Talent descends for Friday Night Lights

Ohio State is hosting its sixth Friday Night Lights, an event that one national analyst said has become a major feature on the college football recruiting landscape.

“This camp is as exciting as there is in the country,” said 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, who again plans to attend at Ohio Stadium. “There is always a tremendous atmosphere, from the fans in the stands to the Buckeye greats all over the field. The camp is crisp and competitive. You have the Jumbotron going, the music, just a great deal all around. And I look forward to it every year because I know there will be talented prospects competing from all over the country.”

With Ohio State competing with Miami for the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the 2018 cycle, there promises to be plenty of talent on display.

The big question is whether the top player remaining on the Buckeyes’ board, five-star offensive lineman Jackson Carman of Fairfield, will attend. He had an invitation from Clemson for the same night, “but I think he will be at Ohio State,” Bucknuts analyst Bill Kurelic said. “We won’t know, though, until we actually see him.”

Along with 10 of the 15 players already committed to Ohio State’s 2018 class, led by quarterback Emory Jones, Kurelic expects to see elite uncommitted defensive line prospects Micah Parsons of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Tommy Togiai of Pocatello, Idaho.

A couple of younger players to keep an eye on are Olentangy Orange defensive lineman Zach Harrison, who Kurelic said could wind up being the No. 1 overall prospect in the country for 2019, and offensive lineman Doug Nester of Huntington, West Virginia, who could become the first commitment to OSU’s 2019 class.