37 total tackles and 2.5 quarterback sacks on the defensive line.

See what Prince could add to the Buckeyes with these highlights courtesy of Hudl:

Neff talks walk-on chance:

Cincinnati Oak Hills senior Mason Garrison isn't the only in-state lineman with an opportunity to join the Buckeyes as a walk-on next fall. Darin Neff of Meadowbook High in Byesville recently received a chance to suit up for Ohio State after taking in one of their bowl practices.

"Mark Pantoni emailed me, and invited me up for a game day visit against Indiana. I was supposed to be there a few hours before the game, but I didn't show up until right when the game started due to travel conditions. It sucked because I didn't get to talk with any of the coaches then, but Coach Pantoni invited me back up for a bowl practice. It was a great experience. I got to watch them practice, and see their facilities. I talked to Coach Warinner and Coach Sean Fisher most of the time. I also got to sit down in one of their meetings," Darin told Land-Grant Holy Land.

Neff, who stands 6'4 and weighs 320 pounds, holds preferred walk-on offers not just from OSU, but also Akron and Ohio University. Division II programs Ashland, Lake Erie College, and West Liberty have also offered him a chance to play at their schools.

Like every kid growing up in the state of Ohio, Darin has always wanted to play for the Buckeyes, but with plenty of options on the table he is trying to figure out which program is the best overall fit for him before he inks with a team next month on national signing day.

"Coaches Pantoni, Warinner, and Fisher have told me as long as I get accepted into the school that I can be on the team. I probably won't know where I'm going for another month or so, but it's an amazing feeling to have OSU as one of my options. Going to OSU has always been one of my dreams," Neff said.

Quick Hits:

• 2016 St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) defensive end and Ohio State target Nick Bosa, the younger brother of current Buckeye star Joey Bosa, was named Class 7A First Team All-State by the AP yesterday. Fellow OSU target Tre Nixon, a class of 2016 wide receiver, made the second team. You can see the full list here.
• Former OSU hoops target Carlton Bragg, of Cleveland Vila Angela St. Joes, verbally committed to Kansas yesterday afternoon. Bragg, a 6'8 five-star forward, and pound-for-pound one of the top overall basketball players in the state of Ohio, chose the Jayhawks over Kentucky and Illinois.