Ohio State in the mix for 2019 offensive tackle

We have almost done it: we have just about survived the college football offseason of 2018.

The Ohio State Buckeyes football season is just about here. In a few more days, we will have completed Week 1 of the 2018 college football season. With the Bucks getting their season opener at home against the Oregon State Beavers, a chance to do some recruiting presents itself.

And that’s just what the OSU coaching staff is planning to do.

An in-state play

Recruiting within the Buckeye State has been a focus. If Ohio State still believes in recruiting within their own border, a very good opportunity will present itself this Saturday. Three-star offensive tackle Jonathan Allen (Dayton, OH / Dunbar) may be making his way to Ohio State for another visit this Saturday, according to reports.

Standing in at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Allen has nearly 20 offers to choose from. However, it appears that he’s narrowed his college choice down to two: Ohio State and Cincinnati. The Bearcats head coach is former OSU co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who is looking to play spoiler (again) to the Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts within the state. Of the nine votes that have been casted in the 247sports crystal ball, the Buckeyes own six of them; the Bearcats own three.

A good campus visit on opening day could be enough to sway Allen into commitment watch territory for the Bucks. The 247sports composite grading has the Dayton, Ohio native as the 43rd best OT in the ‘19 class, and the 19th best prospect in the state. If he were to commit to OSU, then Allen would join Ryan Jacoby as offensive tackles in the next recruiting cycle.

Fresh basketball rankings

Pivoting to the hardwood, there’s new recruiting grades out for the 2020 class. 247sports unveiled a new list of the best prospects, and a few Buckeye targets found their name on the list.

Five-star shooting guard Brandon Boston (Atlanta, GA / Norcross) is 13th. Including OSU, Boston has over 25 offers—and is predicted to be a Duke commitment. Another Buckeye offeree, Jaemyn Brakefield (Huntington, WV / Huntington Prep) is No. 20 on the list. He holds over 20 offers, and early projections point to Kentucky being the school he’ll end up at.

While Boston and Brakefield will likely end up at a blue-blood program, the Buckeyes are very much in the mix for a couple other top prospects on the list. Four-star SG Zeb Jackson (Maumee, OH / Maumee) comes in at No. 58, and is considered the second best player from Ohio in the class. Predictions include both Ohio State and Butler as possible landing spots for his college days—with OSU having the early lead. Four-star point guard Dominiq Penn (Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman) is No. 129, and is not too far geographically from OSU. So far, early 247sports crystal ball predictions have the Buckeyes as the favorites.

If you want to see the whole list that includes nearly 200 prospects, you can click here.