Ohio State looks to pull a top defensive prospect out of Texas

Tomorrow Buckeye Nation will feast its eyes on the biggest Big Ten game of the day when rival Michigan heads to Happy Valley in a “white-out” to take on Penn State. With the Ohio State bye week, you can guarantee that Buckeye fans and the players themselves will be giving their full attention to the prime time matchup.

With Ohio State being able to rest up and get ready for their own Penn State matchup next week, the coaching staff was able to do more of what they’re really good at besides coaching: recruit. With game day being over a week away, Urban Meyer and his gang were able to hit the trails again in full force doing their best to lure in their top prospects and improve on their already loaded 2018 class.

Top DB/LB has Bucks in Top list

If there is a common trend in Ohio State football recruiting, it’s the fact that defensive backs love what the Buckeyes are selling. And who wouldn’t? With each and every year being nothing but a recipe for success, and the end result being a selection in the NFL Draft, that has to make an impression on any top prep prospect. If you look at guys like Gareon Conley, Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, and Malik Hooker, you get the point. Ohio State develops defensive backs just as well if not better than any other program in the country. However, if there’s another position the Buckeyes can develop, it’s linebacker. It’s easy to go in to detail with guys like Raekwon McMillan, Ryan Shazier, and more, but we’ll stop there.

Yesterday, Marcel Brooks, a 4-star safety and linebacker hybrid prospect from Flower Mound, Texas, released his top six schools list, and as usual when a top recruit narrows down his options, the Buckeyes were involved. The 6'3, 200-pound hybrid is currently ranked as the eleventh-best outside linebacker in the country for the 2019 class and also the seventh-best player in the loaded state of Texas. With nearly 20 scholarship offers, it’s clear to see Brooks is deserving of his high 4-star status.

Making the cut for Marcel in his list of six includes TCU, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Ohio State. Being a Texas product, you can bet Tom Herman and his staff will certainly look to join the mix for his services, but if Ohio State thinks they can swoop into Texas again for one of the state’s best kids, Urban Meyer will certainly pull out all of stops.

Togiai conflicted between the two

Ohio State is beaming with pride at the defensive tackle haul they plan on bringing to campus in the class of 2018. With a 5-star and top prospect at the position already in the fold with Taron Vincent, the Buckeyes and position coach Larry Johnson don’t have any plans but to continue adding size, speed, and strength to bolster their already impressive defensive line. One prep star they would love to add to the mix is the ever-popular Tommy Togiai, a prospect not new to Buckeye fans in the least bit.

Recently, Togiai visited Washington and came away extremely impressed with what the Huskies are building on. After shutting down his recruitment with the exception for two teams, Ohio State and Washington look to be battling head-to-head for this standout’s services when his name is signed on the dotted line.

Coaches hit the road

With the bye week, Ohio State coaches were given the task to hit the road and continue dominating the recruiting trail as they look to secure the rest of their 2018 class. Of the many stops along the way, Ohio State receivers coach Zack Smith headed to St. Louis, Missouri (a place Buckeye fans should thank repeatedly for giving them Ezekiel Elliot). Smith was there to check on Kamryn Babb, a 6'1, 190-pound receiver the Buckeyes are trying hard to bring to Columbus to join L’Christian “Blue” Smith as the receivers in the 2018 class.

Babb, who unfortunately saw his senior season cut far too short thanks to an ACL injury, has still kept in contact with Ohio State and what they have to offer. Of course, LSU still has their sights set on Babb in hopes of bringing him to Death Valley. However, Ohio State has other plans for the nation’s fourth-best receiver prospect and Missouri’s top player in the 2018 class.

Kamryn has plans to visit “officially” for the Penn State game next week and rumors have circulated that Babb could potentially pull the trigger and be on “commit watch,” but we’ll have to see how this one plays out. Fortunately, most believe that the Buckeyes still lead for Babb and are certainly the team to beat for his signature.