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With the somewhat disappointing decision from '16 tight end Chad Clay, who committed to Georgia on Monday, head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes will try to have a short memory and move on to the next prospects in the class of 2016. On the bright side, Ohio State found itself in contention for two of the top wide receivers in the country for their recruiting class.
The first of the two was '16 wide receiver Austin Mack. The 6'2, 205-pound recruit was offered by Ohio State back in early June of 2014. Mack has frequently visited Columbus to see the Buckeyes on multiple unofficial visits. Rated as a four-star under the 247Sports Composite, Mack is also ranked as the nation's 20th best receiver and second-best prospect at any position from the state of Indiana. This past season, Mack caught 69 passes for 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns. He currently holds offers from Alabama, California, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.
With his decision date drawing closer (June 7), Mack has narrowed down his offers to a list of finalists. Michigan, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Alabama are the last teams that still have a shot at landing Mack's talents on the 7th. Currently, the Buckeyes are viewed as the favorites according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball:
I'd like thank all the schools that have offered me, but of those that have offered me these are my official top 6 pic.twitter.com/NKfp0HvwAE
— JavonMcKinley (@mcjavon) May 19, 2015
The other prospect to have Ohio State make the list was '16 wide receiver Javon McKinley. The 6'2, 185-pound McKinley is rated as a four-star under the 247Sports Composite and is ranked as the country's 13th best wide receiver, in addition to being the 15th best prospect at any position from the state of California. McKinley holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Miami, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others.
In 2014, McKinley hauled in 97 receptions for 2,062 yards, and an eye-popping 25 receiving touchdowns.
From his large list of offers, McKinley has narrowed it down to six teams: USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Miami. It's likely important to note that McKinley mentioned that he's still open to recruitment from schools that may not have yet offered him a scholarship, in which his list may be prone to changing. Though the Buckeyes certainly have a chance, the 247Sports Crystal Ball doesn't seem to be in their favor:
I just want to thank God for blessing me with this great opportunity pic.twitter.com/ntpyTw1tMT
— Chad Clay™ (@TheReal_Chad4) May 18, 2015
Finally, as we mentioned in passing above, '16 tight end Chad Clay committed to the Georgia Bulldogs on Monday via Twitter. Clay chose the Bulldogs over the likes of Ohio State, Florida, Georgia Tech, and a handful of others. Though it would have been nice to grab Clay, the Buckeyes are probably ready to move on and start focusing on some of the other talented prospects.