Ohio State Football Recruiting Offers of the Week

The Ohio State coaching staff is coming off a busy week that revealed one of its top priorities for the 2016 recruiting cycle—defensive backs.

Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes sent out 10 offers, eight of which went to cornerback and safety prospects.

Here's a look at whom Meyer and Ohio State targeted on the recruiting front last week. 

Marlon Character, 4-Star Safety (2016)

The Buckeyes' first offer of the week went out to Marlon Character, a 4-star safety out of Atlanta. The 6'0", 170-pound defensive back has put together a solid list of offers with schools such as Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Wisconsin already in the mix. 

Ohio State will have to work hard to pull Character from the SEC, though. 247Sports is forecasting a battle between Georgia and South Carolina, with the home-state Bulldogs as the early favorites. 

The Buckeyes might be too late to the party. Last month, Character told Jake Reuse of UGASports.com that he was nearing a final decision. With the 4-star safety looking to commit early, Ohio State's chances are looking slim. 

Nygel Edmonds, 4-Star Cornerback (2016)

Looking to add depth at cornerback, the Buckeyes would love to add Nygel Edmonds, a 4-star cornerback from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ohio State joined schools such as Auburn, Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Penn State and Tennessee when it offered on Monday. 

At 5'11" and 181 pounds, Edmonds brings the kind of athleticism to the corner position that Meyer covets. His high school coach—Ralph Potter—explained why so many schools are throwing their hat in the ring, via Ward Gossett of TimesFreePress.com.

"

He's pretty much the prototype for what colleges are looking for in a corner prospect. He has all the physical tools. He's tall -- well, long -- good speed; a good cover guy. He could also play safety, and he played some wide receiver for us last year and will play more there next season. But I think corner is where folks see him at the next level.

"

Edmonds has already wracked up 22 offers, but his recruitment hasn't narrowed enough for any recruiting expert to predict where he'll end up. 

Dylan Singleton, 4-Star Cornerback (2016)

Ohio State's invasion of the SEC footprint continued on Tuesday when it offered 4-star cornerback Dylan Singleton out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. 

Rated as the No. 27 cornerback and the No. 281 prospect overall, Singleton's recruitment has really picked up recently. Georgia, Auburn and Ohio State have offered in the last three months after he entered 2015 with schools such as Duke, Georgia Tech and Kentucky vying for his pledge. 

According to Jake Rowe of 247Sports, Singleton made plans to visit Auburn and Georgia over the weekend. The Buckeyes will have some ground to make up, but with only seven offers to date, they're one of the top schools on his offer list.

Antwuan Jackson, 4-Star Defensive Tackle (2016)

The Buckeyes took a bit of their focus away from defensive backs to offer one of the top defensive tackles in the country in Antwuan Jackson. 

The 4-star prospect is rated the No. 56 recruit overall and the No. 10 defensive tackle nationally, and he has an offer list that's absolutely loaded with top programs. Schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame and USC have offered, and Ohio State joined the fight with an offer on Tuesday. 

According to Bill Kurelic of 247Sports, Jackson wants to make the trip north from his home in Ellenwood, Georgia, to visit the Ohio State campus.

“I’ve never been to Ohio State. I think I’ll get up there this summer," Jackson said, via Kurelic. "Ohio State has a great program for football and academics. I love how Coach [Urban] Meyer coaches.”

The Buckeyes will have to battle in order to get Jackson out of the SEC, however. South Carolina leads the way in 247Sports' Crystal Ball Predictions followed by Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Georgia. 

Kareem Felder, 3-Star Cornerback (2016)

Ohio State fell to Virginia Tech on the field last season, so Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes are hoping for a little payback on the recruiting trail after offering current Hokies commit Kareem Felder last Thursday.

The 3-star prospect is rated the No. 87 cornerback nationally and the No. 24 recruit in the state of Maryland. Felder committed to the Hokies on February 7 over offers from Boston College, Iowa, North Carolina, Rutgers and West Virginia. 

Felder is a physical corner who packs a huge punch when he lowers his shoulder. He's athletic enough to make an impact in the return game as well, boasting a versatility that makes him an attractive athlete for Meyer. 

"He's a fast kid, physical, can really cover," said Robinson, Felder's personal coach, according to Andy Bitter of The Roanoke Times. "Really an all-around good player. A playmaker who has really good ball skills. I guess his biggest attribute is his physicality and his tackling as a corner."

Zechariah McPhearson, 4-Star Cornerback (2016)

Considering he's a 4-star cornerback from the talent-rich state of Maryland, Zechariah McPhearson has had a relatively quiet recruitment so far.

With just eight offers on the table from schools, highlighted by Boston College, Clemson and Michigan State, the 6'1", 180-pound speedster has been thrilled with the recent upswing in attention, according to Scout's Mike Wilson.

McPhearson told Charles Doss of Land-Grant Holy Land that Ohio State was really impressed with his speed.

"They mentioned my speed, and how I can produce big plays defensively with it," McPhearson said, via Doss. "They said they were really impressed with my highlight film."

Meyer loves playmaking defensive backs with speed, and McPhearson—who has been clocked running a 4.49 40-yard dash—can fly.

Andrew Pryts, 3-Star Safety (2016)

February has been a huge month for 3-star safety Andrew Pryts.

The 6'2", 195-pound defensive back out of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, added offers from Stanford, Alabama, Kansas State and Michigan before the Buckeyes offered on Thursday, according to his Twitter profile. 

Rated the No. 47 safety and the No. 678 prospect nationally, it's seems the top colleges around the country are seeing something the recruiting services have missed. With an impressive offer list that includes 14 schools—a number that's growing rapidly—it's clear Pryts is underrated and due for a rankings boost. 

Pryts has the frame to grow into an outside linebacker position similar to the way Darron Lee did for the Buckeyes a season ago. As of now, though, he's projecting to safety, and 247Sports is forecasting he'll wind up with James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

Demetric Vance, 3-Star Wide Receiver, Safety (2016)

Over the last few years, Ohio State has made a point of disrupting Michigan's top in-state recruiting pipeline—Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

The Buckeyes have stolen the top three prospects from Cass Tech over the last two recruiting cycles, and they're looking to continue that trend in the future. They're favored to land 4-star offensive guard Michael Onwenu for the '16 class and 4-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones for 2017.

But Meyer wants more, and that became evident when the Buckeyes offered Demetric Vance. 

The 3-star prospect is a two-way player who lines up at receiver and safety for Cass Tech. He boasts offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State and Purdue along with Ohio State.

Rated as the top safety in Michigan, that's the position he's projecting to at the next level. 247Sports' Crystal Ball pegs the Spartans as unanimous favorites, but Ohio State's recruiting success in Detroit can't be overlooked. 

Naquan Jones, 3-Star Defensive Tackle (2016)

Naquan Jones, a 6'4", 283-pound mauler out of Evanston, Illinois, was the second defensive tackle to receive an Ohio State offer this week.

With offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin (among others), Jones is getting heavy interest from schools in the Big Ten footprint. He has a high motor and is very aggressive on the interior—a disruptive force Meyer needs after missing out on big defensive tackle targets such as Christian Wilkins, Neville Gallimore and Terry Beckner Jr. in 2015.

The recruiting experts are waiting for a battle between Michigan State and Wisconsin to materialize with Notre Dame, who has yet to offer. If Brian Kelly and the Irish continue to drag their feet, the Buckeyes could establish themselves in the fight for Jones' commitment 

Brandon Burton, 4-Star Safety (2016)

The week's final offer went to one of the country's top prospects in Brandon Burton.

The 4-star safety out of Gardena, California, is rated the No. 76 prospect nationally and the No. 5 safety. Boasting offers from Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and USC, Burton is one of the most sought-after recruits in the country.

That means the Buckeyes have a lot of ground to make up in the race for his commitment. 

In Meyer's three-year tenure with the Buckeyes, he's only managed to land one prospect—Marcus Baugh—from the state of California. It's hard to pull players from the West Coast away from the Pac-12, and that challenge will be hard to overcome in the battle for Burton. USC has a 92 percent chance of landing the 4-star defensive back, according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball. 

That could change, though, if the Buckeyes convince Burton to make the trip east for an official visit. 

All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.