Ohio State, SEC schools in pursuit of 5-star OT

While the Buckeyes await their fate coming this Sunday when the College Football Playoff is decided, the coaching staff is still hot on the recruiting trail. With the football staff in all four corners of the country, the Buckeyes may have a leg up on other teams preparing for another game this weekend as they dedicate a large portion of their effort to recruiting before the Dec. 12 dead period.

Smith becoming a real possibility?

Ohio State’s offensive line recruitment has had its share of interesting changes lately. The most recent change that has been discussed several times in the last few days: five-star offensive tackle Trey Smith (Jackson, TN / University School Of Jackson) and the likelihood of him considering the Buckeyes for his final destination.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder has been long linked to the home state Tennessee Volunteers, but lately, recruiting powers Alabama and Ohio State, as usual, are in the mix. It’s unknown who will land the monster talent, but ever since the official visit Smith took to Ohio State for The Game, his feelings toward the Buckeyes have done nothing but increase.

With each day passing, it seems that the two parties are becoming more and more fond of each other, but until the final word from Smith himself is given, it’s anyone’s guess. Luckily, Ohio State remains a strong horse in this race to the finish.

5-star boom worthy

In case you missed it last night, the Buckeyes picked up their sixth five-star recruit for the 2017 class when Baron Browning (Kennedale, TX / Kennedale) made it public via his Twitter account that he was headed to Columbus, Ohio to suit up in the Scarlet and Gray.

A major hats off to Urban Meyer, Tim Beck and the rest of Ohio State’s staff for going into Texas and picking up what will be a massive piece to the middle of the defense in the 2017 class. Though this recruitment was a roller coaster, the official visit Baron and family took for the game against arch rival, Michigan seemed to be what sealed the deal.

It will be interesting to see if Alabama will try and make one last pitch to Browning, but with four linebackers already in the fold for their 2017 class, Ohio State may have struck gold with Browning. With his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, Browning’s athleticism and intangibles are exactly what Urban Meyer and Ohio State hoped to have in the fold to an already loaded 2017 recruiting class.

Okudah’s constant rumblings

It seems that every storyline covering Jeffrey Okudah (Grand Prairie, TX / South Grand Prairie) concerns his commitment to Ohio State as a matter of not if, but when. Okudah is the second best player in Texas and the top cornerback in the country for the 2017 class. Yet another five-star talent that Urban Meyer has recruited and recruited very well.

Yesterday, we learned another piece to the Okudah puzzle, as he is set to give his final college plans this coming Dec. 10. While Ohio State has to wait for the commitment a little bit longer, it’s important to note that the Buckeyes sit better than very well with the No. 1 cornerback.

To make matters more interesting, when Baron Browning picked Ohio State last night, rumors were swirling around that Okudah was a big help in his recruitment towards Ohio State. If so, that correlates strongly with the relationship between the Buckeyes and Okudah.

Smith heads to Vegas

Ohio State has hit the jackpot in Vegas as they’ve currently claimed three of the nation’s top recruits from Bishop Gorman. Yesterday, receivers coach Zach Smith made his way west to visit Gorman and keep the Ohio presence strong in Nevada’s top prep program.

One key recruit Smith surely was in to check on was four-star safety prospect Bubba Bolden. Bolden, a USC commit at one time has since been linked strongly with Ohio State – and rightfully so. With three teammates heading to Columbus to play their college ball, the pipeline to Las Vegas has been created.

Bolden visited Ohio State on Nov. 5 with his teammates. After the official visit, it seemed that Bolden was a lock to OSU. However, since then, USC and Ohio State are both in the thick of things to land the nation’s ninth best safety. This one will come down to the wire, but once again, the Buckeyes sit well for another top prospect from Bishop Gorman.