Future (and potential) Ohio State Buckeyes shine at The Opening regional in Cleveland

A long list of prospects flocked to Cleveland on Sunday to strut their stuff for a chance to be selected to participate in The Opening, a top tier camp help on the grounds of the Nike headquarters in Oregon each year.

When you have dozens of prospects get together, of course a few Ohio State recruits stood out amongst the competition.

Already earning his invite during the summer, Westerville South product and 2018 Ohio State pledge Jaelen Gill reassured his bid for the camp.

Gill didn’t just show he’s bounced back from his fractured fibula, he also tried to track down recruits to join him in the Buckeyes recruiting class.

Two of the prospects Gill had his eye on were also picked to fly out west this summer. Five-star Fairfield (OH) offensive lineman Jackson Carman and four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith of Cleveland Heights will join Jaelen in Oregon.

Carman, who was once thought as a near lock to verbally commit to OSU, now has Clemson out in front for his services. One of the top overall recruits on Ohio State’s board, Urban Meyer and crew will surely have more than enough chances to sway that back in favor of the Buckeyes in the near future.

A high school teammate of soon-to-be Buckeye freshman wide out Jaylen Harris, Tyreke Smith, like Carmen did, has many around the scene believing he’ll end up in the Scarlet and Gray when it’s all said and done.

With no plans to shut down his recruiting process anytime soon, Smith, who holds over 30 scholarship offers from programs around the country, will have a hard choice ahead of him: stay close to home or head out of state to chase his NFL dreams.

After taking next weekend off The Opening’s regional camps will be back at it in Washington, DC on April 23. Will any of Ohio State targets get selected for the camp? We’ll have to wait and see.

Top prospects visit OSU

Just like every weekend this spring, Urban Meyer and the Ohio State football coaching staff had numerous recruits on campus to get more familiar with the Buckeyes as a whole.

Although the Buckeyes didn’t land a commitment, Ohio State did give the recruits on hand a chance to see what it would be like to suit up for the coaching staff.

Hoping the visit helps them land a pledge down the line, below are some of the recruits who were on hand at Ohio State over the weekend:

5-star LB Teradja Mitchell

Class: 2018

Town: Virginia Beach,Va/Bishop Sullivan Catholic

Size: 6’2/232

Offers: Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Clemson, LSU, etc

4-star CB Jairus Brents

Class: 2018

Town: Louisville,KY/Waggener Traditional

Size: 5’10/178

Offers: Alabama, Boston College, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, etc

3-star WR Rondale Moore

Class: 2018

Town: Louisville,KY/Trinity

Size: 5’8/174

Offers: Ohio State, Alabama, Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia, etc

4-star DE Stephen Herron Jr.

Class: 2019

Town: Louisville,KY/Trinity

Size: 6’3/235

Offers: Ohio State, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, etc

4-star RB Noah Cain

Class: 2019

Town: Denton,TX/IMG Academy (FL)

Size: 5’11/207

Offers: Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc

Quick Hits

• After a recent OSU visit, standout 2018 offensive lineman Max Wray is down to four programs. "Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and Ohio State. Those are the four schools that I'm zeroed in on," Wray told Barton Simmons of 247Sports. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Tennessee native will take a few weeks with family and plans to verbally commit to a college program next month.
• Four-star 2018 linebacker Payton Wilson announced his top four college programs on Sunday night. Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech are now fighting to land the 6’4 220-pounder from Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
• Releasing his current leaders via his Twitter page on Sunday was three-star defensive back Jaycee Horn. The son of former NFL star wide out Joe Horn, Jaycee, a soon-to-be senior at Alpharetta High (GA), is now considering taking his talents to either Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Ole Miss or Ohio State.