Ohio State's 2015 recruiting efforts took a hit Sunday afternoon when 4-star tight end Chris Clark committed to North Carolina.
Clark, a 6'6", 247-pound pass-catcher out of Avon, Conn., made the announcement via his Twitter account.
Rated the No. 3 tight end and the No. 126 prospect overall, Clark was one of the most pursued recruits in the country. After hauling in 39 receptions for 417 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season, Clark earned offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
The Buckeyes, though, were considered the favorite, according to the recruiting experts at 247Sports.
So where does Ohio State go now?
Finding the right player is imperative for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. Ohio State didn't sign a tight end in its 2014 class, and with Jeff Heuerman on the brink of his final season, there's a big need for one this year.
The Buckeyes already have offers out to a pair of top 10 tight ends, both of whom reside in the SEC footprint.
The first went out to Garrett Williams last May. The 6'4", 220-pound prospect out of Orlando, Fla., is rated a 4-star recruit, but Meyer and the Buckeyes' coaching staff would need to work some serious magic to sway Williams from Florida State.
Last month, Ohio State sent out an offer to another 4-star prospect in Jackson Harris. The Columbia, Tenn., native has offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma and Oregon, but Vanderbilt is a strong favorite at the moment.
However, the Buckeyes might not even need to look past their own borders to find their guy.
C.J. Conrad, a 4-star prospect and the No. 8 tight end overall, resides in Lagrange, Ohio, which is about 100 miles north of Columbus.
Meyer has yet to extend an offer to Conrad, but that hasn't stopped a number of recruiting experts from predicting he'll wind up at Ohio State.
Conrad had a fantastic junior season for the Keystone Wildcats, catching 59 passes for 924 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The 6'5", 225-pound standout excels when he's split wide, using his incredible size and speed to present matchup nightmares for the defense. He also isn't afraid to go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic, and his highlight film shows that he can be a capable blocker.
While losing Clark was a big blow for Ohio State, there are still a number of talented tight ends for Meyer to pursue in this year's class.
All recruit rankings, stats and information per 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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