No. 1 tight end prospect chooses Ohio State

Jeremy Ruckert, the No. 1 tight end prospect in the nation for 2018 according to at least two recruiting services, committed to the Ohio State class of 2018 on Monday.

From Lindenhurst, New York, on Long Island, the five-star prospect picked the Buckeyes over Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

“Go Buckeyes,” Ruckert said, revealing an Ohio State T-shirt at the end of an announcement video that had him racing go-karts against and passing drivers who wore helmets of the other three schools.

Both 247sports.com and Scout.com rank the 6-foot-6, 238-pound Ruckert at the top of the tight ends. Recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, an affiliate of 247sports, said he understands why, especially after watching Ruckert’s efforts recently at The Opening, a summer camp for elite prospects in Oregon.

“He does everything at a high level, from running routes, to catching, to blocking,” Kurelic said. “And he’s a great student.”

Ronny Torres, director of player personnel for The Opening, tweeted that landing Ruckert was "as good as any (tight end) prospect there's been the last few years.”

It’s why Ruckert has been in the OSU crosshairs for a while, said Marc Givler of rivals.com.

“This was Ohio State’s top target at the position for more than a year, and he was Kevin Wilson’s No.1 recruiting priority since joining the staff,” Givler said, referring to OSU’s new offensive coordinator.

The Buckeyes indicated during the spring game that tight ends might see more action as receivers. Before Wilson was coach at Indiana the past six years, he was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, where in 2008 tight end Jermaine Gresham caught 66 passes.