Does Ohio State Have a Shot at Landing 5-Star Offensive Tackle Gregory Little?

Ohio State has a chance to land one of the country's top recruits in Gregory Little, a 5-star offensive tackle who decommitted from Texas A&M on Monday.

Little, rated the top tackle and the No. 2 overall prospect for the class of 2016, reopened his recruitment, per a report from Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles. And while he didn't speak directly about his decommitment, his mother—Terry Lacy-Little—provided the update.

"At the time he committed, he knew that was the place he wanted to be," Little's mother said of Texas A&M, per Sayles. "Fast-forward [to now], he felt it was too early in the process to commit. Because this is such a life-changing event, he feels he has to go through the recruiting process to evaluate where he wants to go."

And fortunately for Urban Meyer, Ohio State is in the running for the standout from Allen, Texas.

That became evident in May, when Little told Greg Powers of Scout.com that he was only "50 percent committed" to the Aggies. He also highlighted the four schools he's considering—and wants to visit—alongside Texas A&M.

"Visits coming up I have Ole Miss, Alabama at the beginning of June," Little said, per Powers. "Also Ohio State, LSU and Texas A&M." 

As expected, Little made those visits to the Rebels and the Crimson Tide in early June, which may have triggered his decommitment. And according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball Predictions, Nick Saban and Alabama are the favorites to land the stud lineman.

But Meyer and the Buckeyes will do everything they can to become a serious contender for his pledge, and it's easy to see why.

Little has incredible speed despite his 6'5 ½", 305-pound frame, which helps him excel in pass-blocking. He also has the strength to be an effective run-blocker, and as an all-around player, he's one of the most highly recruited prospects in the country with 27 offers to date.

He established himself as the top offensive lineman in the 2016 class last week at The Opening—the premier high school football camp for elite recruits—by winning offensive line MVP honors. He held his own against the top defensive linemen in the country, including No. 1 overall recruit Rashan Gary. 

"I want to go against the best," Little said of his battles with Gary, per Sayles. "I feel if I don't go against the best, I'm just wasting my time. He's the best, so I want to go against him. We're real close, so it's cool."

Credit: 247Sports

But can the Buckeyes go into Texas and steal this marquee recruit from the SEC? Meyer has had success recruiting from the Lone Star State during his time at Ohio State, landing players such as J.T. Barrett, Dontre Wilson, Demetrius Knox and Tristen Wallace, but this battle will be more difficult.

The Buckeyes certainly have a shot with Little, but they'll need to get him on campus for an official visit. From there, Meyer can showcase Ohio State's fantastic work along the offensive line over the last three years. More specifically, he can point to last year, when he and offensive line coach Ed Warinner had to replace four multiyear senior starters yet still managed to build a unit that paved the way to a national title. 

Those four starters Ohio State had to replace? Three of those guys—Jack Mewhort (Indianapolis Colts), Corey Linsley (Green Bay Packers) and Andrew Norwell (Carolina Panthers)—spent their rookie seasons in the NFL as starters for playoff teams.

"I'm still looking around at other options because this is a lifetime choice," Little told Wesley Sinor of AL.com. "So I'm just trying to make the right one."

And if Little makes the trip to Columbus, Meyer will have plenty of selling points to help the Buckeyes.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

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