Ohio State 2018 TE target now ranked No. 1 at position

With Ohio State in the heat of their winter workouts, the players are currently under the watchful eye of strength coach Mickey Marotti. With mat drills underway and a NCAA quiet period in effect until Apr. 15, one would think Ohio State's recruiting situation would be somewhat quiet. Well, maybe for some schools, but like Urban Meyer has stated time and time again: recruiting is a business that never stops. The Buckeyes ended 2017 with a huge bang and have hit the ground running in 2018 keeping the same pace.

Buckeye TE target skyrockets

Ohio State didn't need to sign a tight end prospect in their 2017 class with their terrific haul of in-state Ohio products Luke Farrell and Jake Hausman in the 2016 class. However, with a gap year without a tight end signee, the Buckeyes are determined to bring in a tight end that can present terrific run blocking skills and possess the abilities to be a legitimate threat in the passing game.

Ohio State found their guy in Jeremy Ruckert (Lindenhurst, NY / Lindenhurst Senior) and they've made it no secret. Easily the top target Urban Meyer and staff are recruiting for the position, the Buckeyes and Ruckert are certainly not strangers. In fact, the staff has made their presence at Lindenhurst Senior High School known as of late. Ruckert was also recently in town for Ohio State's junior day. It looks as if the Buckeyes are in excellent condition, as of right now, for Ruckert—and Ruckert himself continues to make the case for why.

Yesterday, via his Twitter account, Jeremy made it public that he was now the top ranked tight end in the country as well as the top overall prospect in all of New York. Obviously, with those rankings, it's easy to see why the Buckeyes are so high on Ruckert and are actively pursuing him daily.

Could Ohio State once again land their top target at a position of need? The 247sports crystal ball predictions certainly like their chances, as all five predictions have Ruckert going to the Buckeyes.

OSU commit gets his 5th star

Earlier this week the Buckeyes gained another 2018 pledge when California stud safety Jaiden Woodbey (Upland, CA / St. John Bosco) gave Ohio State his verbal commitment. At the time, Woodbey was "only" a four-star safety prospect. While that's certainly nothing to hang your head about, with the way Ohio State fared in 2017 with their defensive back pledges, a four-star would've been on the outside looking in—considering the amount of five-star pledges that the Buckeyes signed. Well, fast forward just two days and with the newest rankings update from 247sports, Woodbey is now a five-star.

With the ratings boost, Woodbey is now the third best safety in the 2018 class and the fourth best prospect in the entire state of California at any position. Grading out as the 26th prospect in the nation, Jaiden clearly earned his five-star status. It may be early on for Woodbey and the Buckeyes with his pledge coming just this past week, but he has already starting recruiting in favor of his future school. As Urban Meyer said on signing day, sometimes the best recruiters for your specific school are the players themselves. Woodbey looks to be well on his way.