Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets - Chauncey Gardner names top 3, basketball targets visit Columbus

The Nike Football Training Camp series took over Florida this weekend. Many of the top prospects in the country participated at camp in Miami on Saturday and Orlando on Sunday for a chance to attend The Opening, held at the Nike Headquarters in Oregon later this year.

When you get a large group of top recruits together chances are Ohio State commits and targets are involved. That was definitely the case over the last few days. Of the many OSU targets in Miami on Saturday, class of 2017 prospect and OSU lean Trevon Grimes, of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, stole the show. Grimes was named the wide receiver MVP of the camp.

Grimes wasn't the only OSU target to take home some accolades from Miami. His high school teammate and current Miami pledge Sam Bruce (a 2016 wide receiver) and defensive back Trayvon Mullen were both invited to The Opening for their outstanding performances during the drills on Saturday.

Yesterday in Orlando, OSU class of 2016 verbal commit Tyler Gerald and 2017 commit Bruce Judson were repping Buckeye Nation through and through. Going up against some of the most elite talent in the South, both showed they are top prospects in the junior class.

Many other Buckeye targets also had solid outings. Wide receivers Tre Nixon, Eddie McBoom, quarterback Woody Barrett, and defensive back Chauncey Gardner, who was invited to The Opening, are just a few of the prospects with OSU offers to stand out.

Gardner names top 3

Not only did was Gardner named defensive back MVP in Orlando and invited to The Opening, he also announced his leaders. Just a few days after releasing a top 10, the high school teammate of current OSU freshman Jamel Dean and 2017 commit Bruce Judson, at Cocoa High in Florida, told Gerry Hamilton of ESPN that he has a top three of Florida State, Ohio State, and LSU.

With tons of time left in his recruitment, a lot can change in the coming months. Can the Buckeyes add to the Cocoa pipeline? Only time will tell.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6'0, 195-pound Gardner is the ninth cornerback and 106th-overall prospect in the 2016 class.

Basketball Bucks host standouts

Two of the top big men in the state of Ohio had the chance to watch the Buckeyes battle back to defeat Purdue last night. Gahanna Lincoln power forward Nick Ward and Mentor Center Micah Potter were both courtside during OSU's come-from-behind win over the Boilermakers.

Ward, who was offered by the Buckeyes in January, is looked as a Michigan State lean by many around the scene. But with the need for an enforcer down low, the Buckeyes are hoping to keep the 6'9, 235-pounder home in Columbus.

Potter, who stands 6'10 and over 230 pounds, has watched his recruitment pick up as of late. With scholarship offers on the table from West Virginia, North Carolina State, and a few Mid-American Conference programs, he is starting to receive quite a bit of interest from the Buckeyes, Duke, and other top notch programs from around the country.

Class of 2015 signee A.J. Harris was also in the house for the big win. Harris, a point guard from Dayton Dunbar, has made the trek up to Columbus a number of times this season to watch his future teammates in action on the court.

Quick Hits

• Don't worry, Ohio State fans, class of 2016 verbal commit Tyler Gerald is all Buckeye.
• Class of 2017 four-star quarterback and OSU commit Danny Clark has transferred from Massillon Washington to Archbishop Hoban in Akron. The move teams Clark up with 2016 wide receiver Jonah Morris, and 2017 OSU running back target Todd Sibley. The trio should give the Knights one of the most prolific offenses in the state of Ohio this upcoming season.