Ohio State Football Recruiting: Top Remaining 2015 Recruits, Class Predictions

If you thought recruiting in the immediate aftermath of a national championship would make Urban Meyer’s job easy at Ohio State, think again.

Sure, the Buckeyes have the No. 7 class in the country, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, but they are fighting all the way up to national signing day to hold onto two of their top commits. What’s more, they are in a battle for a top-notch wide receiver from Arkansas and a physically imposing offensive tackle from Maryland.

How many of these top remaining recruits will choose the scarlet and gray hat on national signing day?

Read on for some predictions.

K.J. Hill

K.J. Hill checks in as a 4-star prospect and the No. 16 wide receiver in the country in 247Sports’ composite rankings. He is 6’0” and 188 pounds, and uses impressive speed and route-running to beat cornerbacks and safeties for big plays down the field.

Interestingly, Hill is from North Little Rock, Arkansas, which means Meyer is going to have to beat the SEC (and Alabama, in particular) in its backyard off the field like he did on the field in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama and Arkansas are both listed as schools of interest alongside Ohio State on Hill’s 247Sports page.

Hill recently took an official visit to Ohio State, and Meyer recently visited the wide receiver as well. The Buckeyes are making a strong late push for the playmaker, and sometimes last-minute momentum is all a coach like Meyer needs.

It’s hard to argue with the success Ohio State has had at the position in Meyer’s short tenure as well.

Credit: 247Sports

Corey “Philly” Brown started for the Carolina Panthers down the stretch this season, Devin Smith turned into the best deep threat in college football this year and could be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, and players like Michael Thomas, Evan Spencer and Jalin Marshall were critical cogs in the national championship-winning machine.

However, Montez Peterson, Hill's stepfather, had some interesting comments regarding Alabama’s chances, via Drew Champlin of AL.com:

"

He never really got 'Bama out of his system. It's just one of those things where you want to make sure that you're sure. That's where it is with that. They knew that he really was still thinking about them. That's why he wanted to continue taking some of his visits, just to be sure.

"

While it is hard to argue against the lure of playing at Alabama, especially for someone who grew up in SEC territory, Meyer and the Buckeyes have plenty of late momentum in this race after the visits. Ohio State will parlay that into a recruiting victory on Wednesday. 

After all, the crystal ball predictions on 247Sports heavily favor the Buckeyes (64 percent, as opposed to 28 percent for Arkansas and eight percent for Alabama, as of Tuesday night at 11 p.m. ET).

Isaiah Prince

Isaiah Prince is a 4-star prospect and the No. 7 offensive tackle in 247Sports’ composite rankings.

The 6’6” and 272-pound lineman can clear running lanes and keep his quarterback upright with his impressive reach and strength, but his athleticism is what really stands out. He has excellent footwork and lateral quickness that gives him a very high ceiling as a potential left tackle at the next level.

Prince represents another battle with Alabama, although hometown Maryland was the leader in the crystal ball predictions on Tuesday night.

Prince’s high school coach, Tom Green, discussed Prince’s visit to Maryland, via Matt Zenitz of The Baltimore Sun:

"

He enjoyed it. He really liked it. He’s been on campus a lot. We have two of our former players, two linemen that played for us that are on the team at Maryland, a tackle and a guard already that play for them, so he’s real familiar with those guys, and they have a lot of local guys on the team, so there’s quite a few guys that he knows up there. I think that helps.

"

Alabama and Ohio State may be the bluest of blue-chip programs when it comes to championship pedigree, players in the NFL and overall tradition, but there is something to be said for the pull of staying close to home. Reading between the lines can sometimes be a dangerous game when it comes to recruiting predictions, but Green played up the relationships that are already in place on Maryland’s team in that quote. 

Those will ultimately be too hard for Prince to ignore, and he will choose the Terrapins over the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide.

Torrance Gibson and Mike Weber

Both quarterback Torrance Gibson, who is a 4-star prospect and the No. 6 athlete on 247Sports’ composite rankings, and running back Mike Weber, who is a 4-star prospect and the No. 9 running back on 247Sports’ composite rankings, gave their verbal pledges to Ohio State.

However, Auburn, Miami and LSU are all still in play for Gibson, while Michigan has made a late push for Weber after the Jim Harbaugh hiring. 

For what it’s worth, Mike Farrell of Rivals.com sees both players in Columbus next season:

Gibson is certainly an intriguing battle to watch since the quarterback race at Ohio State will be the most talked-about subject in all of college football during the offseason. Adding Gibson’s name alongside Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller would only make it more interesting, even if Gibson would almost certainly have to wait his turn behind those established players.

Credit: 247Sports

Still, Miller only has one season remaining, and Jones could very well head to the NFL after the 2015 campaign. If this year taught us anything, it is that every quarterback on the Ohio State roster should be ready to play at a moment’s notice.

As for Weber, he originally committed to Michigan, changed sides to the Buckeyes after the Brady Hoke firing and could head back to the Wolverines with Harbaugh in tow.

There may be more immediate playing time waiting in Ann Arbor, but it is hard to ignore the success Meyer has had with running backs in Columbus between Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott. The chance to be the next in line in that group has to be enticing.

Ultimately, Ohio State has been in on both Gibson and Weber for quite some time now, and those established relationships with the coaching staffs will pay dividends on signing day. Both Gibson and Weber will keep their pledges to Ohio State.   

All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.

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