Ohio State Football: Buckeyes Leading Michigan and Alabama for Star RB Recruit

With five verbal commitments already in the fold, Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes are off to a hot start with their 2014 recruiting class.

Meyer's top priority this year is recruiting offensive linemen after securing just two commitments for the unit in 2013. The Buckeyes are already in good shape on that front with two pledges from 4-star prospects Marcelys Jones and Kyle Trout.

Ohio State is currently working on landing a running back who can run behind those big guys up front. 

Jonathan Hilliman—a 3-star running back out of Jersey City, N.J.—gave the Buckeyes' coaching staff some good news when he announced his top-10 schools via Twitter Monday afternoon.

"

My official Top 10 (in order) #OSU #Mich #Bama #Ru #Stanford #Georgia #Oregon #BC #Ark #Vandy

— J B O O G I E™ (@Thrilliman23) April 1, 2013"

Hilliman is a physical back who excels at running between the tackles, but he also has the speed to run away from defenders when he hits the second level. The star running back isn't afraid of contact and has an almost Eddie Lacy-like spin move that makes him very hard to tackle.

Don't let his 3-star status deceive you—Hilliman is one of the hottest prospects on the recruiting trail right now. The soon-to-be senior boasts 27 scholarship offers in total, highlighted by the likes of Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Miami, Nebraska, Stanford, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Many recruiting experts expect Hilliman to earn his fourth star by the fall.

Hilliman's commitment would be a huge boost to Ohio State after losing out on 5-star running back Jalen Hurd to Tennessee last month. Snagging Hilliman away from their biggest rival in Michigan, along with Meyer's old arch nemesis in Nick Saban at Alabama, would be an added bonus for the Buckeyes.

Hilliman isn't ready to pull the trigger on a commitment just yet, but as of right now, Meyer and the Buckeyes look to be in good shape.

Watch highlights from Hilliman's junior season here:

All recruit rankings per 247Sports.com.

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