• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

LGHL Ohio State offers standout defensive end, gains ground with former Alabama running back

Caleb Houser

Guest
Ohio State offers standout defensive end, gains ground with former Alabama running back
Caleb Houser
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


6_3653740.0.0.jpg

Thursday saw the Buckeyes build toward future depth while (hopefully) sticking it to the Crimson Tide.

With Ohio State in the midst of off-season workouts and just releasing their spring practice schedule, the Buckeyes certainly don't seem like a team that truly understands what a day off means. Urban Meyer and his staff lead the pack so far in recruiting for 2017, but with such momentum, satisfaction tends to take a backseat as they continue to recruit for next year and beyond.

Buckeyes offer 2018 standout


Ohio State's pursuit of elite defensive line products will never cease. In every year of Urban Meyer's tenure at Ohio State, he has never once failed to bring in a top haul of defensive line prospects. The same is likely to be true of 2017 and into the future. To keep the trend alive, Urban Meyer handed out an offer yesterday to a 2018 star defensive end from the south, hoping to bring more talent north to Columbus in the future.

Making it public via his Twitter, Xavier Thomas of Florence, South Carolina is the latest prospect to earn a Buckeye offer. Only a high school sophomore, Thomas has plenty of career left and time for his recruiting process to play out. However, the 6'3, 242-pound strong-side defensive end already has scholarship offers from many of the nation's top football programs. Schools such as Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida State, and now Ohio State have all thrown their hat into the ring hoping for his pledge. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Thomas made it known that Ohio State will certainly be a "top school" in his recruitment. Currently, Clemson and South Carolina lead the way for the 247sports crystal ball predictions, but with National Signing Day 2018 nearly two years away, this is anybody's race for the time being.


Blessed to recieve my 12th offer from Ohio State Univerisity ! Definitely in my top schools #GoBuckeyes ⭕ ❗pic.twitter.com/noEalhMTiQ

— Xavier Thomas (@atxlete) March 3, 2016
Latest rumblings on Akers


Yesterday, we noted that the nation's third best running back (according to 247sports), Cam Akers, would be visiting Ohio State this upcoming week. While he was an Alabama commitment at the time of that news, last night Cam made it public via his Twitter that he had in fact decided to de-commit from the Crimson Tide and reopen his recruitment. While the timing is certainly interesting, Akers was not the only highly-touted running back prospect in the Alabama 2017 class. With the top overall running back prospect in Najee Harris already in the fold, Akers may have wanted to look around at a program where he will be more of a priority.

As stated, Akers plans to visit Columbus early next week for a few days, which will include one of Ohio State's spring practice dates. The Buckeyes may have Todd Sibley already committed in the 2017 class, but that doesn't mean Urban Meyer isn't looking to bring one more running back to the fold. With the upcoming visit and Cam's second trip to Columbus on his own finances, things are beginning to look very interesting for the top overall prospect in the state of Mississippi for 2017.


.. pic.twitter.com/mvYIoAqJS2

— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) March 3, 2016
2016 QB headed to OSU


Ohio State landed their top quarterback prospect in 2016 when Dwayne Haskins signed with the Buckeyes on National Signing Day. However, as of last night, there is one more quarterback that will be joining Ohio State from the 2016 class. Brendan Skalitzky of Evergreen Park, Illinois made it public that he would be continuing his academic and athletic career at Ohio State after accepting a preferred walk-on spot with the football team.

While he may be a new name to the fold, don't be fooled, he had quite the prep career in high school. A product of Marist, Skalitzky had a stellar season, throwing for over 3,000 yards and running for nearly 800 more in while accounting for 40 touchdowns during his senior campaign. While the athletics are one side to his talents, Brendan also earned a 5.0 GPA in high school showing how dedicated of a work ethic he possess. As the Chicago Tribune Daily Southtown player of the year award winner, Brendan will certainly be an added bonus to quarterback group already loaded with talent.


Honored to say that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at The Ohio State University! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/AeZpTXcZpo

— Brendan Skalitzky (@Bskalitzky) March 3, 2016

Continue reading...
 
Back
Top