On June 12, Urban Meyer and Ohio State earned a verbal pledge from Tate Martell—a 4-star prospect and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country. He was the 13th pledge in the Buckeyes' recruiting class, and he further tightened Ohio State's grasp on the No. 1 spot for the 2017 cycle.
And with Martell in the fold, Ohio State's grip on that top spot shouldn't loosen.
Martell himself is a special talent who would instantly boost any recruiting class in the country. He's the No. 33 overall prospect nationally, and his impressive offer list indicates that he could play anywhere he wanted.
He had collegiate offers before his first day of high school, which resulted in an early commitment to Washington. He later decommitted and pledged to Texas A&M before a coaching change made him reconsider.
"I made a decision in seventh grade," Martell said, according to Ryan Connors of SB Nation. "I can’t really give you a reason for that besides that I was 13 years old and immature. [Texas A&M], I thought, was the place for me, but with the coaching change and stuff like that I know it wasn’t the best fit for me."
That's the road that led him to Ohio State, and now that he's committed, he's taken it upon himself to make the Buckeyes the king of the recruiting world.
That process started the day he jumped on board with Ohio State.
Martell has always been a vocal football player, a trait that has come naturally as the quarterback at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He's carrying that role over to the recruiting field and helping Ohio State recruit its top remaining targets.
The first domino to fall was Wyatt Davis, a 5-star offensive guard and the No. 15 overall player in the country.
Davis' commitment gave Ohio State a nation-leading three 5-star commitments, but looking at Martell's board, that's just the tip of the 5-star iceberg.
Two of the Buckeyes' top targets are on the perimeter in 5-star wideoutsTyjon Lindsey and Trevon Grimes. Martell gave the pair a glimpse into a potential future at Ohio State last week at The Opening Finals, where the three were paired together on Team Alpha Pro for the seven-on-seven tournament.
Both Lindsey and Grimes are overwhelming favorites to commit to Ohio State, according to 247Sports' "crystal ball" predictions.
It doesn't stop there, of course. The Buckeyes are also favored to land 5-stars Jeffrey Okudah (safety), Cam Akers (running back) and Chase Young (defensive end), and they're in the running for Donovan Peoples-Jones (wide receiver) and Baron Browning (linebacker).
Ever-present in Ohio State's pursuit for the nation's top-flight talent is Martell, who's using the Buckeyes' recent success to sell a bright future.
"It kind of speaks for itself at Ohio State," Martell said of his pitch to other recruits, according to Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com. "All the guys that got drafted and every kid’s dream is to make it to the NFL. If that’s your goal, then [Ohio State]’s the place to be for that."
All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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