5-star CB Anthony Cook hints at Ohio State preference in training session

The college football season is officially underway for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes rolled to a 49-21 win over Indiana on Thursday night. It was a perfect showcase for the depth of Ohio State's recruiting over the last few years, and the Buckeyes are hoping to keep that momentum going into 2018 and beyond.

Cook spotted in Buckeye gear

Ohio State has far and away the top recruiting class in the country this year. A big reason for that is the group of five-star prospects that have already joined the fold, including defensive end Brenton Cox of Stockbridge (GA), athlete Jaelen Gill of Westerville South (OH), tight end Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst (NY), and defensive tackle Taron Vincent of IMG Academy (FL).

However, the Buckeyes may be adding another to that group sooner rather than later. While Ohio State has commitments already from Sevyn Banks, Marcus Hooker, Josh Proctor, and Jaiden Woodbey in the secondary, there is no doubt that one of the biggest remaining targets for the Scarlet and Gray come in the form of ‘18 CB Anthony Cook from Lamar High School in Houston, Texas.

Cook is a 6'0, 168-pounder that has nearly 40 offers at this time in his recruitment. Programs like Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, and many more have offered the Lone Star State standout. With that being said, it sure seems like three specific schools have placed themselves in prime position for the elite talent, and they would be LSU, Ohio State, and Texas -- the local team.

Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Cook, you will notice that the Buckeyes are actually the team that is currently favored to land the five-star defensive back. That’s good news in its own right, but what Cook was spotted wearing on Thursday couldn’t hurt.

In a video recorded by EJ Holland of 247Sports.com, you can see Cook during a training session rocking a Scarlet shirt with the Buckeyes logo imprinted on the front.

Furthermore, the tweet which shows the shirt choice for Cook compares him to an interesting name — cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, the five-star Ohio State signee in the 2017 recruiting cycle. Okudah, much like Cook, was a standout prospect from the state of Texas as well. So, it will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can reel in yet another elite talent from Longhorn territory for the second consecutive class in a row.

If they were to ultimately bring Cook up to Columbus for his collegiate football career, an impressive get it would be. The H-Town native is currently graded as the 14th best player in the entire class. Cook also finds himself penciled in as the second best cornerback overall and the highest graded player from the state of Texas.

While there's still plenty of time for Cook to make his college decision, the Buckeyes have to like where they stand with the elite CB given that information. Stay tuned to Land-Grant Holy Land in the coming months as we track Cook's journey toward college.