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Ohio State WR targets continue to impress, Buckeyes battling Vols for 4-star TE

Ohio State is after a couple of 2017 WRs who continue to prove they could be program changers.

Trevon Grimes
Trevon Grimes
Student Sports

Ohio State has already been able to lock up 11 recruits in the 2017 class. Across all national recruiting platforms, the Buckeyes are looked at as the class to beat. The Buckeyes have room to add approximately seven more recruits to the class, and it appears the positions Urban Meyer has a focus on are running back, wide receiver, defensive back, and safety.

Depending on where you look, both Trevon Grimes and Donovan Peoples-Jones go back and forth for claiming the top WR spot of the class. Both have Ohio State listed in their list of top schools and if both were to choose the Buckeyes, Meyer would do whatever's needed to ensure there is room for both. Rivals.com updated their rankings for 2017 on Monday and with that came a boost to both of these elite wideouts' rankings.

Peoples-Jones earned his fifth star from Rivals in Monday's update. Already holding a fifth star in 247Sports' eyes, Peoples-Jones has been on Ohio State's radar for a long time. He has Ohio State in his list of top ten schools, and he attended the Buckeyes' Junior Day back in January. Rivals has the 6'1, 188 lb. WR listed at No. 13 in the updated Rivals Top100 and as the second best receiver in the class. The only receiver ahead of him is Grimes.

The top-rated WR of the class and also No. 3 in the Rivals Top100, Grimes has seemed to be just as interested in Ohio State as the Buckeyes are him. He has constantly made it known that Ohio State is his top school, but the WR has yet to officially make a decision.

247Sports crystal ball predicts both WRs to choose Ohio State as it stands today, with Grimes being much more likely at the moment. Look for Urban Meyer and Zach Smith to continue recruiting both of these young men, as the addition of at least one would make the Buckeyes' top spot in the recruiting rankings tough to steal.

Multiple Buckeye commits and targets were recognized as top ten players of their class in Rivals' updated rankings, including DB target Lamont Wade at No. 8, safety target Jeffrey Okudah at No. 9, and OT commit Josh Myers at No. 10.

TE Dotson impressed with Buckeyes, Vols

Ohio State has been high on four-star TE Matt Dotson for a while now. The Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in June of last year, but the coaching staff has had multiple opportunities to see him play, as he resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, in an interview with RecruitingNewsGuru.com Monday, Dotson made it known that being from Ohio doesn't add any pressure for him to choose the Buckeyes.

In the interview, it appeared Dotson looked highly on both the Buckeyes and the Tennessee Volunteers. Both schools were active early on in his recruitment, and Tennessee offered him a scholarship before Ohio State. Being from Ohio, Dotson should be more than familiar with the Buckeye program and the way Urban Meyer runs the ship. However, Dotson also probably had some time to see how Volunteers coach Butch Jones works, as he was the head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats from 2010-2012.

Both schools are held at a high regard in Dotson's mind and he said the atmosphere of both schools surprised him. In the interview, Dotson had this to say about visits to each school:

When I went to Ohio State and Tennessee, the fans were walking up to me saying 'welcome home' and 'we're happy you are finally here.' That was pretty cool but different that all of these people knew who I was already.

Dotson said he was also in attendance for a game at Tennessee where the stadium set a record for "loudest decibel level."

Ohio State has its work cut out in recruiting Dotson and as it stands now both schools seem to have an equal chance at landing his services. It is tough to steal an in-state talent out from under Meyer, but it seems Jones' time in Cincinnati gave him the opportunity to recognize Dotson's potential early enough in his recruitment to make it a challenge.

Four-star OLB names OSU in top schools list

Jordan Anthony lines up as both a RB and OLB for his high school, but he'll be focusing on the defensive side of the game when he looks towards his future in college football. He has a knack for finding the ball carrier and has the size and athleticism to bring them down, and he can hit hard.

Anthony received an offer from Ohio State late last year, but it seems the two have been clicking as he mentioned in a recent interview with Scout.com that the Buckeyes are one of the schools he is most interested in. In the interview, Anthony said he was "definitely interested" in Clemson, Oklahoma, Auburn, Ohio State and Florida.

The 6'1, 225-pounder said that he wants to bring physicality to the field, saying he likes to go take on blockers, make tackles and that he can cover too. The Buckeyes have room to add another OLB to the 2017 class to go along with four-star commit Isiah Pryor.