BuckeyeGrove's Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings are back again with another edition of their weekly "Recruiting Roundtable."

The story below includes their thoughts on a trio of topics relating to Ohio State football recruiting. Their topics for this week are focused on the Buckeyes' chances with the No. 1 wideout in the 2022 cycle, the impact of the extended dead period and the recruiting implications of Ohio State winning a national championship.

Anders: Right now, I’d put it right at 45 percent, and Oklahoma accounts for another 45. Things can always change in the recruiting world, of course, but right now it appears Burden is destined to land at one of those two schools.

Burden’s official top 5 is Ohio State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama and Georgia. Because of the dead period and AAU obligations, he’s only been able to visit Oklahoma and Missouri, which gives the Sooners a slight leg up on the Buckeyes, and Burden also enjoys the way Oklahoma’s receivers are utilized in their pass-heavy offense.

Ohio State’s done a good job developing an early relationship with Burden, however. He also enjoys how the Buckeyes utilize their wideouts.

The longer this one plays out, it’s probably be better for the Buckeyes. Getting Burden on campus for the first time will be key, but that won’t happen for at least another three months because of restrictions on in-person contact with recruits due to COVID-19. Right now, it’s too close to call.

Hastings: I'm going to go with 49 percent, which is an oddly specific number.

The reason for this is due to the recently extended dead period, something that would significantly hurt Ohio State's chances with Burden if he decides to commit in the next three or so months.

Burden has yet to take a visit up to Columbus, but he has made his way out to Oklahoma's campus in the past. I believe it's imperative for Burden to get up to Ohio State, even if it's a self-guided tour, prior to him announcing his decision.

The number I chose for this answer does not necessarily mean the Buckeyes won't wind up with Burden; I'm just giving the Sooners a very slight advantage since he's visited the school. Andy being recently told that Burden has no leader at this time, along with my source saying Burden is open to his options, gives me confidence in saying this one is not close to being over just yet.

A lot of this is out of Ohio State's control due to the NCAA-mandated dead period, but a trip to the school is crucial for Burden to get a comprehensive evaluation of the school before committing.

Anders: Essentially, anyone who didn’t get to take a visit to Ohio State before the dead period started. Players that the Buckeyes got involved with late can be thrown into this category as well.

While five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh has visited Columbus once in November 2019, three other schools in his top five -- Alabama, Clemson and LSU -- have all received multiple visits, and the dead period is really restricting Ohio State’s efforts with the Virginia native.

Even though the Buckeyes are the favorite to land five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau and five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, neither got to take their official visits before the dead period hit, which could have all but sealed it for Ohio State.

The dead period also probably hurts the Buckeyes’ chances with four star safety Derrick Davis, who appears to be trending toward Penn State at this point. The in-state Nittany Lions have been viewed as Davis’ leader for some time now, and the dead period doesn’t allow much room for Ohio State to make up that ground in his recruitment.

Hastings: There is no doubt in my end that the extension of the dead period hurts Ohio State's chances with J.T. Tuimoloau the most.

I still like where things stand with Tuimoloau at this time, but him not having visited Columbus prior to this prolonged dead period is noteworthy. In that respect, his situation varies from Egbuka's recruitment as the top-ranked wideout on Rivals took multiple trips to the Buckeye State last year.

The good thing for Ohio State is that Tuimoloau will also probably not be able to officially visit Alabama, one of their top threats to land the No. 4 overall senior in the nation. My belief is that the Buckeyes will come out on top for Tuimoloau, but I would feel more confident in that statement had he taken a visit to the school already.

Also, this extended dead period could all but rule out a flip of Kentucky pledge Jager Burton. I was in the camp that had the dead period not continued to get extended and Burton could have taken his officials in the fall, Ohio State may have been the program to beat for his services.

Fortunately for Ohio State, their other other top targets have visited them at least once in their recruitments, though an OV is always preferable since it's a full 48 hours on campus with a lot of time spent around the coaches and players.

Anders: Obviously any time you win a national title, it’s going to have positive implications on recruiting. Elite prospects want to compete for and win championships. That’s no secret, and it’s important to nearly every recruit I’ve spoken with to date. There’s a reason the teams that consistently top the Associated Press Poll also typically top team recruiting rankings.

But, this year, there’s another layer to it. After all the Buckeyes have gone through just to get on the field, from the We Want to Play movement to the petitions to the parent groups to the Nebraska lawsuit, to turn that around and have Wyatt Davis and Shaun Wade opt back in -- if Ohio State wins the national title after all that, it speaks to an incredible winning culture in Columbus.

Recruits pay attention to culture, too. It goes hand in hand with winning national titles.

Something else that a national title victory through all this hardship would speak to is the “brotherhood” at Ohio State. The team stuck together regardless of the circumstances or how bleak the outlook got, nobody left, and together climbed the mountain of college football to win a national title. You could make a movie off a plot line like that.

Long story short, winning a national title, particularly in this season, would be very good for Ohio State recruiting.

Hastings: Ohio State has never secured the No. 1 class in the Rivals.com era.

If they win a national championship this season, however, then I believe they'll be in contention for the top recruiting class in the country on a yearly basis.

The Buckeyes are already in a great spot to beat out Alabama in the 2021 cycle, and they are putting together an incredible 2022 class. They already have a handful of Rivals250 members in next year's class, with three of those being top-25 overall juniors.

Winning it all could lead to back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes, which would be a phenomenal feat. Even with all the losses LSU has had (Joe Burrow getting drafted, Joe Brady going to the Panthers...) and how many expect they'll take a step back this season, they are continuing to recruit at an elite level. A championship boosts a program's recruiting efforts significantly as their on-field success speaks for itself.

I would like to see Ohio State do a better job along the o-line, but this staff is already on their way to potentially building a recruiting powerhouse, and a championship could lead to even more success on the trail in years to come.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.