Take Two: Is five-star Jackson Carman a lock for Buckeyes?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.

TAKE TWO: Is Florida's Jim McElwain already on the hot seat? | Could James Franklin leave for Texas A&M?

Five-star Jackson Carman is the top-rated offensive tackle in the 2018 class, a regular at Ohio State games and an in-state recruit who has been made a top target by coach Urban Meyer and his staff.

This sounds like a slam dunk for the Buckeyes, but could Clemson or USC still have a realistic shot at landing the 6-foot-6, 305-pound prospect?

There is a glimmer of hope for those schools, especially after Carman questioned Ohio State’s personnel decisions when the Buckeyes stayed with quarterback J.T. Barrett over Dwayne Haskins after some early-season struggles. It even devolved into a back-and-forth Twitter beef with ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

But will that even matter in the end? Carman has sent signals that especially Clemson and even USC are legitimate contenders - maybe even his leaders - as his recruitment continues.

Is that all just a smokescreen for something everyone seems to accept at this point? That Carman will be playing his college football - whether at offensive tackle or offensive guard - in Columbus.

“Clemson and USC have made this a good battle, but when all is said and done I expect Carman is an Ohio State Buckeye. The home-state school was the team to beat from the very beginning of this process and remains the most likely choice heading into the home stretch of this recruitment. Urban Meyer and Co., have made sure Carman knows he is their top priority and the Cincinnati native has been a frequent sight on their campus. The buzz from those in and around this recruitment continues to be one-sided in favor of Ohio State.” – Helmholdt

“He’s going to Ohio State. I know he had that whole Herbstreit dust-up and he’s a kid who loves the attention and says, ‘This school is my leader,’ after he visits. But in the end, he’s going to end up at Ohio State, especially if it continues to play well. He’s probably going to be a guard and we might move him to guard in our next rankings. I’m not sure if he’s a five-star kid. He hasn’t really made that jump from his junior year through the offseason and into his senior year. As fas as a run blocker, he’s very aggressive and elite. The one thing that seems to be lacking from last year is the elite footwork we saw on film. He’s going to be an interior lineman and a really good one.” – Farrell