Gill back in action

Ohio State commit Jaelen Gill took his first competitive reps on a football field since September this Sunday as he worked out at The Opening regional in Northeast Ohio. The 6-foot, 180-pound all-purpose back showed very few ill effects from the fractured bone in his leg that cost him most of his junior season.

"It felt great to be back out there," said Gill. "I felt a little rusty at first. Playing baseball has helped (with getting back in shape). I get on the (football) field whenever I'm free but I don't have a lot of free time right now with baseball. I definitely felt good, better than I thought it would be. There's no pain in the ankle. I'd say I'm about 90-percent and I'm just getting stronger."

Gill was one of four to punch his ticket to The Opening finals in Oregon on Sunday, along with a pair of major Ohio State in-state targets in Jackson Carman and Tyreke Smith. Gill vows he will get the other two Ohioans to join him in the Buckeyes' 2018 class.

"It was great," he said. "It makes OSU look even better. They have my word that I'm getting them to Ohio State."

Since committing to Ohio State last month, Gill has hit the ground running on the recruiting front and he's after some big fish. Some of the nation's top players line the list of prospects he says he is in contact with the most on OSU's behalf.

"I'm the working the most on Jackson (Carman), Dallas (Gant), Josh Moore, Teradja Mitchell, Micah (Parsons), Palaie Gaoteote," he said. "Those are the guys I've been on the most."

Carman recently caused a stir by naming Clemson his leader after a recent visit. Gill reached out immediately.

"I contacted him right away," Gill said. "As soon as I saw the Clemson thing, I was like, 'Jackson what are you doing? You know where the place is, you know where to go, stop toying with people and just come on over'."

With Gill's own recruiting process essentially coming to an end, that has freed him up to help Ohio State's recruiting efforts and has also given him a little more time to himself. But while many prospects feel a huge sense of relief after committing, it's pretty much business as usual for Gill who says he never got really stressed out by the process.

"I was never really too bothered by (the recruiting process)," he said. "The coaches and the interviews and stuff, that was what I was growing up hoping to be able to do, to be in that position. There's definitely a little more peace, not as many people contacting me all at once, but it has definitely been a great experience."

Gill will be at Ohio State again this Saturday for the spring game.