4-star Ohio State RB target Jaelen Gill gets big honor from The Opening

Gill recognized for performance at The Opening

Ohio State sent numerous prospects down to “The Opening” Finals in Oregon last week, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who put on a display like 2018 running back Jaelen Gill of Westerville South (OH). The 6-foot-1, 182-pounder had many within the recruiting industry talking about the damage he could do in Columbus with the Buckeyes. The outing was eye opening enough that Gill, a four-star prospect, was honored by being named to the 1st Team All-Offense group.

Also listed as a 1st Team All-Offense candidate, as you can see above, is ‘18 tight end Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst (NY). Ruckert is undoubtedly the No. 1 player at his position on Ohio State’s board and they will be figuring out his collegiate destination sooner rather than later. Ruckert is scheduled to announce on Monday of next week and the 247Sports Crystal Ball currently points to the four-star prospect picking the Scarlet and Gray over Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

All indications point to other Buckeye commits that participated in the event such as ‘18 cornerback Sevyn Banks of Jones (FL) and ‘18 safety Jaiden Woodbey of St. John Bisco (CA) also having an impressive showing in Beaverton, Ore. However, surprisingly enough, neither of the two were listed as either first or second team all-defenders.

Three set to see Ohio State

According to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Ohio State is set to host a trio from Missouri later this month during their annual Friday Night Lights extravaganza. The three making the trip up from The Show-Me State are ‘19 outside linebacker Shammond Cooper, ‘19 wide receiver Marcus Washington and ‘19 athlete Isaiah Williams of Trinity Catholic High School in Saint Louis.

The headliner of the bunch is Williams. The 5-foot-10, 160-pounder has already accumulated over 40 offers to date including one from the Buckeyes. While it’s early, you can certainly expect Williams to be a top tier prospect for next year’s cycle. The prospective on Williams, scouted by 247sports, gives him a four-star grade. Additionally, they have him as the 50th best prospect in the class and the very best player in his state. The 247Sports Crystal Ball currently has Michigan and Missouri as the two with the best chance to reel him in.

Washington is also held in high regards with 247Sports. He falls just six spots lower than Williams. He is also their 13th best pass-catcher in the class and, as expected, the second best player in his state; 23 programs have already offered Washington, too. Much like Williams, Ohio State has already offered and who knows, an impressive performance at the event could have the Buckeyes viewing Washington as a priority in the 2019 cycle.

Lastly, we look at Cooper, who just like his aforementioned teammates, has a Scarlet and Gray offer under his belt. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is also being pursued by schools like Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and many more.

In the piece from Wiltfong, he also relays that the trio will also be taking trips to Alabama and Michigan later this month as well.