Ohio State Hitting the Recruiting Trail Hard in the State of Kentucky

The state of Kentucky is starting to produce a lot of talent on the high school level, and Ohio State's head coach, Urban Meyer, is starting to take notice.

The Buckeyes already have 17 commits for the 2013 class, but have yet to pick up any for the 2014 class. Coach Meyer is recruiting some of the best prospects in the nation.

Ohio State had several visitors for its 63-38 romping over Nebraska last Saturday, including six from the Bluegrass State.

Let's take a look at which high school football prospects Urban Meyer is looking at.

James Quick

James Quick, a 6'1" wide receiver from Trinity High School, is getting a lot of attention around the nation. Quick has already taken two visits to Ohio State and is planning on taking at least one more before the end of the season.

Quick told ESPN's Jared Shanker after Saturday's visit, "They have great fans. That’s what really caught my attention. The most impressive thing is how loud the fans got."

The 5-star recruit is considered the eighth-best wide receiver and the 94th-best player in the 2013 class by 247Sports.Com. He recently narrowed his list to Louisville, Ohio State, Kentucky, Oregon and Tennessee. Louisville and Ohio State have been said to be his favorites.

ESPN says of Quick:

"

Quick has a chance to be very good not only as a receiver, but also as a return man. He has a good size and speed combination. He's faster than most on the field, but maybe does not have elite speed. Still, he is extremely quick.

"

Quick has 34 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns so far this season.

Ryan Timmons

Ryan Timmons is a 5'11" senior from Franklin County High School. He has put up more than 1,000 yards of total offense and has 14 touchdowns so far this season.

Timmons does not have an offer from Ohio State, although he has taken four visits to Columbus. He does have offers from several Division-I schools including Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Purdue and Western Kentucky.

The 4-star prospect is considered the 27th-best athlete and the 250th-best player in the 2013 class by ESPN.com.

ESPN says of Timmons:

"

Timmons is an explosive overall offensive weapon that sees most of his duty in the backfield as a zone runner, but has upside as a slot receiver or even outside vertical threat with further development. Timmons has a sleek, athletic build with a wiry frame.

 

"

Nacarius Fant

Nacarius Fant is a 5'10" wide receiver from Bowling Green High School. The speedy junior has 665 yards receiving and eight touchdowns so far this season. He also has six punt returns for 199 yards and one touchdown.

Fant is considered a 3-star recruit and the 52nd-best wide receiver in the 2014 class by 247Sports.Com.

He holds offers from Illinois and Western Kentucky. He also is receiving interest from Louisville, Ohio State, Kentucky and other D-I schools.

Drew Barker

Drew Barker is probably the top quarterback prospect for Ohio State in the 2014 class. He is a 6'4" dual-threat QB from Hebron, Kentucky.

Barker has visited Ohio State a couple times, including attending one of their camps over the summer.

The 4-star QB is considered the top prospect in Kentucky and the 102nd-best player in the 2014 class by 247Sports.Com.

Barker has 1,321 yards passing so far this season with 13 touchdown passes.

Ohio State has not given Barker an offer yet, but he does have offers from Louisville, Illinois, South Carolina, Cincinnati and several other Division-I schools.

Reggie Bonnafon

Reggie Bonnafon is a junior dual-threat quarterback from Trinity High School. Bonnafon hasn't played much at the QB position this year except for in the Wildcat. He has played some wide receiver as well.

Bonnafon is considered the 10th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the second-best player in 2014 class from Kentucky by 247Sports.com.

Saturday was his first visit to Columbus. He does have offers from Illinois and Louisville.

Jason Hatcher

Jason Hatcher, a senior defensive end from Trinity High School, made the visit on Saturday with his teammates Bonnafon and Quick, although he is committed to USC. He made a pretty solid commitment, but in the world of college football recruiting anything can happen.

Hatcher is considered the eighth-best weak-side defensive end and the 213th-best player in the 2013 class by Rivals.com.