Ohio State just reeled in the second-best recruiting class in the country, signing 21 players who were among the most talented prospects at each of their respective positions. And while that includes what some consider to be the greatest defensive backs haul of all time, the Buckeyes still came up short at several other positions.
That said, here's a look at Ohio State's biggest positional needs for the Class of 2018, as well as who can fill them.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Starter Jamarco Jones is entering his final season, and though Isaiah Prince had a much-maligned 2016 campaign, he could have a bounce-back year and head to the NFL — there's certainly a market for 6-foot-7, 310-pound linemen.
Ohio State landed a trio of talented lineman last cycle in Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers and Thayer Munford, but the overall lack of depth along the offensive front still leaves a lot of question marks moving forward, especially at the tackle position.
The Buckeyes have signed two offensive tackles in each of the last two recruiting classes, but Myers is expected to follow Michael Jordan's lead and slide over to guard this fall. Munford is going to be a project, while Malcolm Pridgeon is on the mend from a knee injury that ended his first season in Columbus after transferring from Nassau Community College in New York.
That's why Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman is arguably the most important in-state target of the Urban Meyer era. Carman is not only the top-rated player at his position, he's also the best player in the state. Miss out on him and … well, Ohio State simply can't afford to.
Beyond that, Ohio State has forged relationships with Atlanta, Georgia, Pace Academy five-star Jamaree Salyer, who is good friends with quarterback commit Emory Jones, and Brooklyn, New York, Erasmus Hall four-star Matthew Jones, who hails from the same high school as former H-Back Curtis Samuel.
RUNNING BACK
Ohio State has only three true running backs on scholarship in Mike Weber, Antonio Williams and J.K. Dobbins — Demario McCall is in line to get most of his touches at H-Back with Samuel off to the NFL — so the staff will look to add at least two ball carriers this cycle. The need will only intensify if Weber has a breakout redshirt sophomore season and declares for the draft next year.
The Buckeyes got a head start at this position of need when Seffner, Florida, Armwood four-star Brian Snead committed at Friday Night Lights last July. With him in the fold, the staff has focused its efforts on Westerville four-star Jaelen Gill, who doubles his importance as the top-rated running back in the state of Ohio.
They're two completely different backs, however, which means Ohio State might even go so far as to bring in a third, assuming Gill steps into the H-Back role as the more athletic prospect. If that's the case, the Buckeyes might make a greater push for Laurinburg, North Carolina, Scotland County five-star Zamir White. But just like Cam Akers last cycle, it's hard to envision him leaving the south.
Seeing as there's almost 12 months left until signing day, new names will continue to pop up and new offers will be extended. One name to pay attention to moving forward is Dayton Dunbar four-star Tavion Thomas. Thomas has just started to form a relationship with the staff, though he was named first-team all-state last season.
The same goes for San Jose Oak Grove four-star Maurice Washington, a big-time Ohio State fan, who already has an offer but had to sit out his entire junior season thanks to California's strict transfer eligibility rules.
LINEBACKER
Linebacker doesn't seem like a position of need at the moment with Jerome Baker and Chris Worley returning to man the outside positions and Dante Booker, who began the year as the starter in place of Baker but was injured in the season opener, expected to slide over to the middle. Worley will graduate in the spring and Baker and Booker could possibly head to the NFL with standout seasons, however, leaving Ohio State to break in three new starters in 2018.
Beyond that, there's a bunch of talented but inexperienced players. Justin Hilliard, Malik Harrison, Keandre Jones and true freshman Baron Browning would ideally get playing time this fall and step into starting positions next year. But elite programs must also continue to bring in players to compete for those spots, and there's plenty of talent in the Class of 2018 to do just that.
Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman five-star Palaie Gaoteote hails from the same school that produced Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett. Gaoteote is also Garrett's cousin, leading many to believe the Buckeyes hae the inside track in his recruitment. The staff will have to hold off USC for his commitment, but would certainly love to nab the top-rated outside linebacker in the country for the second-consecutive year.
The position has also seen a transition at the top, with defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell off to be the head coach at Cincinnati. His replacement, Bill Davis, has spent most of his career in the NFL, and his lack of collegiate experience may hurt the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail.
That said, it hasn't thus far, as Davis has maintained and even improved upon relationships Fickell forged with prospects like Toledo St. John's Jesuit four-star Dallas Gant and Cincinnati Winton Woods four-star Christopher Oats.
Ohio State is also in pursuit of two highly rated out-of-state prospects in Denver, Colorado, Mullen four-star Adrian Jackson and Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bishop Sullivan four-star Teradja Mitchell, who recently listed the Buckeyes in his Top 11.
