Campers are expected to arrive at the stadium at 6 p.m. for registration. Afterwards, the Ohio State coaching staff will greet all prospects on hand. Following the greeting by the national championship staff, players will do some strength and conditioning and receive individual drill instructions. After that is all the good stuff. This will be when WR's and DB's go head-to-head in one-on-one drills, when defensive lineman go up against offensive lineman in the pass rushing drill, and lastly will likely be the smokehouse race. Having said that, lets take a look at all prospects expected to be in attendance for the prestigious camp.
The Commits
First things first, the current 2016 Buckeye recruiting class will be very well represented when the camp begins. Drue Chrisman, Jonathon Cooper, Wayne Davis, Kareem Felder, and Demario McCall have all confirmed their appearance with us. Also expected to be present is Malik Barrow, Tyler Gerald, Terrell Hall, Jake Hausmann, Kierre Hawkins, George Hill, Austin Mack, and Tristen Wallace.
When it comes to the 2017 class, Ohio State will be hosting over half of their current commitments. Land-Grant Holy-Land has confirmed that Jerron Cage, Danny Clark, Bruce Judson, Josh Myers, and Todd Sibley will make it. Four-star Westerville South (OH) CB Marcus Williamson is also expected to show face.
While recruiting mostly falls on the shoulders of Urban Meyer and the rest of the coaching staff, you can surely bet that these Buckeye commits will be in the ears of many prospects this evening. With that being said, let's take a look at some Ohio State targets that are expected to be in Columbus for the camp.
Class of 2016
One of the more important visits that will take place tonight comes in the form of '16 WR Donnie Corley from Detroit Martin Luther King (MI). The four-star prospect seemed to be headed to Michigan State multiple times as of late, but has yet to give his commitment to the Spartans. Now, the Buckeyes will get another opportunity to impress the 6'2, 182-pound receiver as they would surely like to gain the upper hand in his recruitment. Another wide out that will be participating is '16 WR Ahmir Mitchell, a Top 100 prospect in the class, from Cedar Creek (NJ).
If you are expecting a commitment to come from this class tonight, you may not have to look any further than '16 TE Luke Farrell from Perry (OH). It wasn't long ago that Farrell named a top four of Boston College, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State. Luckily for the Buckeyes, the buzz at the moment is that they may certainly have the lead for the in-state prospect and could seal the deal after tonight's visit. In fact, if I personally had to bet on one commitment for the weekend, it would be this one. We'll see if the hopeful duo of Hausmann and Farrell comes to fruition after all.
Along the offensive line, the name that stands out is '16 OG Terrance Davis from DeMatha Catholic (MD). This will be a good chance for Ohio State to throw their name in the mix because while it looks likely that the Hyattsville native will play collegiality in the Big Ten conference, it seems to favor arch rival Michigan with the hometown Terrapins battling.
On Wednesday, 247Sports' Bill Kurelic dropped the huge news that '16 DT Antwuan Jackson will be in the building for the fourth annual FNL camp. This will be the second visit to Columbus for the Cedar Grove (GA) star in as many months. The Buckeyes have long been looking for another defensive tackle to pair with Malik Barrow in the class and a home run would be hit if they could outlast Auburn to land the nations 8th best defensive tackle.
Moving on to the 2016 defensive backs that will be in Columbus. '16 CB Damar Hamlin and '16 S Andrew Pryts, two top Ohio State targets, will make their way down from Pennsylvania. Joining them will be '16 CB Patrice Rene, a three-star cornerback from Episcopal (VA), who already has an offer from the Buckeyes but is likely not a take at this time.
Others Expected: '16 CB Donnell Alexander, '16 S Vincent Calhoun, '16 LB Tre Hubbard, '16 CB Jacob Long (Purdue commit), '16 S AJ Rose (UK commit) '16 S Tru Wilson.
Class of 2017
Starting with the offensive skill positions, the Buckeyes will welcome '17 RB Michael Warren from Central Catholic (OH). While Warren does not have an offer from Ohio State at this time, it wouldn't at all be surprising if that changes with a good performance tonight. At wide out, Tahj Capehart, Jaylen Harris, Keyshawn Johnson Jr, and JaVonte Richardson are the names to watch. '17 TE Matt Dotson will also be in The 'Shoe but will not be participating due to a hand injury. The Moeller (OH) prospect is yet another that the Buckeyes are in great shape with.
Along the offensive front, you should expect '17 OT Robert Hainsey from IMG Academy (FL), who is a supposed Penn State lean at this time. He'll have the tough task of blocking some highly touted pass-rushers like James Hudson, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Luiji Vilain, and MJ Webb. In the middle at defensive tackle, you will see Virginia's Eric Crosby and Pennsylvania's Donovan Jeter, two four-star prospects.
The defensive backs coming from this class are nothing short of unreal. Headlining the group is '17 DB/ATH Darnay Holmes, a five-star prospect and soon-to-be teammate of the aforementioned Johnson Jr at Calabasas (CA). Also making the trip from California will be '17 CB/ATH Jermani Brown and '17 CB Deommodore Lenoir. The three in attendance that the Buckeyes are in the best shape with at this time would be '17 S Paris Ford, '17 S/ATH Richard LeCounte, and '17 CB Lamont Wade. Making their way down from the great lake state will be Jaylen Kelly-Powell and Ambry Thomas. Four-star CB Marco Wilson, former teammate of '15 Ohio State signee Torrance Gibson, is also an anticipated visitor.
Others Expected: '17 ATH Tyrell Aijan, '17 WR Dakari Carter, '17 C Christopher Fournier, '17 K Blake Haubeil, '17 ATH Connor Hayward, '17 OT Kevin Jarvis, '17 RB Jaden Lacaria, '17 DT Derrius Mullins, '17 ATH Derek Pitts, '17 TE Trey Pugh, '17 RB DeCavilon Reese, '17 RB Allen Stritzinger, '17 S Jonathan Sutherland, '17 S Brendon White.
Class of 2018
The big name for Buckeye fans here is '18 RB Jaelen Gill of Westerville South (OH). Gill already has an offer from Ohio State at this time, as well as Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, and more. If any prospect in this class would be to commit, you would have to place all bets on it being Gill.
Some defensive tackles that will be on hand include Taron Vincent, a 6'3, 285-pounder who already has offers from Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, UCLA, and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes will also host '18 DT PJ Mustipher (not participating) and '18 DT Matthew Jones.
Others Expected: '18 QB Brennan Armstrong, '18 OG Emil Ekiyor, '18 ATH Kalon Gervin, '18 OT/DT Evan Gregory, '18 WR Remono Newby, '18 OG Blaine Scott, '18 RB Markese Stepp,
Class of 2019
Obviously, it is way too early to even begin wondering about where these guys will eventually wind up. It's also usually something that we at Land-Grant Holy Land won't spend too time focusing on. However, the Buckeyes will have two 2019 prospects on campus for tonight's event and both are very likely to become two of the better players in that class. '19 QB Sam Johnson from Southfield (MI) will walk into the the building already having offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Ohio, and Temple under his belt. Joining him will be '19 CB Xavier Goldsmith, a 5'7, 140-pounder from Cass Tech (MI), who already has scholarship opportunities from Army, Cincinnati, and Kent State. Expect those offer sheets to expand immensely in the next four years.