Class of 2017 Ohio State Buckeye Offensive Recruiting Overview
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
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Ohio State’s recruiting program has been firing on all cylinders lately, and the Buckeyes are poised to land the #1 recruiting class in America in 2017 – and possibly the most talented class of all time.
Needless to say, we’re nearly halfway to signing day 2017, and the Ohio State recruiting class is shaping up quite nicely. With the recent additions of quarterback
Tate Martell and offensive lineman
Wyatt Davis, the Buckeyes have regained the
top class in America. So where do Urban Meyer and company go from here?
Dwindling scholarship numbers leave very little room in this class, so let’s dive in and see how Ohio State can finish off the class of 2017.
Quarterbacks:
Ohio State is done at quarterback. Period. In fact, with commitments from
Danny Clark and Tate Martell, the Buckeyes seem to be set for quite a few years. Rumor has it Clark may look elsewhere due to the commitment of Martell and the threat of a possible grayshirt, but I don’t see that happening.
Clark has been a vocal leader of the class of 2017, and he appears to be ready to compete for snaps when the time comes for him to hit the field. Martell has proven whishy-washy in his prior commitments to Washington and Texas A&M, so there’s always a chance he could leave, but his promise to the Buckeyes seems steadfast – at least according to the abundance of Ohio State recruiting posts on social media since his commitment.
Final Say: Martell and Clark
Running Backs:
The recent decommitment of
Todd Sibley left the Buckeyes with one running back in 2017’s class:
JK Dobbins. He continues to receive offers from programs around the nation, and I’m sure the Buckeyes hope to hold on to this one until the end.
The Buckeyes probably want to add another back in this class, and they have offers out to
Anthony McFarland,
Khalan Laborn, and
Ty Chandler.
Their eyes, however, are on the prize of
Cam Akers out of Mississippi. He’s already visited Ohio State once and wants to get back for Friday Night Lights in July. Another visit to campus will certainly help the Buckeyes’ chances of pulling him out of SEC country. Right now he is crystal-balled to Ole Miss at 43%, but I think the Buckeyes can convince him he can be the next Carlos Hyde or Ezekiel Elliott, and he becomes the second back in this class.
Final Say: Dobbins and Akers
Wide Receiver/Tight End:
Here is where the recruiting gets really interesting. The Buckeyes are on the lists of five-star talents across the nation, but they have yet to reel in the first big one for the class of 2017.
Let’s start with
Trevon Grimes out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. Grimes has proclaimed the Buckeyes his outright leader for almost a year now; although he hasn’t been back to campus in over a year, the tea leaves still point to him picking Ohio State on August 24th. The biggest competition for Grimes’ service at this point is Florida, but even recruiting experts consider the Gators a long shot to land him.
Next up is
Tyjon Lindsey from Corona, California. He visited Ohio State a few months ago, but he’s taken a few trips to Nebraska since, and it seems like the Cornhuskers could be a viable threat to the Buckeyes’ plans to secure Lindsey. When the Buckeyes landed Martell, experts figured Lindsey would follow close behind since they were teammates at Bishop Gorman before Lindsey’s departure last season. Martell and Lindsey remain close friends, and the possibly of a scarlet and gray reunion won’t hurt the Buckeyes’ chances to snag Lindsey.
Grimes and Lindsey are the most likely to join the Buckeyes’ 2017 class, but there are a few other names out there to consider if space is available.
Donovan Peoples-Jones out of Cass Tech in Michigan would be a satisfying steal from the state up north since he’s ranked as the #6 overall prospect in the 247 composite rankings and #1 wide receiver. He’s been tweeting all the right things about Ohio State lately, but Michigan still seems like the team to beat.
The in-state favorite is
Jaylen Harris from Cleveland. He has long been a Buckeye lean, and he might even have been in this class by now if the numbers weren’t so tight. I have to assume the coaching staff has asked Harris to hold out for a while longer. The coaches want to see how things shake out with the aforementioned players. If they happen to fall through the cracks, then I expect Harris to commit. Will he wait that long? Only time will tell, and he has been getting offers from the likes of Pittsburgh, Purdue, and Miami (FL) in the meantime. Will the Buckeyes release one from the state of Ohio in pursuit of a bigger fish?
As far as tight end goes, I don’t see Ohio State taking anyone in this class. They were in early on
Matt Dotson out of Cincinnati, but that ship has sailed now that he’s down to Penn State and Michigan State, and that decision could come at any minute. The Buckeyes also have an offer out to
Tre McKitty, who is at IMG with a host of other Buckeye commits. I don’t see him with a strong offer, and even if he did commit, I don’t see him ending up with the Buckeyes. Ohio State took two tight ends last year, and I think they’ll skip the position this year.
Final Say: Grimes, Lindsey, and Harris
Offensive Line:
Ohio State reeled in a big fish this past week with the acquisition of consensus five-star offensive guard
Wyatt Davis. Although I don’t see his recruitment being anywhere near over, having him,
Jake Moretti, and
Josh Myers in the offensive line class this early gives Ohio State one of – if not
the – top offensive line classes in 2017.
Myers, Moretti, and Davis all received invitations to the U.S Army All-American bowl in January, which just goes to show that the Buckeyes have gotten verbals from three of the top linemen in the nation. If this trio of guys stick with their pledges to Ohio State, then I think the Buckeyes are done with the offensive line for 2017.
Like I said, I believe Davis’ recruitment is just heating up, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take some visits this fall. Moretti suffered an injury a few weeks ago, and it looks like he might not play any of his senior year, but I don’t expect that to change his offer from Ohio State in any way.
If those three guys change their minds, consider
Trey Smith,
Isaiah Wislon, and in-state product
Joel Honigford. Honigford committed to Michigan yesterday, and he currently doesn’t have an offer from Ohio State. One could come if things fall through with Davis, Moretti, and Myers, but would he flip from Michigan back to Ohio State?
Final Say: Myers, Moretti, and Davis
These picks put the Buckeyes at 10 commitments for the class of 2017 on the offensive side of the ball. A small senior class, as well as what looks to be a small pool of early exits to the NFL, leave few open scholarship spots for 2017, so don’t expect this puzzle to come together until the last minute.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Urban Meyer works the numbers to sign a potential class of 20 next February.
Right now, if the Buckeyes were to sign the current commitments and no upperclassmen leave early for the NFL, Ohio State would be 10 scholarships over the limit for 2017.
Some serious roster management is going to have to happen between now and August of 2017. I think some guys will bolt for the NFL, while the coaches will ask others to finish their college careers elsewhere.
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Class of 2017 Ohio State Buckeye Offensive Recruiting Overview appeared first on
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on my white board next to Wyatt Davis name after tomorrow! 
