Urban Meyer always has some surprises up his sleeve.
We've spent plenty of time looking at the top remaining targets on Ohio State's 2019 recruiting board and discussing the likelihood of said prospects eventually joining the class. The staff has 13 players in the fold thus far in a class that sits at No. 8 in the national team rankings, and we're expecting the final number to be in the 23-25 range.
If you look back to July of last year, there were a number of players who ultimately sided with Ohio State that we really weren't even talking about at that time; or at least we didn't view them as real options. Nicholas Petit-Frere and Tyler Friday both had been offered, but no one was even close to having the five-star tackle or the New Jersey four-star penciled into the Buckeyes' 2018 class.
The same can be said for players like Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Alex Williams. The defensive end duo wasn't even offered until the winter months, so we really had no reason to even consider them throughout the majority of the recruiting process.
This time around, the 2019 class has already seen its share of surprises. Flipping Dwan Mathis from Michigan State and Bryson Shaw from Wisconsin seemingly came out of nowhere, and the latter had been a player who was barely even on our radar.
We are now five months away from the early signing period and seven months from February's traditional signing day. There are bound to be some surprises over the the next several months, and we'd recommend keeping a close eye on these 2019 prospects.
Kyle Ford • Wide Receiver • Orange, California • ★★★★ • Nat. Rank: No. 45
Ohio State nabbed one West Coast pass-catcher for the Class of 2018 in San Marcos, California's Chris Olave. Zach Smith and Co. are looking to do much of the same this go around and Kyle Ford is quietly sitting pretty highly on the staff's board. The nation's No. 7 wideout is currently 100 percent crystal balled to the Trojans.
Ford was recently named MVP at The Opening and his stock continues to soar. At this point his recruitment seems wide open with teams like USC, Florida State, Oregon, and Michigan all involved. He's talked multiple times about making a trip to Columbus, and you can never rule out the Buckeyes when a kid makes a visit.
Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams continue to be the most likely options to complement five-star Garrett Wilson, but Ford is someone to watch closely.
Noah Cain • Running Back • Denton, Texas • ★★★★ • Nat. Rank: No. 58
Several months back, looking at Noah Cain as a potential Ohio State commit was pretty commonplace. But as we sit here in July, the IMG Academy tailback has become a bit of an afterthought for a couple different reasons.
The Buckeyes basically have 1.5 running backs committed in Sampson James and Steele Chambers. We still think there's a very real chance that Chambers ends up at linebacker, and if the staff feels the same way then it would be no surprise to see them go all in on another pure tailback.
Cain has a great relationship with Tony Alford, but schools like Texas, LSU, and Penn State all may be higher on his list at the moment. The good news is that the Texas native is not looking to decide until closer to December, so the Buckeyes will have plenty of time to figure out how they want to handle the running back situation.
Kane Patterson • Linebacker • Nashville, Tennessee • ★★★★ • Nat. Rank: No. 194
At this point in the process, Patterson likely wouldn't be all that surprising to many who have been following along closely over the last few days. But the four-star hasn't appeared on any of our boards or class projections and the Nashville native's crystal ball started turning toward the Buckeyes this week. That's why we've decided to include him on the list.
Ohio State has one linebacker in the fold in Lexington's Cade Stover, but there are three other commits – Chambers, Ronnie Hickman, and Craig Young – who could end up at the position. There's also the chance that Stover grows into a defensive end, so that will be worth monitoring as well.
Either way, none of the current commits look like inside backers, and that's where Patterson best projects. Alabama is looking to take upwards of three at the position, and the Crimson Tide continue to look like the stiffest competition. Patterson is expected to announce sometime this summer.
Walter Rouse • Offensive Tackle • Washington, D.C. • ★★★ • Nat. Rank: No. 676
Stanford is the crystal ball favorite for three-star tackle Walter Rouse, but the Buckeyes have had their share of wins over the Cardinal lately; especially in the trenches. Harry Miller and 2020 lineman Luke Wypler were both down to Ohio State and Stanford before siding with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has three linemen in the fold already for 2019, but there's still a clear need at the tackle spot. Rouse has yet to visit campus, but he has plans to make the trip following the dead period later this month. Programs like Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Yale were also named in his top 10.
Nick Samac • Guard • Mentor, Ohio • ★★★ • Nat. Rank: No. 848
Mentor guard Nick Samac pledged to Michigan State about six weeks ago. Following the commitment he received an offer from Ohio State. Thus far the three-star has given no indication that he's wavering on his status with the Spartans, but I think it's becoming pretty clear that he's a player the Buckeyes would love to have in the fold.
Zeke Correll was another Ohioan who was considering Ohio State, but the four-star guard committed to Notre Dame a few weeks back. I'd look for the Buckeyes to continue the push for Samac, and you can bet that two of his teammates – Noah Potter and Ryan Jacoby – will be working on him as well. We'll see if the trio all makes it to Columbus at some point in the coming months.