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Ohio State is trying to secure a top 5 DE out of Maryland

Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes are constantly looking to add to the already top-rated recruiting class.

By Dan Hessler
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State and Maryland are neck and neck for a four-star DE

Ohio State has brought in some of the best DE's in the country under Urban Meyer. The Buckeye football head coach has has developed them into game-changing players who are now playing in the NFL, or soon will be.

Meyer and assistant coach Larry Johnson will hope to see this trend continue with Chase Young (Hyattsville, Md. / DeMatha). Viewed as the No. 4 rated Weak-Side DE in the 2017 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite ratings, Young has expressed mutual interest in the Buckeyes. He took a two-day visit to Columbus at the start of the month, but Meyer will need to continue to make contact with Young throughout his recruitment because if he chooses to spurn the Buckeyes, they will likely have to play against him for the next three to four years.

It was reported yesterday that both Ohio State and Maryland "stand out to Young." Most would think that this would bode well for the Buckeyes, and it does, however, Young is from Maryland and told SBNation that he won't choose one school over the other just because of wins and losses.

There is still plenty of time left in Young's recruitment, and he holds offers from most of the top programs in the country, so anything can theoretically happen. It would be a huge pick-up for the Buckeyes to land one of the top 100 players in his class as he would be joining four-stars DT's Haskell Garrett and Jerron Cage on the defensive line in the '17 class.

Elite OT announces Ohio State offer

Jackson Carman (Fairfield, Ohio / Fairfield) is a name that may sound familiar to those who follow Ohio State football recruiting. The four-star OT was reportedly offered a scholarship from Ohio State late last year. However, yesterday, the top 20 overall player of the 2018 recruiting class officially announced the offer over Twitter.

Despite being only a sophomore in high school, Carman holds offers from some of the best schools in the country. It is difficult to grade players this young, so the fact that the 6-foot-6, 305 pound tackle is already viewed as a four and five prospect by most recruiting databases, speaks volumes to his potential.

Ohio State should have an advantage recruiting Carman, as he lives less than two hours away from the school's campus. Meyer has made it a priority to recruit players from in-state high schools, so expect the staff to get him on campus sooner rather than later.

Chase Hounshell to transfer from Notre Dame to Ohio State

Current Notre Dame Fighting Irish student-athlete Chase Hounshell announced his decision to transfer to the Buckeyes after he graduates this semester. Hounshell, who was originally recruited as a DE and switched to TE, will provide Ohio State with depth at one of the few positions with little experience.

Roster spots for next season are running low, but Hounshell will be a preferred walk-on and therefore, will not count against the Buckeyes scholarship count.

Hounshell has multiple connections to Ohio State, the first being he is a Mentor, Ohio native. Hounshell also built a relationship with Meyer during his original recruitment process. He was once committed to Meyer during his time at Florida before signing his letter of intent with Notre Dame.

Tight End is an interesting position for Ohio State this year. Marcus Baugh all but solidified the starting spot at the position in last weekend's spring game and the Buckeyes have two incoming freshmen in Jake Hausmann and Luke Farrell. Look for Hounshell to provide blocking and experience at the position, while the two true freshmen learn to play up to the level of Big Ten football.

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