Ohio State Must Strongly Consider 2014 4-Star DB Prospect Montae Nicholson

Safety play is arguably the biggest X-factor for a defense, and Urban Meyer and Ohio State have the opportunity to bring a great young safety into the 2014 fold in 4-star defensive back Montae Nicholson.

Nicholson already has offers from schools like Michigan and Penn State amongst others, but according to quotes via Bill Greene of Scout.com, getting an offer from Ohio State would be very meaningful for the junior:

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"I did visit Ohio State last week, and they said they are close to offering," Nicholson stated. "It was great being at Ohio State, and talking to the players and coaches. Corey Brown is from Gateway, so it was great seeing him. It was my first game at Ohio State, and it was very impressive. I can't wait to get back there for camp again next summer."

"I did speak to Coach (Urban) Meyer and Coach (Luke) Fickell," he added. "They told me they need to see the first few game films, and then the offer would be coming. That offer would mean a lot to me, because I was born in Columbus and grew up watching the Buckeyes. It would be an honor to receive that offer, and they're one of my favorites."

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Yesterday, I wrote an article explaining why I didn't think the Buckeyes should make an offer to a 2014 quarterback prospect. Today, my tone will be completely different when it comes to Nicholson.

The Buckeyes need to strongly consider making an offer to this kid.

His aggressiveness and athleticism is what stands out to me right away, and that's something I love to see in a safety. He's got great downhill speed and isn't afraid to come down and make the tackle against the run game. He doesn't appear to afraid of making contact, which is a huge sticking point in high school.

Nicholson is the type of player Ohio State can bring into the box against the running game, and in the Big Ten that's an invaluable trait.

Not only that, but as a high school safety, he can be an incredibly versatile prospect at the next level. If he bulks up you can move him to linebacker, a good college coach can teach an athlete of his caliber to play corner if need be, and his aggressiveness would make him a great special teams option in the beginning of his college career.

When all is said and done though, this kid is going to be a good safety.

Earlier I mentioned that safety is the x-factor on defense. A good safety can really alter everything an offense tries to do.

If you pull the safety down into the box, you can hinder the run game. You can send him on blitzes to put added pressure on the quarterback, and of course, a good safety will be a ball-hawk in the secondary.

Nicholson appears to have the intangibles to be that x-factor on defense, so the Buckeyes really need to think about making him an offer.