2 future Ohio State safeties officially shut down recruitment

Yesterday marked the opening day of fall camp for the Buckeyes' football squad. With a new offensive coordinator at the helm looking to create a resurgence of tempo and excitement, the expectations for 2017 seem to be as high if not higher than usual. It was another typical week for Ohio State as they continue to lead the pack in recruiting efforts. Another top prospect even committed to Ohio State yesterday, as Marcus Hooker, brother of former Buckeye Malik Hooker, gave the Buckeyes his pledge. As the season approaches, recruiting is sure to take a much-deserved step back, but with this coaching staff, that may not seem to be the case.

Locked in for good

On Wednesday, 4-star safety and 2018 Ohio State commit Jaiden Woodbey officially shut down his recruitment by reaffirming his pledge to Ohio State. Yesterday, future teammate and fellow safety Josh Proctor, another 2018 Buckeye commit, followed suit by also shutting down his recruitment and claiming that Ohio State is definitely the future home for him.

As well as Ohio State has recruited in the defensive backfield, it’s always a serious win for the coaching staff to see two of the top prospects at the safety position in the entire country rid themselves of any other school trying to pluck their talents. Proctor, the ninth-best safety in the country and the third-best prospect in the state of Oklahoma, will be another stud to add to the fold for Greg Schiano and Kerry Coombs when he hits campus. Having him dead-set on spending his future in Columbus surely shows the recruiting efforts paying off.

Bucks make the cut yet again

It’s been said almost too many times to count, but daily it seems that when a top prospect releases a list of final schools he is considering before making the final call, the Buckeyes are almost guaranteed to make the list. Urban Meyer and his recruiting staff have had no shortage of success, and that’s evident with their top 2018 class. Yesterday, this formula for success with the recruiting staff looked to pay off again as William Barnes (Apopka, FL/Apopka) took to twitter to announce his final seven schools.

A current 4-star, Barnes is ranked as the fifth-best offensive tackle in the country as well as the seventh-best prospect of any position in the talent-rich state of Florida. At 6'4 and 312 pounds, it’s easy to see why Barnes has the list of offers he does. But he's now trimmed it to seven, with Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Ohio State making the cut. It remains to be seen if Ohio State is a real threat here considering the Florida Gators are thought to be the clear favorite, but with Meyer’s recruiting track record in the Sunshine State, it’s pretty clear that anything is possible.

Coming soon

Just about an hour west of Columbus in Huber Heights, Ohio lives not only one of Ohio’s best, but on a larger scale, one of the nation’s best athletes in Wayne Warrior phenom L’Christian “Blue” Smith. A household name that is currently in the Ohio State headlines nearly every day, Smith took to Twitter yesterday to remind everyone tuned in that he will be committing on live television on August 27, just a month from yesterday as his prep Warriors will be playing on national television.

The assumption and more so of a reality is that Ohio State and Kentucky are the two battling for his services head to head. While Ohio State has the edge in nearly if not all the aspects between the two schools, Kentucky has done a stellar job at making Blue a priority and showing why he could be the start of something Kentucky desperately needs.

The number three athlete in the country and the fourth-best prospect in the Buckeye State may have both fan bases believing they have the edge, but if Urban Meyer has anything to say about it, Blue will be more of a Scarlet when all is said and done as they look to keep one of Ohio’s best at home playing in The Horseshoe for his collegiate career.

Quick Hits:

• Ohio State basketball sent out their latest offer to 3-star small forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis).