clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ohio State checking in with 5-star recruits on the West Coast

The Buckeye presence was felt in California on Thursday.

Ohio State v Michigan State Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images

We are nearly three weeks away from the Ohio State Buckeyes heading to the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl to take on the Clemson Tigers in one of the College Football Playoff Semifinals. Until then, Urban Meyer and his staff have hit the ground running on the recruiting trails in search of the next piece to the 2017 class – and beyond. Last week, Meyer had the advantage of being able to recruit while other top programs were preparing for conference championship games and this week was no different. The future is bright in Columbus nonetheless.

Golden Coast visit updates

On Wednesday, Urban Meyer and co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano headed to California to check in on current 2017 Ohio State commit, Wyatt Davis and St. John Bosco teammate, Jaiden Woodbey.

Ohio State struck five-star gold when they landed the commitment of Davis, and Meyer is hoping to strike gold again at the same pipeline as Woodbey, a five-star safety in the 2018 class, is very high on what the Buckeyes have to offer. Ranked as the nation’s third best safety and the third best prospect in all of California, Jaiden would continue to solidify a secondary that has had its fair share of star power when it comes to recruiting.

As of right now, USC holds the edge on the 247sports crystal ball predictions, but Woodbey and Ohio State certainly have a mutual interest. If Jaiden can find a successful time to visit Columbus (which has yet to occur), look for the Buckeyes to strengthen the relationship even more.

Holmes receives visitors

Once Meyer left St. John Bosco, the next stop on the list was to head north and stop in to see Calabasas stud cornerback, Darnay Holmes. An interesting situation, if you’re a regular Ohio State recruiting follower, you know there’s constant speculation that current five-star cornerback Shaun Wade (Jacksonville, FL / Trinity Christian Academy) has been linked to being a potential Alabama “flip”, but as things stand now, Wade is still part of the 2017 class.

As for Holmes, UCLA certainly seems to have the upper hand, but if Ohio State and Wade do go their separate ways, Holmes has been a name that surely links to the situation. Currently ranked as the second best corner in the country, the five-star would be one the Buckeyes would love to add to an already loaded 2017 class defensive secondary.

A lot has to happen before Holmes is considered to be a Buckeye lean, but having Urban Meyer checking in with the top talent certainly doesn’t hurt the relationship between the two parties.

Just make it official already

Mention the name Jeffrey Okudah and most Ohio State fans can tell you he’s considered to be a lock for the 2017 class, but nothing is official yet. With the rumors swirling around such as Okudah helping cement recent commit Baron Browning into the 2017 class, why hasn’t he made it official yet? Not sure anyone but Jeffrey himself knows the reason, but on Jan. 7, Buckeye fans all over will know the final destination for the nation’s No. 1 cornerback.

Speaking of Browning, looks as if Baron also feels the same way as many Ohio State fans and want to push Okudah into committing sooner rather than later. Time will tell, but the Buckeyes certainly sit well for another top product out of Texas.