Ohio State makes the cut for top WR target Kamryn Babb

Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith has been exceptionally good at acquiring young wide receiver talent during his time in Columbus. Last year, the Buckeyes were able to secure commitments from three elite-level WRs including one of the most highly-touted WRs in the class in Trevon Grimes.

This year, however, the Buckeyes have yet to secure a true WR commit. While four-star running back Jaelen Gill could eventually see time at the position, he looks to be more of an H-back if not a true RB.

Because of this, the Ohio State coaching staff is hard at work at filling this hole and it appears they have found their guy in Kamryn Babb (Saint Louis, MO / Christian Brothers College).

The four-star WR is currently viewed as the No. 7 WR in the 2018 recruiting class and is the No. 41 overall recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He likely sits atop of the Ohio State big board at the WR position and yesterday, the team learned they moved one step closer in acquiring him.

Late Monday afternoon, Babb took to Twitter to announce the top nine schools he is considering—and the Buckeyes made the cut.

Along with Ohio State, Babb included LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, USC, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska and Notre Dame in his list. The Buckeyes appear to be the favorite to land his commitment, holding the majority of the 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions, but they will have to fend off hometown school Missouri and arch-rival Michigan to earn his services.

Babb last visited Columbus in November 2016, so the program will need to get him back on campus if they want to remain as the front-runner. While he has narrowed his list down, Babb will likely take his time before making a final decision. Expect the Buckeyes to receive one of his five allocated official visits this year.

Ohio State has work to do for rising in-state target

Urban Meyer has made it well-known that he wants the program to increase its efforts in securing local talents. With this in mind, the Buckeyes are putting in the early work in efforts to land what could be the top recruit from Ohio in 2020.

Michael Drennen II (Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman) has already made himself familiar with the Ohio State campus as he took an unofficial visit to the school for its Spring Game back in April. While the Buckeyes are definitely in play for Drennen, he spoke with Bill Kurelic of BuckNuts.com recently, and said Tennessee is currently the team to beat for his services.

While it may seem early in talking about Drennen, seeing as he has only played one year of high school football, he has already shown glimpses as to how special he can become. As a freshman, Drennen started for local powerhouse Dublin Coffman, taking snaps at both WR and RB. This alone is a testament to his ability, as it is a rare feat for a freshman to receive playing time for Coffman.

The Buckeyes will need to continue to dedicate time in recruiting Drennen as he will likely shoot up national recruiting database rankings in the coming years.