Ohio State staff hits the recruiting trail with spring football conclusion

It’s almost been a week since Ohio State’s annual spring football game, and while recruiting has certainly been a trending topic of not only interest, but also continuous updates, that conclusion of on-field work with the players by Ohio State’s coaching staff means that the staff now has priority in hitting the recruiting trail at an ever so speedy pace.

Imagine that, recruiting only seeing an increase in priority. Hard to think of, but Urban Meyer and his guys have said in interviews this week that they now will be hitting the trails making their presence felt all over the country as 2019 and 2020 prospects continue to see their recruitment's take off. All things considered, even a week of multiple 2019 commitments for the Ohio State Buckeyes won’t slow the pace of Meyer and company. If anything, it’s just fuel to the fire as they await the next solid pickup for their current class.

There’s some noise in Arizona

Yesterday the Buckeyes gained yet another solid pledge to their 2019 recruiting class in two-way star Steele Chambers—and that had everyone happy. With so much happening in the Buckeye recruiting world though, there’s bound to be some headlines that are missed. Not to be lost in the shadows of another impressive pickup for Ohio State, Wednesday night also saw the news of another offer going out to a very impressive 2020 prospect from Arizona.

Enter Kelee Ringo, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound Scottsdale, Arizona, native who can play some serious football. A true cornerback, Ringo has all of the speed, size and intangibles to play at the next level. With a solid pedigree already, it’s important to note that Ringo still has another two seasons of prep football to be played, so his development is only going to get better.

Currently, Ringo is not ranked or rated with a certain star status on the 247sports recruiting platform, but he is considered to be the early top ranked cornerback for the 2020 class. When the official grades come out for his respective class, you can make a pretty smart wager that Ringo will be up near the top—if not at the top. As it stands right now, Kelee holds double-digit offers and those coming from some very solid programs. Schools already in the fold consist of Oregon, USC, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Notre Dame and Ohio State among others. With multiple offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, California, and Ohio State all coming within the last two weeks, it’s pretty easy to see Ringo is seeing the domino effect take place.

As West Coast natives can be hard to pull toward the Midwest in recruiting battles, it’s too early to declare a true leader for Ringo. One would have to imagine that the home state schools as well as the USC and Oregon offers would be of serious interest, but getting Ringo to campus will be the telltale sign that both parties are seriously interested considering where Ohio State sits with Kelee. If a visit does in fact happen, then Meyer and the Ohio State defensive back success can speak for itself. With Ringo in the 2020 class though, there’s more than enough time for his recruitment to pan out and a relationship to be built.

Tennessee native hears the Buckeyes calling

A position of importance in this 2019 Ohio State class, and really every class for that matter, is the offensive line. Those who know football know the battle is won in the trenches, and that starts with an impressive (and dominant) offensive line. With Ohio State’s desire to add top-notch talent each and every cycle, the work for 2019’s class is already being implemented and 2020 is getting its start too, as the Buckeyes invaded SEC territory yesterday by offering a Tennessee native with a very impressive resume in his short time as a high school prospect.

Omari Thomas, a Memphis native who plays his prep football at Briarcrest Christian, was the latest offensive line prospect to earn a Buckeye offer. A 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle, the frame and size is already Division 1 caliber for many schools. However, again, being a 2020 kid, Omari has plenty of time to not only continue to grow, but to also continue to add strength and power only cementing why he is being pursued by many of the elite programs in college football. Holding offers from the likes of Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, Ohio State and more, Thomas is really starting to take off and for multiple coaching staffs, that has their eyes ready. In the early 247sports composite rankings, Thomas is the ninth best offensive tackle in the 2020 class and also the second best player in Tennessee. Not to mention, he is also thought of as the 42nd best prospect regardless of position in the country for the 2020 class. If you need anything more in terms of resume, then you’re one of very few.

Thomas announced his offer via his Twitter account and seemed excited to say the least. If you’re into social media hints even, Thomas went as far as making the Buckeye offer tweet as his “pinned” tweet, which will be the first tweet seen via his profile. That could be telling.

Having visited Ole Miss a couple of times unofficially already though, it’s not out of the question to think the Rebels may have an early inside track due to their proximity and familiarity, but you can never count out the Buckeyes. As always, if Thomas makes plans to check out what Ohio State has to offer in person, then the interest is certainly mutual, but any prospect in SEC territory will be one you have to battle for, but maybe this is an exception.

Time will only tell.