Ohio State Football Recruiting 2015: Latest Rumors Before National Signing Day

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is in a unique position as national signing day approaches. Coming off a national title one month ago, he's bought some leeway with the fanbase but has also raised the bar for what the Buckeyes are capable of doing. 

It's a unique Catch-22 situation, though one that Meyer is more than capable of handling. There may not be a better recruiter in the country than Ohio State's head coach—Nick Saban might be the only other person in the conversation. 

The Buckeyes are riding high after defeating Alabama and Oregon in January, but Meyer has never been one to let success stop him from reloading. The early returns for 2015's recruiting class are promising and figure to get even better in the next two days. 

Here are the latest rumors about the Buckeyes' targets hours before national signing day. 

Player	Position	Star Rating
Jashon Cornell (Enrolled)	Right Defensive End	5
Nick Connor (Enrolled)	Inside Linebacker	4
Jamel Dean (Enrolled)	Cornerback	4
Grant Schmidt (Enrolled)	Offensive Tackle	3
Justin Hilliard	Outside Linebacker	5
Jerome Baker	Athlete	4
Torrance Gibson	Athlete	4
Michael Weber	Running Back	4
Eric Glover-Williams	Cornerback	4
Matthew Burrell	Guard	4
Dre'Mont Jones	Right Defensive End	4
Denzel Ward	Cornerback	4
Alex Stump	Wide Receiver	4
Joe Burrow	Quarterback	4
Robert Landers	Defensive Tackle	3
Kevin Feder	Offensive Tackle	3
Joshua Norwood	Cornerback	3
A.J. Alexander	Tight End	3
Joshua Alabi	Right Defensive End	3
Damon Arnette	Cornerback	3
Branden Bowen	Offensive Tackle	3
Rashod Berry	Left Defensive End	3
Mirko Jurkovic	Guard	3
DaVon Hamilton	Defensive Tackle	3
Liam McCullough	Long Snapper	2

Buckeyes Favorite for 4-Star WR?

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Lost in the shuffle of all the quarterback insanity and emergence of Ezekiel Elliott is the fact Ohio State will have to replace star wideout and big-play threat Devin Smith. The senior averaged 28.2 yards per reception with 12 touchdown catches last year. 

Regardless of who is at quarterback in 2015—Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett or Braxton Miller—someone has to replace Smith so this offense doesn't lose a dimension that made it so successful in 2014. 

Fortunately, it seems like there could be help on the way. According to Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, 4-star wide receiver K.J. Hill is leaning toward the Buckeyes:

Hill certainly isn't a lock for Ohio State at this point. The 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions give the Buckeyes a 51 percent chance to land the Arkansas native, with the Razorbacks not far behind at 41 percent. 

Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com wrote on January 28 that Hill did visit Columbus the previous weekend but was "very high on Alabama" and took a visit to Arkansas last weekend. 

Meyer has an ability to close that's virtually unmatched in the sport. He has a knack for making every single player feel like the most important person in the world, which is what makes him so good at his job. 

The fact that Ohio State has gained traction at this late date speaks to Meyer's power. He just needs to make one final pitch to lock things up. 

More Quarterbacks in Columbus

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If there's one thing Meyer needs more of right away, it's a quarterback. He's only got three, at least right now, so finding another one has to be at the top of the wish list this recruiting season. 

Fortunately, another good one could be on the way. Torrance Gibson, the No. 6 athlete in the nation and listed as a dual-threat quarterback, seems to have the Buckeyes still at the top of his list. 

Keep in mind that Gibson's mind seems to change every minute, but Mike Farrell of Rivals.com did note the star recruit was leaning toward Columbus:

Gibson did give Ohio State a verbal commitment last November, per American Heritage Athletics:

However, the star athlete has kept his options open by noting on Twitter over the weekend that he was taking an official visit to Miami:

Recruiting season is all about indecision. These are high school players being coveted by some of the biggest coaches in the country, so why they feel the need to make a decision before it's necessary remains a mystery. 

Ohio State still seems to be in the driver's seat for Gibson's services, though there is a little sweat coming from the foreheads of fans in Columbus. 

The Agony of Defeat

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One of the top defensive players in this class, Terry Beckner, does have Ohio State on his list of finalists. The Buckeyes are primarily competing with Missouri and Florida State to land the 5-star recruit. 

Unfortunately, per Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, the Buckeyes seem to be a distant third with Missouri and Florida State flipping spots seemingly at random:

That does follow the 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions, which have Missouri as the favorite with 68 percent of the vote and Florida State coming in at 20 percent. It's not a huge surprise because the defensive tackle is relatively close to the area at East St. Louis in Illinois. 

Meyer isn't lacking for defensive talent so far this recruiting season with a hard commitment from linebacker Justin Hilliard and an early enrollment from defensive end Jashon Cornell, but being able to get a 6'4", 293-pound anchor in the middle of the defensive line would be nice. 

Craig Haubert of ESPN wrote in his breakdown of Beckner that the Buckeyes are one of the teams that most need a player like him because of what they are losing.

"The Buckeyes return star end Joey Bosa, but lose a lot of experience in tackle Michael Bennett and end Steve Miller plus backup end Rashad Frazier," Haubert wrote. "There is talent on campus and on the way, just without nearly as much experience that was just lost."

Barring a last-second change of heart, Beckner seems likely to choose Missouri. Meyer pulls rabbits out of hats quite often, but this might be too much for him to succeed. 

All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.