OSU Buckeyes

It could be hard for Ohio State to make a bigger impression the next time big offensive tackle Drew Richmond (Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School) visits the Buckeyes.

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Alabama, Ohio State or Kentucky will know by Sunday evening if their recruiting classes increase by one.

Wide receiver Derek Kief (Cincinnati/La Salle) confirmed he will announce where he will continue his academic and athletic future on his personal Twitter account on Sunday.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- While bigger-name prospects come and go on unofficial visits to Florida's summer camp, 2014 defensive end Justus Reed (Clearwater, Fla./Central Catholic) stood out on Thursday by actually participating.

Reed showed up for the afternoon session, warmed up with a couple hundred other campers and did position drills under the watchful eyes of Florida head coach Will Muschamp and defensive line coach Brad Lawing.

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The Sound Mind Sound Body camp is one of the biggest Midwest camps annually. Coaches from most of the Big Ten are on hand in Southfield, Mich., this weekend, to give speeches and work hands-on with the camp participants, which adds extra appeal for prospects. Every year the camp is filled with top prospects, and this year is no different. With more than 600 recruits scheduled to be on hand, here are a few things to watch this weekend.

Jacques Patrick

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Michigan had the opportunity to host 2015 running back Jacques Patrick (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) on Thursday. The talented back was on a Midwest tour and got the chance to see what the Wolverines had to offer.

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Throughout the next few months, BuckeyeNation will look further into those juniors offered by Ohio State.

We’ll give as much detail as we can and go behind the scenes to see why these Class of 2014 standouts are so attractive to the Buckeyes.

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It’s time to dip into the BuckeyeNation recruiting mailbag and answer some of your questions.

We’ll try to give everyone a chance to get their questions answered.

We encourage you to send your questions by Twitter at @bbournival, by e-mail at brad.bournival.espn@gmail.com or by posting a question in the Horseshoe Pit forum.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tight end DeAndre Goolsby (Derby, Kan./Derby) admits he's nowhere near ready to pick his college destination.

"I'm just kind of out there, looking," he says. "There's still a lot to see, so I'll wait that out."

With cautious curiosity, Goolsby visited Ohio State and Florida this week -- two big steps in his plan to narrow a sizable offer list to a handful of top teams before his senior season and make a decision by the end of the fall.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end was in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.

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Four-star wide receiver Jalen Brown (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe) holds nearly 30 offers, including ones from some of the top programs in the country. This past week, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound athlete had an opportunity to see four of them up close, as Brown took a Midwest trip and visited Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Brown relayed via text what stood out about each visit.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State needs offensive linemen. That’s no secret. With four senior starters departing from the trenches after this season, the Buckeyes need to upgrade the unit, which is the most important part of the 2014 recruiting class.

Offensive tackle and 2014 pledge Kyle Trout (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) knows it, as does the rest of the nation.

BuckeyeNation caught up with the 6-foot-5, 254-pound Trout to get his thoughts on what Ohio State looks for in an offensive lineman, what he thinks about himself and the goals that need to be set for the future.

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Don’t like the air in the recruiting world today?

Much like the weather in Ohio, wait two minutes, things will change.

Ohio State is in desperate need of linemen. The good news is there’s a plethora of them out there, and many of them are looking at the Buckeyes as the recruiting circuit heats up.

With that in mind, here’s a redux of the top five offensive linemen -- regardless of position -- Ohio State is looking at now:

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While many top college prospects are traveling across the country to take unofficial visits, attend camps and find ways to visit schools that they're interested in, ESPN 150 offensive guard Braden Smith (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) is taking a different approach, according to his head coach.

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound prospect, who is No. 118 in the ESPN 150, is focusing on offseason workouts and not recruiting currently.

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Derek Barnett (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) might already know what it’s like to play for Ohio State.

The 6-foot-3, 269-pound defensive end can’t help himself because he received an earful from his grandfather Gerald Kasunic growing up. See, Kasunic played for the Buckeyes in the early 1960s so the scarlet and gray has always been a topic of discussion in the Barnett household.

A fan of the Buckeyes, Barnett has heard the stories. Just how many, he’s not sure.

So when Ohio State called with an offer on Wednesday, it took him back a bit.

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Jamal Adams' dozen is now a half dozen.

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Minkah Fitzpatrick (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) is one of the top DBs in the 2015 class, with offers from the likes of Penn State and Ohio State, but he's also an absolute pig. Just ask his coach. Or, better yet, ask Minkah.

"Oh yeah," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm a pig. Definitely."

That's not to say the 183-pound prospect stuffs his face with waffles and pancakes at the breakfast table. (Sometimes, he skips the meal altogether so he can catch a few extra Zs.) No, his coach explained, take a bacon-and-eggs breakfast for example. That hen? She was dedicated to that meal. But the pig? He was committed.

And Fitzpatrick, the stone-faced teen with the unprecedented work ethic -- work disorder is how some would likely label it -- is sure committed.

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