Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets - Jarrett Guarantano sets commitment date, Micah Potter offered

There is no doubt about it: when it comes to Ohio State recruiting, Buckeye football is king. But on Thursday, Thad Matta, Jeff Boals, and the OSU basketball squad stole the crown away from Urban Meyer and the national champions for the day.

After being relatively quiet on the recruiting front over the last few months, the basketball Bucks joined the likes of West Virginia, North Carolina State, Clemson, and many Mid-American Conference programs in offering class of 2016 big man Micah Potter of Mentor.

"Matta and Boals came up and visited with me for three hours. It feels great. I've been waiting for it (OSU offer) since freshman year," Potter told Land-Grant Holy Land.

The Ohio State offer definitely caught Potter's attention, but for the moment he has no plans on ending the recruiting process.

"OSU is right there near the top. I really like North Carolina State and West Virginia, but OSU is humbling. I want to see what happens in AAU. I'm not saying I won't commit to anywhere soon, but I feel like it's smart to wait a little bit. God's in control. I don't want to rush him," Potter said.

More of a stretch four than a true center, Potter has a skill set that many college coaches are starting to seek. A big body at 6'10 and 245 pounds, who can bang in the post or step out and hit long range jump shots, he averaged 20 points a contest this season. Potter was also recently named Third Team All-Ohio.

Still an under-the-radar recruit, Potter is currently considered the 24th center and 203rd-overall prospect in the 2016 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Guarantano sets commitment date

One of the top targets on the Buckeyes' big board is announcing his college plans next month. On April 15th, four-star class of 2016 quarterback Jarrett Guarantano will pick between Ohio State, Rutgers, and Tennessee at Bergan Catholic High School (NJ).

Fresh off a weekend visit to Tennessee, the 6'4, 200-pound Guarantano announced earlier this week that he plans to check out OSU again before making his college choice known to the public.

The son of a former Rutgers great, the Silver Knights have always been one of the top programs for Guarantano, once thought to be a near-lock for OSU. Even though they have been thought as his leaders for quite some time, with UT making a huge push for his pledge, Rutgers and Ohio State fans might both end up on the short end of the stick for Guarantano.

If Jarrett heads elsewhere, look for the Buckeyes to turn up the heat on four-star prospect Tristen Wallace of DeSoto, Texas, who will be one of the many recruits visiting Columbus over the weekend.

Guarantano's recruitment has been a rather exciting one to follow, and with it inching closer to its end, it should be one to keep an eye on. Stay with Land-Grant Holy Land for the latest.

Quick Hits

• After visiting Michigan and Notre Dame earlier this week the Buckeyes finally got their chance to host class of 2016 wide receiver Joshua Hammond on Thursday. All three programs are just a few off of his rather impressive scholarship list. A three-star prospect from Hallandale, Florida, Hammond's older brother played for Urban Meyer during his time with the Gators.
• Speaking of visits, Urban Meyer and the OSU staff will host a solid list of elite prospects over the weekend. Some of the group of commits and top targets heading to Columbus are class of 2016 recruits such as running back DeMario McCall, tight end Luke Farrell, defensive tackle Rashan Gary, and defensive end Ron Johnson. Land-Grant Holy Land will have much more news on this weekend later today. Stay tuned.
• Columbus DeSales class of 2016 defensive back and recent OSU target Austin Andrews tells me he will be visiting Michigan State and Wisconsin next month. Like Ohio State, Andrews has yet to pick up an offer from the Spartans. The Badgers offered the three-star recruit earlier this month.