Ohio State and Their Need for a Big-Time Commit

By Joseph Barry on June 1, 2014

Despite it still being relatively early in the recruiting year, it is not small news that Ohio State seems to be lagging behind with commitments for their 2015 class compared to other major programs. Ohio State is currently sitting at #53 according to 247sports.com. It isn’t the fact that Ohio State has less-talented than normal athletes committed to them at this point; it is simply that they don’t have many players committed at all. Ohio State only has three players in the 2015 class at the moment, which could have loyal Buckeye fans worried when comparing their class to Alabama (who is ranked #1 with 17 commits) or Big Ten rival Penn State (ranked #3 with 15 commits).

However, the quickest way to swing recruiting momentum in your favor is to get one big-name player and have him recruit future teammates from then on out. Ohio State needs to get the ball rolling and to have one major 2015 player commit to the Buckeyes. Three players (or combination of players) stick out who have legitimate interest in the Buckeyes and who could be the first step into having another top 5 class.

Justin Hilliard is considered the top player in the state of Ohio

1. Justin Hilliard (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) – Hilliard is regarded by many as one of the top linebacker prospects for 2015. Being from the state of Ohio certainly helps the Bucks’ chances of landing him; however, he is also considering Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, and Iowa. Ohio State seems like the natural selection, but Notre Dame and Alabama have both the tradition and the pipeline to the NFL that can attract any recruit, no matter what part of the country he is from.

If the Buckeyes can land Hilliard, expect him to waste no time recruiting more players. At the NFTC in Columbus, Ohio, Hilliard and Jashon Cornell (a top defensive end prospect) talked a lot together. Cornell, who hails from Minnesota, tweeted:

https://twitter.com/Jay_Rock16/status/472910525219614720

It seems like the two would love to play together, and Ohio State is on both players respective lists. Hilliard is also viewed as a leader by other players in the nation; his words could have powerful sway for other undecided prospects.

Jashon Cornell (St. Paul, MN/Cretin Derham Hall) – Notre Dame is widely considered to be Jashon Cornell’s favorite school; however, the weekend of May 31st marks the first time Cornell has visited Ohio State. His first visit seems to have gone very well, and he was very impressed with both the coaching staff and facilities. Ohio State’s new Defensive Line coach, Larry Johnson from Penn State, is a big draw for any defensive line prospect.

Notre Dame is still likely number one; Cornell’s high school is an unofficial feeder school for the South Bend school. However, Ohio State figures to have closed the gap considerably with Cornell’s recent visit. As mentioned above, it helps that Cornell and Justin Hilliard are friends; if Hilliard ends up committing to the Buckeyes, Cornell could be close behind.

Torrance Gibson, one of the top athletes in the country and likely quarterback should he commit to The Ohio State

Torrance Gibson/Damien Harris – I put these two together (Gibson being a quarterback/Harris being a running back) because the two have publicly let their intentions be known that they’d love to play together. While recruiting experts seem to think Gibson has Tennessee and Auburn higher on his respective list, Ohio State could make a late push for three reasons. 1) Gibson has not taken his visit to OSU yet. 2) Ohio State wants Gibson as a QB, his preferred position, while other schools are looking at him as a wide receiver. 3) Ohio State and Auburn are the main two schools that both have among their top choices at this point. Auburn is considered the favorite for Gibson at this point, and seeing how Auburn utilized Nick Marshall en route to a National Championship game appearance and SEC Title, you figure Gibson would be intrigued. However, you can never count out the Buckeyes, and Urban Meyer’s presence in the state of Florida (where Gibson is from) is huge.

Look for these 2015 players to be making their decision within the upcoming summer months.

 

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