Signed: Jaylen Harris

Cleveland Heights (Ohio) wide receiver Jaylen Harris was in no hurry to speed through is recruitment before announcing for the Buckeyes in January. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder had long been rumored to be on his way to Ohio State but nobody was really sure until it was time to make a decision. Now, Harris is a signed member of the Ohio State class after faxing his Letter of Intent to the football offices of the WHAC.

Harris had taken official visits to Penn State and Michigan State and had several other schools hoping that they could lure the big four-star receiver out of state. The Buckeyes just held firm and kept the door open for Harris and when the time was right, he walked through it and seized the opportunity.

"Growing up, Ohio State was always my dream school," said Harris. "I just prayed every day and I just kept praying and one day I woke up and my heart was telling me to go to Ohio State. Later that night, I called coach (Urban) Meyer and told him I was coming."

The Buckeyes have a wide receiver class that is blessed with a lot of height. Harris and Elijah Gardiner both check in at 6-foot-5 and Trevon Grimes checks in at 6-foot-4. Ohio State has not had many tall receivers through the years and now are signing a class of three guys that immediately walk in as the tallest guys in the room.

What kind of player is Harris going to be for the Buckeyes?

"Perhaps the best thing Harris has going for him, however, is his work ethic," BuckeyeGrove.com recruiting analyst Marc Givler said. "He is a humble, hard-working kid who has been very dedicated to his teammates both on the football field and the basketball floor the last few years and he has a desire to get better and work on his craft. Kids with high ceilings who also work hard tend to succeed at the next level and it would not be a surprise if Harris is a major part of the offense by his second year on campus."

Harris admits that he is not afraid of hard work and that nothing has been just handed to him.

"Just playing hard is how I grew up," Harris said. "Nothing was ever given to me and I had to work hard for everything that I got. That's really it. I want to be the best so why not go hard and push my teammates to go hard? Ohio State, they always preach about going hard so that's one thing I love about them."

Urban Meyer has talked at length about liking two-sport (or more) stars on his team and Harris fits that bill as well as a talented basketball player. Football will now be the sole focus, even though there might be a good pick-up game or two amongst teammates for bragging rights of the hardwoods.

"Basketball, playing that throughout high school, definitely helped my on the football field," Harris said. "There are a lot of movements and muscles that I would use on the court that definitely helped me (on the football field)."