The early enrollees from Ohio State's 2017 class have earned no shortage of praise thus far from Urban Meyer.
"Maybe our best group that we've had come in," Meyer said this spring. “This is a very mature group. I love this group.”
The Buckeyes had 10 players arrive in time to participate in spring ball, but the rest of Ohio State's highly-touted 2017 recruiting class got to campus over the weekend. We've written a few different stories on how the early enrollees fared (spoiler: quite well), but with the rest of the class officially in the fold now in time for summer classes and workouts, we figured now would be a good time to post a reminder of the rest of the group.
What follows is a brief breakdown of the Buckeyes' non-early enrollees in the 2017 class and what to expect from them this fall:
Chase Young — ★★★★★ DE — Hyattsville, Maryland
Ohio State is loaded at defensive end in 2017, but the nation's No. 8-ranked overall prospect is certainly going to have his shot to earn some playing time. Young has the potential to be an All-American for the Buckeyes down the road and big things are expected from the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder.
Wyatt Davis — ★★★★★ OL — Bellflower, California
With one spot open on the interior of the offensive line, the No. 1-ranked offensive guard in the 2017 class will certainly have a chance to compete right away. It's rather unusual for a true freshman to start on Ohio State's offensive line, but it did happen just last year with Michael Jordan. Davis is a punishing interior lineman who seems destined for a great career in Columbus.
Trevon Grimes — ★★★★ WR — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
If Grimes is 100 percent healthy — he suffered a torn ACL at the end of his senior season — look out. He's a big, strong, fast wide receiver that Ohio State didn't really have prior to his arrival. With the lack of unproven production at the position, Grimes can be an instant impact player. Again, though, he has to be healthy.
Haskell Garrett — ★★★★ DT — Las Vegas, Nevada
Oh, look, another toy for Larry Johnson to play with on the defensive line. Garrett is the No. 6-ranked defensive tackle in the 2017 class and while it may be hard for him to crack the rotation right away, Garrett figures to be a major factor on the interior of Ohio State's defensive line for years to come.
Amir Riep — ★★★★ CB — Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio State's depth at corner took a bit of a hit with the transfers of Joshua Norwood and Rodjay Burns, but the Buckeyes remain stacked at the position as they added Kendall Sheffield, Jeffrey Okudah, Shaun Wade and Marcus Williamson as early enrollees. The only corner who didn't enroll early was Riep so he'll be playing catch up.
Jaylen Harris — ★★★★ WR — Cleveland, Ohio
Like Grimes, Harris, at 6-foot-5, is another big-bodied wide receiver Ohio State added to its roster. He probably needs a bit more polish than Grimes does and might have a tough time cracking the wide receiver rotation as a true freshman, but again, there isn't a ton of proven production there so playing time is there for the taking right away if Harris is good enough.
Jerron Cage — ★★★★ DT — Cincinnati, Ohio
The 14th-ranked defensive tackle in the 2017 class, Cage was one of Ohio's top prospects. He comes to Ohio State with his work cut out for him for playing time as a true freshman, but if he's good enough right away, Larry Johnson will find a way to use him.
Pete Werner — ★★★★ LB — Indianapolis, Indiana
Ohio State needed a natural middle linebacker with Raekwon McMillan's departure and they hope they found one in Werner. Chris Worley will be the Buckeyes' MIKE in the fall, but after Worley departs it's wide open. Werner is a likely redshirt candidate unless he contributes on special teams.
Thayer Munford — ★★★★ OT — Massillon, Ohio
A late addition to Ohio State's 2017 class, Munford is one of three Buckeyes' offensive linemen in this haul. He's the only tackle they brought in with this group but still seems like a likely redshirt candidate given what's ahead of him on the depth chart.
Ellijah Gardiner — ★★★ WR — Kemp, Texas
After Tyjon Lindsey's decommitment, Ohio State targeted Gardiner and eventually flipped him from Missouri. Like Grimes and Harris, Gardiner is a bigger receiver (6-foot-5) but he seems the most likely of the three to take a redshirt as a freshman.
Blake Haubeil — ★★★ K — Buffalo, New York
The nation's No. 1-ranked kicker will have a chance to compete for a starting position from Day 1. Tyler Durbin graduated and Sean Nuernberger has been anything but consistent throughout his career, so Haubeil has a shot to earn the job.
