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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets - Rashan Gary in Columbus, Jared Mayden names top 7

Rashan Gary, the best player in the country, will be in Columbus later today. Plus, a top cornerback from Texas puts the Bucks in his top seven.

By Bret Favachio
Rashan Gary
Rashan Gary
Student Sports

Top DT in Columbus later today

Urban Meyer and Ohio State will have an opportunity to leave a good impression on the nation's No. 1 player later today. According to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, '16 DT Rashan Gary will be in Columbus today prior to heading to arch-rival Michigan on Friday.

The recruitment at the defensive tackle spot for the Buckeyes has been an interesting spot to follow. The last few weeks, we have seen guys like '16 DT Antwuan Jackson and '16 DT Rashard Lawrence stop by for visits to the campus. Those two players are undoubtedly ones that Ohio State wouldn't mind pairing up with '16 DT Malik Barrow in the 2016 recruiting class. However, when it comes to the defensive tackle position, no one is more courted than the 6'4, 311-pound Gary.

The Paramus Catholic (NJ) star seems to be favoring Alabama and Michigan at the moment. But with Urban Meyer, you just never know how fast things could change. The Buckeyes are hoping to put themselves in serious contention for the five-star prospect and they will have their chance. We'll see how things go.

Mayden down to seven

On Wednesday, '16 CB Jared Mayden, a standout cornerback at Sachse (TX), felt it was the right time to narrow his many collegiate opportunities (43 to be exact) down to just seven. It likely wasn't an easy task for the 6'0, 190-pounder to eliminate 36 schools but he did it. As expected, Ohio State was one of the programs that has a chance to land the four-star prospect from the Lone Star State. But they will have to outlast some stiff competition, which includes Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Oregon, and UCLA, if they want to land the 11th-best cornerback in the class.

There has been a recent run on Oregon Duck predictions for Mayden in the 247Sports Crystal Ball. As for the Buckeyes, the last Ohio State-Mayden activity was back in early May when Coach Tim Beck stopped by his high school to see him. We'll see if OSU can make a move for Mayden before the decision is made.  As you can see in his tweet above, a decision will be coming in just a few weeks at The Opening event in Oregon.

Judson sets July visits

Back in January, after defeating the Oregon Ducks for the national championship, Ohio State received a commitment from '17 ATH Bruce Judson of Cocoa (FL). Since the commitment, teams have been in continuous pursuit of the four-star prospect.

Judson has visited other programs since the pledge to the Buckeyes, and is going to do the same come next month. The 5'9, 186-pounder announced via Twitter that he will be taking a visit to the in-state Seminoles and Auburn.

The good news, as you can see, is that Judson is planning to see Columbus again in the near future. Sure it isn't ideal, from the OSU side, but he has been on the Buckeyes' campus numerous time and continues to do so. That will give the Buckeyes the chance to strengthen their relationship with Judson and make him feel comfortable if he ultimately decides to stick with his pledge.

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