Zach Smith and Kerry Coombs Leading the Buckeye Charge at Florida's American Heritage School

By Andrew Ellis on June 22, 2017 at 10:10 am
Four-star corner Tyson Campbell is one of Ohio State's top remaining targets.
Tyson Campbell
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Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class currently features 14 commitments. With only two of those pledges hailing from the Buckeye State, it's fairly evident that Urban Meyer's national appeal is as strong as ever. 

Last year it was Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High School that was at the center of the Buckeye reach with Tate Martell and Haskell Garrett ultimately siding with Ohio State. Schools like Fort Lauderdale's St. Thomas Aquinas and – of course – Bradenton's IMG Academy have also been at the forefront over the last few years. 

There are several prominent national programs to watch for in the class of 2018, but Plantation, Florida's American Heritage School may very well be at the top of the list.

Buckeye Targets at American Heritage
Prospect Position Measurables Rating Nat. Rank Status
Patrick Surtain Jr. Cornerback 6-foot-2, 181 pounds ★★★★★ No. 5 Uncommitted
Tyson Campbell Cornerback 6-foot-2.5, 180 pounds ★★★★ No. 28 Uncommitted
Nesta Silvera Defensive Tackle 6-foot-2, 308 pounds ★★★★ No. 280 Miami Commit
Andrew Chatfield Defensive End 6-foot-2, 221 pounds ★★★★ No. 304 Ohio State Commit

The Buckeye staff is certainly familiar with the program as a lot of time and effort was spent on the pursuit of former Patriots' star Torrance Gibson just a few years back. While things may not have gone as planned for Gibson – a 2015 signee who is now looking to make waves for Luke Fickell's Bearcats – Ohio State is again looking to make its presence known at the school.

Led by a pair of point men in Zach Smith and Kerry Coombs, American Heritage is likely going to be the high school program to watch between now and February's national signing day. The Buckeyes already hold one commitment, but a trio of other prospects are very much in the picture. 

The commitment of defensive end Andrew Chatfield seemingly came out of nowhere earlier this month. The four-star does not yet hold offers from any of the big three in the state of Florida, but programs like LSU, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma were all in the hunt. At 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, Chatfield looks a bit like a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end. Given his speciality at the high school level, it's probably best to view him as more of a pass-rusher in college.

On the interior portion of the line, four-star defensive tackle Nesta Silvera has been committed to the Hurricanes since February. Ohio State extended an offer in May and the Crimson Tide followed suit just two weeks ago. Checking in as the nation's No. 23 defensive tackle prospect, Silvera may be one of the more underrated players in the country. The 6-foot-2, 310-pounder won't be an easy pull from Mark Richt's Hurricanes. 

Ohio State already holds a commitment from Taron Vincent, the nation's No. 1 player at the position. There really aren't too many other tackles being heavily targeted right now, and with the staff's increased presence at the school, Silvera will continue to be one to monitor. 

Greg Schiano spent 18 months as Miami's defensive coordinator back in 1999 and 2000. Right now the Hurricanes trail only the Buckeyes in the race for the No. 1 class in America, and Schiano and Co. are going toe-to-toe with the folks in Coral Gables for one of the nation's top corners. 

There's no doubt that Tyson Campbell has the physical attributes that the Ohio State secondary has coveted of late. The nation's No. 3 corner is just shy of 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 180 pounds. His recruitment is shaping up to be a battle between the Buckeyes, Hurricanes, and perhaps the Crimson Tide; though he appears to be nowhere close to making a decision. 

He's been to Miami numerous times and there is plenty of reason for confidence from the Hurricane side. Miami does already have four cornerbacks and one safety committed for 2018. However, there's a long way to go until signing day and there's absolutely no question they would have room for priority target of Campbell's caliber.

Instead of heading to Miami with his team for a seven-on-seven tournament, the four-star attended a camp at Florida International a few weeks back. During that time, he had the opportunity to meet with both Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.

Campbell could be getting plenty of attention from the Ohio State commits while in Oregon for The Opening.

Five-star cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. also suits up for the Patriots, and unlike his counterpart, he seems like more of a long shot right now. Surtain Jr. was in Columbus back in April – along with Campbell and Chatfield – but his recruitment has basically been all LSU and Florida State from the start. Right now the Bayou Bengals hold just about 90 percent of the crystal ball picks. 

At one point there had been talks of an American Heritage package deal, but that no longer seems likely. Surtain looks fairly locked into LSU at the moment, and while the Tigers were in the running for Chatfield, Baton Rouge doesn't look like the likely destination for the rest of the Patriots' prospects. 

Mark Richt has done an impressive job on the recruiting trail, and there's no doubt Miami has the right man at the helm as the program is headed back in the right direction. Keeping Florida's top prospects away from the Seminoles, Gators, and the rest of the SEC is a challenge in itself, but Richt has already won his share of battles. 

Miami's campus is just 37 miles from American Heritage, but Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes certainly look to be up to the challenge. 

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