Ohio State back in Florida for more recruiting
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Buckeyes head to their Florida pipeline yet again.
We’re nearing the end of the 2018 football recruiting cycle. With the staff still on the road closing the deals for their top remaining targets, there has literally been zero down time since the conclusion of the actual football season. Meyer and his gang have reached the four corners of the earth or so it seems and this time tomorrow, Ohio State may even have another commit in the fold to bolster an already incredible 2018 class. If that is the case, the ultimate closer in Urban Meyer will look to do that two or maybe even at most three more times before this class is all but cemented in stone.
The Florida pipeline
It’s been talked about more than enough how good Urban Meyer and Ohio State are at recruiting nationally. It’s also no secret how well the Buckeyes do in Southern states such as Florida. In fact, Ohio State recruiting followers know just how well they do in Florida when football factories such as Ft. Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas are constantly pumping guys out to D1 programs and in large quantities. Nick and
Joey Bosa anyone? With guys like that, of course the Buckeyes love the fact that Aquinas has become Buckeye Nation South or so it seems.
Yesterday, that same trend continued when the next Aquinas star to land a Buckeye offer made it public via his Twitter account. Enter
Derek Wingo, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound athlete in the class of 2020 who can play both sides of the ball at tight end offensively and outside linebacker defensively. A true weapon on either side, Wingo is really seeing his recruitment take off as Texas, Louisville, Florida, and most recently, Ohio State have all extended offers within the last week. With his offer list now in the double digits, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the top programs nationally come poaching on his account.
Fortunately, the presence, history, and even current Aquinas guys the Buckeyes have playing for them speak for itself. If that holds any stock and it has in the past, this recruitment could certainly have Ohio State at or near the top for Wingo. If so, the Buckeyes will look to get him to campus and begin the relationship building process as Derek still has two full seasons before he makes a college decision. In that time frame, Urban and his crew have more than enough time to stand out.
Poaching season?
The last time the Buckeyes took on the Badgers head to head, the Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin in this year’s
Big Ten Championship to give Meyer and staff their second title in their tenure at the helm of the Ohio State football program. Fast forward nearly two months later, and the Buckeyes are looking to beat Wisconsin yet again. This time, on the recruiting trail.
On Wednesday, Ohio State dished out its latest quarterback offer when
Graham Mertz, Mission, Kansas native and current 2019
Wisconsin Badgers commit announced that he had been offered by the defending Big Ten champs. Mertz is currently ranked by 247sports as a four-star in the 2019 cycle and, more specifically, as the seventh best pro-style quarterback in the class as well as the third best overall player in his home state of Kansas. With six offers to his name, the Badger commit may be dedicated to his early pledge, but any time Ohio State is in the mix, they’ll certainly be taken seriously. If Mertz is in fact as interested as the Buckeyes seem, you can expect at least an unofficial visit. However, with other targets at the quarterback spot on Urban Meyer’s radar, this 2019 QB recruitment could see a bit of prospects coming to the surface soon.
Comfortable in St. Lou
The Buckeyes recruiting efforts in St. Louis, Missouri lately have been off the charts. Everybody knows the relationship with former Buckeye star running back,
Ezekiel Elliott, but even in the current 2018 class, prospects such as
Kamryn Babb and his high school teammate
Cameron Brown from St. Louis’s Christian Brothers prep have already signed and are ready to dawn the Scarlet and Gray. Looking forward though, this staff has obvious plans to continue their dominance in the Show Me state.
Yesterday, while the staff was yet again on the recruiting trail prepping for future classes and locking down the current one, the head man, Urban Meyer made a quick visit to the St. Louis area again when he checked in on 2019 ATH
Kyren Williams. The St. John Vianney prospect is currently listed as a wide receiver which is his likely landing spot at the next level. Currently, he is graded out as a three-star by 247sports. He checks in also as the 10th best prospect from Missouri in his class. While his ranking may not grab your attention right away, it’s important to note that Urban Meyer was the one to visit Williams himself. Obviously, anytime the most important piece to the staff visits, it’s something worth mentioning.
As stated above, with several Missouri guys already on the current Ohio State roster and their track record of success with St. Louis natives, Williams will definitely be entertaining the Buckeyes throughout this recruitment. With double digit offers from the likes of Iowa, North Carolina, Arkansas, Stanford, and more, it’s easy to see with the in-person visit that Ohio State may be in the fold.
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