Elite prospects list Ohio State as a top school

Ohio State’s football team is coming off a busy weekend. The football team did all it could to prove it was worthy of participating in the college football playoffs with a three touchdown victory over Northwestern to secure a second consecutive Big Ten Championship. But alas, we all know Sunday did not favor the Buckeyes.

With all that took place this weekend, it was easy to not recognize the successful recruiting weekend Ohio State had. While the program may not have reached their ultimate goal, the program certainly looks to be winning in the recruiting world. The best recruits are being courted by many top teams, but Ohio State is one of those top teams as demonstrated during the past two games. Simply put, Ohio State can hang with the absolute elite in college football.

Multiple of the country’s top talents released their top schools lists this weekend and Ohio State was a popular name. Below are the blue-chip prospects that favor Ohio State.

5-star DE Bryan Bresee

Class: 2020

Town: Damascus, MD / Damascus

Size: 6’5/290 lbs.

Top Schools: Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State

Analysis: As was expected, Ohio State was included in the elite prospects long-awaited top schools list. Land-Grant Holy Land’s own Caleb Houser spoke on Bresee and his connections with Ohio State on Friday as we anticipated his announcement. Make sure to check it out if you want to know more on Ohio State’s chances on earning a commitment.

5-star DE Mekhail Sherman

Class: 2020

Town: Washington, DC / St. John’s College HS

Size: 6’3/234 lbs.

Top Schools: Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Penn State, Michigan

Analysis: Again, Ohio State was expected to be included among a five-star DE’s top schools. Sherman has long been associated with the Buckeyes and because of this, the team is viewed as the overwhelming favorite to land him. While Sherman has visited schools like Alabama and Penn State recently, Ohio State still holds 100-percent of the five 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions.

4-star CB Keshawn Lawrence

Class: 2020

Town: Nashville, TN / Ensworth

Size: 6’2/190 lbs.

Top Schools: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia Tech, LSU

Analysis: Ohio State was able to get involved in the race for Lawrence early, offering him an official scholarship back in September of 2017. However, he has yet to be able to find time to visit the school’s campus. This lead some to believe the Buckeyes may be out of the running because Lawrence has seen Auburn, LSU, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee all play live and has visited with Clemson as well. Tennessee would appear to be the front-runner for Lawrence as he has visited with them multiple times already. However, if the Buckeyes are able to get him on campus, anything can happen.

Ohio State offers 3-star ATH

Ohio State has been active since the college football contact period began. Continuing to build on its momentum, the Buckeyes offered a rising athlete Monday.

Three-star prospect Mitchell Melton (Olney, MD . Good Counsel) took to Twitter to announce he had received an official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Ohio State is getting a head start in building a relationship with Melton as they are just the third school to offer him and is by far the biggest named school to throw their name in the hat.

Outside of Ohio State, Melton has received offers from Rutgers and Virginia Tech. He is the country’s No. 582 overall prospect, the No. 49 athlete and the No. 18 prospect in Maryland, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Melton plays LB for his high school team, but schools are also looking at him to play more of an athlete role at the next level that could eventually transition to a defensive end.

The Buckeyes are likely the school to beat in this one, especially after he visited the program for this year’s game against Michigan. Expect the Buckeyes to continue pursuing Melton as his recruitment is expected to see a boost soon.

Quick Hit:

• Ohio State defensive coach Greg Schiano met with 2019 four-star safety commit Ronnie Hickman Monday. The New Jersey native is set to make his official visit to Ohio State this weekend.