At his introductory press conference, new Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann made it known he got right to work after accepting the job.
"That first hour, we started making calls and contacting [recruits]," Holtmann said. "We hit the ground running. This place is incredible. People understand that. I think we're going to have a great opportunity. Any time you take a job at this point, you have a little bit of catch-up. We understand that."
And since that moment, it's been clear Holtmann and his new staff — Terry Johnson, Ryan Pedon and Mike Schrage — have been quite busy. The Buckeyes got right to work in an attempt to build a monster 2018 recruiting class.
Ohio State currently has one verbal commitment in 2018: four-star guard Dane Goodwin. A 6-foot-4 sharpshooter from Upper Arlington, Goodwin has been committed to the Buckeyes since Dec. 1, 2014. However, coaching changes can be difficult for any committed prospect, so priority No. 1 for Holtmann and Co. is trying to hold on to the nation's No. 75 overall prospect and fourth-ranked player in Ohio, according to 247Sports' composite ratings.
But with the way Ohio State's roster looks currently, there is room for quite a large 2018 class alongside Goodwin — assuming he stays in the fold. With the addition of Kyle Young, the Buckeyes have 10 scholarship players for next season — two of whom are seniors — so expect the 2018 haul to have at least four members.
So, who could potentially be part of that class? Well, Ohio State's staff made it clear who some of the top targets were over the last week by dishing out a handful of scholarship offers — new and old — to 2018 prospects.
What follows is a breakdown of recent offers from the new Buckeyes' staff.
In-State Stars Cohill, Hunter Earn Offers — Again
Two of the best players in the state of Ohio for 2018, four-stars Dwayne Cohill and Jerome Hunter, were each offered scholarships by Ohio State's previous coaching staff. Holtmann and Co. wanted to ensure both knew they were still two of the Buckeyes' top priorities, so each was offered again last week.
Ohio State has offered four-star 2018 in-state standouts Jerome Hunter and Dwayne Cohill tonight
— Brian Snow (@BSnowScout) June 15, 2017
Cohill, a Cleveland native ranked No. 61 nationally according to 247Sports' composite, had an offer from Holtmann and his old staff at Butler, too. He's a 6-foot-3 combo guard who also has offers from Texas, Xavier, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Dayton, Northwestern and many others.
Hunter is another player who had an offer from this current Ohio State staff while at Butler. He's a 6-foot-7 wing from nearby Pickerington North ranked as the nation's No. 109 prospect, according to 247Sports' composite. Hunter has offers from Michigan, Illinois, N.C. State, Purdue, Xavier and more and has tremendous upside as a high-level prospect.
The potential of landing both Cohill and Hunter to pair alongside Goodwin for an in-state haul in 2018 would be ideal for Ohio State.
Going Guard-Heavy
There's certainly been a trend with a lot of the recent offers extended by the Ohio State: The majority went to guards. The Buckeyes lack backcourt depth and desperately need a guard-heavy class in 2018.
In addition to Cohill, Ohio State recently offered seven guards in the 2018 class: Devon Dotson, Elijah Weaver, Luther Muhammad, Torrence Watson, Eric Hunter, Will Richardson and Ayo Dosunmu.
The Buckeyes' new staff had ties to all of these prospects while at Butler, so it makes sense they'd now target them in Columbus, as well.
Dosunmu (No. 27), Dotson (No. 31), Weaver (No. 32), Richardson (No. 53) and Muhammad (No. 56) all rank within the top-60 prospects nationally, according to 247Sports' composite, so it's clear Ohio State is aiming high here.
Eric Hunter is ranked No. 141 nationally and a four-star guard prospect out of Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Watson is the No. 151-ranked player in the country and a three-star recruit from St. Louis.
For the most part, these are new names in the world of Ohio State recruiting so it's important to keep them in mind going forward when discussing the Buckeyes' 2018 class.
Two More Names to Know
While it's clear Ohio State is targeting guards, the Buckeyes are still searching for some frontcourt help, too, and they recently extended a pair of offers to top-100 prospects in addition to Jerome Hunter.
Those two players are Marcus Bingham Jr. and Darius Days.
Blessed and thankful to receive an offer from Ohio State University #GoBuckeyes #GABG pic.twitter.com/2gl0SYYaxq
— Marcus Bingham Jr (@Marcusbingham0) June 18, 2017
Bingham is rated as the No. 76 player nationally, according to 247Sports composite. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native is a 6-foot-10 big man who also has reported scholarship offers from Michigan State, Purdue, Xavier and more. With just two bigs currently on Ohio State's roster — Kaleb Wesson and Micah Potter — Bingham could be the Buckeyes' top target at the position in this class.
Days is a 6-foot-8 forward from Gainesville, Florida. He is the No. 72-ranked overall prospect in the class and the 18th-rated power forward. He has additional reported scholarship offers from Virginia, Kansas, USC, Illinois and more. The hometown school, Florida, has not yet offered but figures to be the heavy favorite.
Top In-State 2019 Prospect Re-Offered
Of course, we can't forget about the 2019 class so a quick note: Ohio State offered Pickerington Central point guard Jeremiah Francis. Francis had an offer from the old staff and Holtmann's staff offered him at Butler, so the Buckeyes pulled the trigger to let him know he is of the utmost importance in 2019.
The new Ohio State staff offered '19 Pickerington Central PG Jeremiah Francis. OSU's top priority in 2019.
— Zach Fleer (@ZachFleer270) June 17, 2017
Of course, Francis is an Ohio State legacy as his father, Jerry, was a star for the Buckeyes back in the 1980s. In Scout.com's latest update for the 2019 class, Francis came in as the No. 62-ranked prospect nationally.
