Elite CB lists Ohio State as a top school

The Ohio State football team is set to enter its in-conference schedule this weekend, and with that comes an additional focus on watching tape and fixing issues. With one loss already, the Buckeyes will likely have to win the rest of their games in hopes of securing a College Football Playoff appearance in back-to-back years.

In order to accomplish this goal, the Buckeyes will need to approach the back half of their schedule with a week-by-week mindset. However, while trying to remain focused on only the game ahead, Meyer and the coaching staff are also tasked with preparing for the future. Meyer has seemed to find the perfect balance between the two and this is what has vaulted Ohio State to elite status when it comes to recruiting.

This nonstop focus on recruiting continues to pay off for the Buckeyes, as the program learned it inched one step closer to acquiring one of the best recruits in this year's class.

Four-star CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart (San Diego, CA/Helix) announced his top 12 schools Monday afternoon and Ohio State made the cut. The Buckeyes have stiff competition for Taylor-Stuart as the other schools included were Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, USC, Texas A&M, and Texas.

Taylor-Stuart is one of the top recruits in the 2018 recruiting class. The 6'2, 187-pound CB is rated No. 4 at his position, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and is the No. 26 overall prospect in the entire class, regardless of position.

The Buckeyes currently sit with just one CB commit in this year's class and he has a familiar name: Marcus Hooker, the brother of former Ohio State star safety Malik Hooker. However, the team is looking to add one more and Taylor-Stuart would make for an amazing addition.

However, Ohio State has some ground to make up in his recruitment if it is to outlast all of the other programs included in his list. An official visit is almost certainly a must as he has yet to visit Columbus. Currently, USC is viewed as the clear favorite, with 89 percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions, with Alabama being the only other school seen as having a chance.

That being said, if Meyer and the Buckeyes are able to get him on campus, anything is possible.

Holtmann looking to continue hot streak

Chris Holtmann is doing all he can to bring Ohio State basketball back from the dead. After becoming the head coach of the program, he made quick work of the recruiting landscape, vaulting the Buckeyes' 2017 recruiting class to the No. 2 class in the Big Ten and the No. 22 class in the entire country.

However, now that he has had more time to show recruits what Ohio State can offer, his recruiting prowess is really beginning to shine.

Following a week in which the Buckeyes earned four commitments, which included two guards and two forwards, the program now boasts the No. 9 recruiting class for 2018 and is now looking to round the class out with a big man.

Three-star center prospect Morris Udeze (Montverde, FL/Montverde Academy) will reportedly be making his collegiate decisions tomorrow, and the Buckeyes could be the selection. According to Jake Weingarten of Rivals.com, his recruitment has come down to three schools; Ohio State, Wichita State, and Holtmann’s former program, Butler.

While Udeze’s recruitment has seemed to go in Wichita State’s favor, Holtmann has been rolling out the red carpet for him in the month of September. The Ohio State coach has visited Udeze twice this month and the school hosted him on an official visit Sept. 15.

While the Shockers should still be seen as the favorite to land Udeze, don’t be shocked if Holtmann is able to secure his fifth commitment in less than 10 days.

Quick Hits:

• Ohio State three-star RB commit Master Teague may miss the rest of his senior season with a reported ankle injury. Teague was off to a quick start, racking up 709 yards and 11 TDs in just four games.
• Ohio State earned a second preferred walk-on commitment in less than a week. This time it was two-star OLB Ben Schmiesing (Piqua, OH/Piqua). What makes this an even stronger commitment is that Schmiesing had been offered a scholarship to play at Dayton, yet chose to take his chances with Ohio State.