COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The decommitment of five-star prospect Brenton Cox last week left Ohio State in a tough position when it came to defensive end recruiting in this 2018 class.
With the early signing period approaching -- it opens for three days next week on Dec. 20 -- the Buckeyes were left without a pass rusher in this class, and were trending in the wrong direction for some of their top options at the position.
That could be changing.
Multiple 247Sports crystal ball predictions came in on Thursday flipping the perceived favorite for four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith. Earlier in the week, the favorite was Penn State. Now it's Ohio State.
Smith, the Cleveland Heights product ranked No. 3 in Ohio in 2018, is also the No. 59 overall player in the country.
The timing of the tide change in Smith's recruitment is telling given that he's coming off an official visit to Penn State last weekend. The Nittany Lions had done a good job of recruiting Smith, and were considered by many to be the favorite to ultimately land him. That things would change in the direction of OSU now suggests that Smith's official visit to Happy Valley was not the home run Penn State was hoping it would be.
Does that mean it's a certainty now that Smith will end up being a Buckeye? No, even though Smith cancelled an in-home visit with Penn State coach James Franklin this week, per multiple reports. Urban Meyer and defensive line coach Larry Johnson are expected to visit with Smith on Friday. The last time that pair went in-home with a prospect, they sealed a commitment from four-star defensive tackle Tommy Togiai.
Smith does not plan on announcing his college decision until the Under Armour All-American Game on Jan. 4. He could still sign during the early period, but that would be kept under wraps to maintain the suspense leading up to his televised decision. So don't expect any public good news until then.
But the chances of landing an elite defensive end were looking bleak a week ago with both Smith and Jayson Oweh -- the Buckeyes' top two targets -- trending toward Penn State. At the very least, it appears Ohio State has made this a real race for Smith.
Can the Buckeyes flip Brown?
Ohio State has two receiver commits in its 2018 recruiting class: Four-star prospects Kamryn Babb and L'Christian Smith. It's likely the Buckeyes add a third, and that player could come via a flip from another Big Ten program.
Cameron Brown, a four-star receiver from St. Louis and Nebraska commit, will announce his final college decision next Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. It will be either Nebraska or Ohio State for Brown, who is high school teammates with Babb.
The 247Sports crystal ball favors Ohio State here too. The Buckeyes appeared primed to pull off the flip with Brown in the summer when he decommitted from Nebraska one day after getting an offer from Ohio State. He recommitted to Nebraska two months later.
With some coaching change at Nebraska, and his high school teammate now bound for Columbus, Ohio State could finish off the flip job next week.
Final visits
This weekend will be the last weekend for official visits for any players planning to sign on Dec. 20. The recruiting calendar turns to the dead period on Monday, which means no more visits or face-to-face contact between coaches and recruits through Jan. 11.
Ohio State is set to host committed linebacker Teradja Mitchell on his official visit this weekend:
The Buckeyes will also host defensive tackle commit Antwuan Jackson, according to 247Sports.
It's good for Ohio State to get those guys on campus before they sign next week, though there's no concern over the commitments of either Mitchell or Jackson. Jackson is set to enroll early at Ohio State.
The thing to watch on the final weekend of visits will be if any commits with some uncertainty -- say quarterback Emory Jones or safety Jaiden Woodbey -- end up on another campus unexpectedly this weekend.