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Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets - Buckeyes offer elite 2018 quarterback

After a doozy of a recruiting day earlier this week, Ohio State offered an elite 2018 quarterback. Do the Buckeyes have a chance at him?

By Austin Kemp
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Though we are on the final stretch of wrapping up the 2016 recruiting class, it's never to early for Urban Meyer and company to look ahead and get a head start on the classes of the future. On Tuesday, Ohio State sent out an offer to big-time quarterback Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec is an elite 2018 prospect from Pennsylvania who already holds 9 offers as a sophomore.

Jurkovec stands at a towering 6'5 to go with 190 pounds of muscle -- he's still growing as well. He's a classic dual-threat quarterback who reminds some scouts of Terrelle Pryor. It's safe to say that Jurkovec is the perfect mold to run an Urban Meyer offense. There's no doubt that by the time his senior year rolls around, Jurkovec will be one of the most heralded players in the country and the Buckeyes will have to battle just about every school in the country to land his services. Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Penn State seem to be the top competitors early on in his process.

Still, Jurkovec has no "top" list as of now and one isn't expected to be released anytime soon. The sophomore is just getting started with a recruiting process that is sure to go all the way to National Signing Day when it comes his turn to ink his name to a school. The Buckeyes are in on him early and that's the positive sign in this battle as of now.

Buckeyes going after Hansard

On Tuesday, one of the nation's top defensive tackles took a visit from Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner. Fred Hansard, a 4-star prospect from Princeton, NJ, has been on the Buckeyes' radar for a long time, having been offered by OSU back in May of 2015. Warinner went to the Garden State to keep selling Ohio State, and the timing couldn't have been better: Hansard just received an offer from the Alabama Crimson Tide, who now have a national championship to bolster their recruiting efforts.

Hansard is far from a hidden gem, having received offers from programs all over the country. The Buckeyes and the Tide will have to contend with the likes of Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, Florida, and UCLA for the 6'3, 305-pound DT's services. Still, Ohio State has found plenty of success in the area in the past, pulling the likes of Eli Apple, Noah Brown, and Darius Slade from New Jersey, so there's plenty of time to convince Hansard to come to Columbus before his graduation in 2017.

Coaches visiting Bruce

A quick reminder, though most already know, that Urban Meyer and coach Zach Smith will be in Florida today to visit with Sam Bruce. Bruce is one of the highest rated players left on Ohio State's recruiting board and would be a major get if the Buckeyes were to pull this off. With spots in this class filling up fast, it wouldn't be shocking to see Urban Meyer demand an answer from the 4-star WR very soon. This one bears watching during the day and throughout the rest of the week.

QUICK HITS

  • Rivals.com released their final rankings for the class of 2016. Ohio State is tied with Clemson and LSU for most commits in the Rivals250 with 11. That number has a chance to continue over the next couple of weeks for the Buckeyes. One of the biggest moves was running back commit Antonio Williams jumping up to #128--ahead of former commit Kareem Walker who is now at #181.
  • 2017 commit and 5-star corner back Shaun Wade picked up an offer from USC on Tuesday. Wade is listed as a "hard commit" to Ohio State at this time.

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