Football Recruiting: Gibson, Burrell, Baker Highlight Key Remaining Targets in 2015

The "Elite '15" has had its ups and downs. When Eric Glover-Williams committed last August, it appeared the class would come out of the gates strong.  Jamel Dean became the second commitment in December and then things got weird. Ohio State went nearly six months without a commitment (Ok, Ben Edwards committed to the Buckeyes, briefly) before Joe Burrow ended the drought, saying "yes" to Urban Meyer and Tom Herman. 

Now with 17 commitments, the Buckeyes find themselves on the outside of the national top ten in team recruiting rankings. Their highest team ranking — 10th — comes from ESPN.com and their lowest — 15th — is from Scout.com. None of the "big four" recruiting services ranks longsnappers, so Ohio State commitment Liam McCullough isn't reflected in any of the numbers, hence the class appearing with only 16 players across the board.

As you can see, the "Elite '15" is a well-rounded class, but as of now, does lack a certain "star power" normally associated with Urban Meyer's recruiting efforts. Historically, Meyer is a supreme closer, and the remaining spots in the class are being held for some truly special talents. Let's take a look at some of those players the Buckeyes are hoping to secure.

QUARTERBACK

Only one player remains on Ohio State's board who could potentially play quarterback in Columbus, and that's Fort Lauderdale's Torrance Gibson. The 6-foot-4 dual-threat playmaker from American Heritage High School has named the Buckeyes his leader since his July visit, and Ohio State remains the prohibitive favorite to sign him come February. 

RUNNING BACK

One of the more intriguing positions left in 2015, Ohio State has a number of viable and potential targets still being considered. The biggest target remains Damien Harris, the country's top-ranked running back, who appears to be leaning towards Kentucky at the moment. 

After Harris, a pair of running backs committed to other schools remain realistic options for Ohio State, although one moreso than the other. Detroit Cass Tech's Mike Weber, committed to Michigan, and Fort Lauderdale's Jordan Scarlett are four-star running backs with legitimate Buckeye interest. Committed to Michigan and Miami of Florida respectively, they're an interesting duo to watch as the winter approaches. Weber plans to visit Ohio State at some point this fall and Scarlett traveled to Columbus for an official visit for their season opener with teammate Nick Bosa. 

Another recently discovered option? Nashville's Ke'Shawn Vaughn. A three-star offered just a week ago, Ohio State is keeping a close eye on Vaugh, and he plans to visit Columbus in the coming weeks. What makes the running back pursuit most interesting is that it's not truly a position of need for Ohio State, but their desire to land a top back remains.

WIDE RECEIVER

With the recent addition of Alex Stump, Ohio State has exactly one "true" wide receiver for 2015: Stump. A trio of big-time national prospects remain as possibilities, and the Buckeyes would like to land at least one of these three stars. The first, and most likely, option is Maryland's Lawrence Cager. A 6-foot-5, 200-pounder, Cager is an excellent complement to the current host of slot receivers on the Buckeye roster. Down to a couple of top flight programs like Ohio State, Alabama, and Notre Dame, Cager will make his choice in January at the US Army All-American Bowl.

After Cager, Georgia commitment Van Jefferson and the uncommitted Christian Kirk round out the wish list. Jefferson, who verbaled to Georgia in late August, has reportedly been considering a late-season Buckeye visit. Kirk has four official visits scheduled, with one remaining date: Ohio State is hoping to convince him that Columbus in late November is the best choice he can make for that final visit. 

OFFENSIVE LINE

Grant Schmidt and Kevin Feder, Ohio State's two committed offensive lineman for 2015, are big, talented and versatile. They are also, by most definitions, raw. The remaining offensive line targets for 2015 are of the more polished, early impact variety if you're to believe the professional analysts. 

The primary options are names we've heard for some time now: Matt Burrell and Drew Richmond. Burrell, uncommitted, has been at the top of the list for the Buckeyes for some time. He's a nasty interior lineman with a charming and magnetic personality, a player and person Ohio State believes can be a leader for years to come. They've done the work, developed the relationships and the Buckeyes are counting on that being enough to reel in the Virginia four-star. Richmond, a self-labeled lifelong Buckeye fan, committed to Ole Miss in September despite his affinity for Ohio State, but an official visit for the Michigan game remains on the docket. The Buckeyes will work diligently to re-ignite the flame he's always felt for the Scarlet and Gray.

Today, Oklahoma's Josh Wariboko, a former Sooner commitment, left Ohio State after his official visit. Suddenly a popular choice to land Wariboko, Ohio State could be in a head-to-head battle with UCLA for his services. 

Venzell Boulware, a Tennessee commitment who chose the Vols over the Buckeyes, remains an outside possibility and continues to stay in touch with Ohio State. He says an official visit to Ohio State is on his list of things to do.

There are always new names that pop up late in the recruiting cycle but for now, those are the primary options left on the offensive side of the ball for Ohio State in 2015. 

Mike Rockstedt and myself have submitted our current choices to join the "Elite '15", although we'll explore defensive options on Thursday afternoon. We're predicting that seven players still find their way into Ohio State's recruiting class.