It's no secret that Ohio State's 2017 class is off to an absolutely historical start. They're picking up studs and top choices at positions across the board week in and week out. One of those guys is Akron Hoban's very own Todd Sibley, one of the first in-state guys offered by OSU for '17, and one of their first commits is well. Ohio State communicates frequently with Todd and he's one of the more active recruiters in the class, but they will be taking two running backs in 2017. Ezekiel Elliot, Warren Ball, Brionte Dunn, and Dontre Wilson will all be gone by time the 2017 class is off of campus. Guys like Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall will either be seniors or could have jumped ship for the NFL. Top, talented prospects like Mikey Weber, Kareem Walker, Kierre Hawkins, Demario McCall, and others will be Buckeyes at that point in time, but there are still plenty of roster spots to take a second back alongside Sibley and not cramp the backfield too much.
They can afford to be very picky here with nearly 18 months to go to National Signing Day, so Ohio State has cast their nets wide in search of the absolute top targets and are making sure to keep tabs on in-state targets as well. While the nets are wide and the boards are very open for new additions at any point in time, there are a couple guys starting to appear as the "cream of the crop" and some are showing a lot of reciprocated interest thus far.
One of the top guys in America and someone I had an update with yesterday is Khalan Laborn of Ocean Lakes (Va.), one of the top programs in America. Everyone and their uncle is chasing Laborn. He's rated the number 34 player in the country for 2017 and took home RB MVP honors at the Rivals Five Star Challenge in Baltimore ahead of fellow attendees like Kareem Walker, Penn State commit Miles Sanders, and many others. Laborn visited Ohio State for Friday Night Lights, and while he didn't work out, he did get to experience campus and Ohio Stadium with teammates and said he came away "amazed".
There's a long way to go on this one and the more local schools are looking to make their voices heard (VaTech, UNC, et al) and the big boys are all going to take their crack at him. Look for Alabama, Florida State (landed his 2016 five star teammate Levonta Taylor), and others to do their best to get in on this one. With all that having been said, getting Laborn on campus was huge and they would love to do it again. He hasn't worked out for Ohio State yet and they would like to see him do that, but he's almost certainly a taker regardless of that. Too good to turn away.
Speaking of Alabama, they have an early 2017 commit from five star stud Najee Harris. Laborn is a surefire stud, but Harris could be the best running back in some time. He is a big-time player out of Antioch, California. Since pledging to Bama, he's taken a few visits, including to USC. Ohio State offered and he's paid some lip service saying he'd like to visit. I don't think the Buckeyes are in great position here, but there's a sense among a few people out West I've spoken with that Harris pulled the trigger for Bama too early and he has no idea what he really wants out of the recruiting process. He's a freak and more than worth monitoring just based on talent alone, but nothing to really go into detail on yet until a visit materializes. Put him in the Caleb Kelly or Iman Marshall category at this point in time.
The third big-time national back that has really emerged in recent months is Marietta (Ga.)'s Trey Sermon. Sermon recently released his top ten and a statement on what things look like so far (tweet embedded below):
Sermon worked out for the Buckeyes at Friday Night Lights and that's really where he put his name on the map for Ohio State. He's a Rivals100 kid and fits that mold of the big workhorse back they've looked for in Zeke, Carlos Hyde, and Kareem Walker to an absolute tee. He's every bit of that 6-foot-1 and he has the vision, balance, power, and ability to run in between the tackles that Ohio State loves to see in their backs. The question on Sermon was his top end speed and if he was a burner. Coming out of camp, he totally answered that question as far as my source with intimate and first-hand knowledge of recruiting at this spot is concerned. He is a sure-fire taker for them right now and a kid that has really shot up the board and on to the radar recently. I like Ohio State's chances here early and this is one that will bear much monitoring as time goes on.
Like I said, the names at this position are not a short list. While these are three of the more interesting ones right now, guys like Kyshaun Bryan, Jarell White, and DeCavilon Reese are going to be getting some long looks and evaluation from the Buckeyes. White and Reese are in-state kids and Bryan is a former teammate of Buckeye freshman Torrance Gibson. I'm not sure if White ends up playing RB in college, but he's a special talent there. We'll keep you posted as the board and talents continue to be re-evaluated and updated.
They can afford to be very picky here with nearly 18 months to go to National Signing Day, so Ohio State has cast their nets wide in search of the absolute top targets and are making sure to keep tabs on in-state targets as well. While the nets are wide and the boards are very open for new additions at any point in time, there are a couple guys starting to appear as the "cream of the crop" and some are showing a lot of reciprocated interest thus far.
One of the top guys in America and someone I had an update with yesterday is Khalan Laborn of Ocean Lakes (Va.), one of the top programs in America. Everyone and their uncle is chasing Laborn. He's rated the number 34 player in the country for 2017 and took home RB MVP honors at the Rivals Five Star Challenge in Baltimore ahead of fellow attendees like Kareem Walker, Penn State commit Miles Sanders, and many others. Laborn visited Ohio State for Friday Night Lights, and while he didn't work out, he did get to experience campus and Ohio Stadium with teammates and said he came away "amazed".
There's a long way to go on this one and the more local schools are looking to make their voices heard (VaTech, UNC, et al) and the big boys are all going to take their crack at him. Look for Alabama, Florida State (landed his 2016 five star teammate Levonta Taylor), and others to do their best to get in on this one. With all that having been said, getting Laborn on campus was huge and they would love to do it again. He hasn't worked out for Ohio State yet and they would like to see him do that, but he's almost certainly a taker regardless of that. Too good to turn away.
Speaking of Alabama, they have an early 2017 commit from five star stud Najee Harris. Laborn is a surefire stud, but Harris could be the best running back in some time. He is a big-time player out of Antioch, California. Since pledging to Bama, he's taken a few visits, including to USC. Ohio State offered and he's paid some lip service saying he'd like to visit. I don't think the Buckeyes are in great position here, but there's a sense among a few people out West I've spoken with that Harris pulled the trigger for Bama too early and he has no idea what he really wants out of the recruiting process. He's a freak and more than worth monitoring just based on talent alone, but nothing to really go into detail on yet until a visit materializes. Put him in the Caleb Kelly or Iman Marshall category at this point in time.
The third big-time national back that has really emerged in recent months is Marietta (Ga.)'s Trey Sermon. Sermon recently released his top ten and a statement on what things look like so far (tweet embedded below):
Sermon worked out for the Buckeyes at Friday Night Lights and that's really where he put his name on the map for Ohio State. He's a Rivals100 kid and fits that mold of the big workhorse back they've looked for in Zeke, Carlos Hyde, and Kareem Walker to an absolute tee. He's every bit of that 6-foot-1 and he has the vision, balance, power, and ability to run in between the tackles that Ohio State loves to see in their backs. The question on Sermon was his top end speed and if he was a burner. Coming out of camp, he totally answered that question as far as my source with intimate and first-hand knowledge of recruiting at this spot is concerned. He is a sure-fire taker for them right now and a kid that has really shot up the board and on to the radar recently. I like Ohio State's chances here early and this is one that will bear much monitoring as time goes on.
Like I said, the names at this position are not a short list. While these are three of the more interesting ones right now, guys like Kyshaun Bryan, Jarell White, and DeCavilon Reese are going to be getting some long looks and evaluation from the Buckeyes. White and Reese are in-state kids and Bryan is a former teammate of Buckeye freshman Torrance Gibson. I'm not sure if White ends up playing RB in college, but he's a special talent there. We'll keep you posted as the board and talents continue to be re-evaluated and updated.
