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Football Recruiting
Looking Forward: 2014 Wide Receivers
By Tony Gerdeman

Ohio State is mainly focused in the Midwest and Southeast in their search for wide receivers. Fortunately for them, one of their top targets is a Glenville Tarblooder.

From the list of 12 names below, Glenville's Marshon Lattimore and Indiana's Lonnie Johnson are the two best bets to be part of the 2014 class. The Buckeyes don't necessarily lead for anybody else just yet, but there are still 12 months before the 2014 Signing Day, so ground can still be made.

Other names will emerge from now until the conclusion of summer camps, but until then, the names below will give you an idea of the type of talent that Ohio State is looking at in the 2014 class.

Marshon Lattimore (6-0 175) Cleveland OH (Uncommitted) #4 ATH per 247 Sports, #2 WR per Scout

Lattimore is a fair bet to be the top prospect in Ohio in the 2014 class. He is one of the top receiver prospects in the nation, but could also be one of the top cornerback prospects as well. Playing at Glenville, he has drawn comparisons to Ted Ginn Jr. He has offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Georgia Tech, Penn State and USC. Last season was his first time playing varsity football, so there is still a ton of untapped potential here. A possible five-star prospect by the recruiting services. It would be a surprise if he ended up somewhere other than Ohio State. Highlights

Trevion Thompson (6-2 177) Durham NC (Uncommitted) #2 WR per 247 Sports, #4 WR per Scout

Thompson goes to the same high school as Buckeye linebacker Jamal Marcus. Ohio State has ramped up their efforts in the state of North Carolina since Urban Meyer hired Everett Withers, and Thompson is yet another example of that. He has yet to visit Ohio State, but certainly wants to. He has offers from OSU, Clemson, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Drake Harris (6-4 180) Grand Rapids MI (Michigan State) #10 WR per 247 Sports, #6 WR per Scout

Harris committed to Michigan State back in June to play both football and basketball, which should tell you what kind of athlete he is. Recently, he has reopened his recruitment as he has decided to concentrate solely on football, though he is still committed to the Spartans. Along with the offer from MSU, he also has offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Florida and Notre Dame. He initially committed to Michigan State because he wanted to play for Tom Izzo. With basketball now out of the picture, anything is possible. He had 91 receptions for 2,015 yards and 25 touchdowns this past season. Ohio State coaches visited his school on January 22. Highlights

Demarre Kitt (6-1 182) Tyrone GA (Uncommitted) #21 WR per 247 Sports, #27 WR per Scout

Kitt is rated in the 20s by both 247 and Scout, but it would appear from his offers that the schools themselves think more of him than the recruiting services do. He has offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, USC, Florida State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Michigan. He tweeted on January 22 that his top five were (in order) Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon, Auburn and USC. Kitt is a part of the group of Georgia athletes who are very interested in the Buckeyes. Kitt finished with 74 receptions for 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season. Highlights

Artavis Scott (5-10 175) Tarpon Springs FL (Uncommitted) #12 WR per 247 Sports, #15 WR per Scout

Scott has offers from Ohio State, Florida State, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, South Carolina and West Virginia. He attended OSU's Friday Night Lights last summer and performed very well, both as a receiver and a cornerback. He could end up playing either in college, though his size may keep him on the offensive side of the ball for many teams. His teammate is Mason Cole, a highly-recruited offensive lineman also with offers from OSU and Michigan, among many others. Both have talked about being a package deal, but that kind of talk generally dies down as recruiting gets more serious. Highlights

Lonnie Johnson (6-3 190) Gary IN (Uncommitted) #50 WR per 247 Sports, Not Ranked per Scout

Johnson only has offers from Ohio State, Bowling Green and Illinois to this point, but that will change in the coming months. Johnson is a tall receiver with the speed of a much smaller player. He is a tremendous athlete who could also project to the secondary. He had 31 receptions for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. The OSU coaches identified Johnson early and the Buckeyes are his clear leader. His commitment could come relatively quickly. Highlights

Thaddeus Snodgrass (6-1 170) Springfield OH(Uncommitted) #18 WR per 247 Sports, #23 WR per Scout

The Snodgrass case is an interesting one because it seems that he wanted to commit to Ohio State back in the fall, but it never happened. He is one of the fastest receivers in the state. He has offers from OSU, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue. Playing in a run-oriented offense, he caught 30 passes for 452 yards this past season. Highlights

Shaq Davidson (6-0 170) Gaffney SC (Uncommitted) #5 WR per 247 Sports, #12 WR per Scout

It looks like it is going to be difficult for any school to defeat South Carolina here. Davidson also has offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Nebraska and North Carolina. Despite his size, he is a strong runner and can make plays on the ball in the air at receiver. Davidson played quarterback this past season and threw for 869 yards and also rushed for 609 yards. Highlights

Joshua Malone (6-2 185) Gallatin TN (Uncommitted) #11 WR per 247 Sports, #22 WR per Scout

Malone was the Offensive MVP of the Junior Combine at the Army All-American game earlier this month, and will play in the game next year. He is still wide open at this point and has offers from Ohio State, Baylor, Michigan, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Notre Dame, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Malone is a tall receiver, but has the quickness and speed of a smaller player. Highlights

Derek Kief (6-5 185) Cincinnati OH (Uncommitted) #14 WR per 247 Sports, #45 WR per Scout

Kief does not have an offer from Ohio State at this point, but he has visited OSU a few times. He does, however, have offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois and Northwestern. He is a size mismatch as a receiver with good body control. He finished with 65 receptions for 907 yards and nine touchdowns this past season. Highlights

Dareian Watkins (6-2 192) Galion OH (Uncommitted) #10 ATH per 247 Sports, #38 WR per Scout

Watkins does not have an offer from Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are definitely in contact with him. The same goes for Michigan and most of the Big Ten as well. He does have offers from Big Ten schools Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue, as well as Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Cincinnati. Watkins plays quarterback for Galion, but will likely have to play elsewhere in college. Schools are also looking at him as a safety. Highlights

Dominique Booth (6-1 195) Indianapolis IN (Uncommitted) #28 WR per 247 Sports, #28 WR per Scout

Booth does not have an offer from Ohio State, though he puts the Buckeyes in his top seven. Obviously, if they were to offer, they would probably move higher in that top seven. The only other school in his top seven who hasn't offered is Michigan, and the same potential for upward mobility is likely with the Wolverines as well. Booth has offers from California, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss and Purdue. He caught 67 passes for 853 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Highlights

2014 Quarterbacks
2014 Running Backs

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