Kendall Sheffield to Ohio State: Buckeyes Land 5-Star JUCO CB Prospect

The Ohio State Buckeyes continue to add impact talent in the secondary, scoring a huge commitment from prized junior college cornerback Kendall Sheffield.

Sheffield announced his decision to play for the Buckeyes starting in 2017 to ESPN.com's Gerry Hamilton: "After a great season at Blinn College and an exciting recruiting process, I have decided to finish my collegiate career at The Ohio State University. I am excited to join Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes and look forward to helping Buckeye Nation return to the College Football Playoff."

Sheffield is one of the top JUCO players in the 2017 recruiting class. He's a 5-star cornerback who is ranked No. 1 among junior college transfers by Scout. 

Coming out of Thurgood Marshall High School in Texas in 2015, Sheffield originally committed to Alabama to play college football. He transferred from the Crimson Tide prior to the start of the 2016 season, with Hamilton reporting at the time head coach Nick Saban granted Sheffield's release pending he didn't attend another SEC school. 

Scout lists Sheffield at 6'0" and 180 pounds with a glowing scouting report:

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The transfer from Alabama shows tremendous quickness in and out of his breaks and closes on the football in an instant. He was considered more of a finesse corner coming out of high school, but it does not take long to see that he he has the ability to come up and be a sound tackler, so there are not many question marks surrounding his game. He is one of the fastest players in the nation regardless of position.

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That will make Buckeyes fans still bitter about their 31-0 defeat against Clemson at the Fiesta Bowl feel better about things heading into 2017. 

Sheffield is also a huge get for Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. His secondary was preparing to be at a crossroads, with star safety Malik Hooker declaring for the 2017 NFL draft and cornerback Marshon Lattimore potentially being a first-round pick in April if he decides to leave school early. 

Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs seems happy with his new addition:

Bringing in Sheffield eases any pressure Meyer might have been feeling about how he was going to replenish the talent in his secondary if both of those players leave. 

Given the talent Sheffield possesses and the skills he brings to the field, it won't take long before his impact is felt on one of the biggest stages in college football.