Whether the Ohio State 2018 football recruiting class winds up being ranked No.1 nationally now is in the hands of the judges.

Regardless, the Buckeyes received a major assist from defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as they wrapped up their class Wednesday with a five-star prospect on top of the list.

Nicholas Petit-Frere, the No. 1 tackle prospect in the nation according to the 247sports composite and No. 7 overall prospect, announced his pledge to the Buckeyes in late morning before signing a national letter of intent. From Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Florida, Petit-Frere also had considered Florida, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame before choosing OSU.

"I felt it was the place for me and where my heart wanted me to go," Petit-Frere said.

That feeling no doubt was enhanced by Schaino’s presence. Before joining Urban Meyer’s staff in 2016, Schiano had been a volunteer assistant at Berkeley, where his sons played football. Though Petit-Frere was 6 feet 4, 205 pounds at the time, he displayed qualities that prompted Schiano to point out to others "that kid’s going to be a special, special player."

"I’m excited to get him up here," Schiano said, "because he’s not only a great player, but someone I care a great deal about."

Petit-Frere is almost grown up now, to 6-6, 272 pounds. When he announced on ESPNU on Wednesday, "I will be committing to the University of Ohio State," Meyer and Schiano forgave the faux pas and responded by pounding a table in the recruiting war room of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. That was more for show.

"We actually got the call, I want to say (Tuesday), that he wanted to be a Buckeye," Meyer said. "And that was 50-year-old men acting silly and chest-bumping and jumping up and down. It was a very good feeling.

"He filled a need that every college in America has and that’s an elite offensive tackle."

The Buckeyes went into the day with 22 players already in the fold because of the early signing period on Dec. 20, including defensive end Tyreke Smith of Cleveland Heights, who signed that day but kept it secret until the Under Armour All-America all-star game in January.

Wednesday they went on to sign already pledged four-star defensive lineman Tyler Friday of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, and three-star receiver Chris Olave of Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California.

After Petit-Frere’s announcement, OSU gained a commitment and signature from defensive end/linebacker Javontae Jean-Baptiste of Bergen Catholic in Oradell, New Jersey. He picked OSU over Nebraska and Texas A&M.

But Petit-Frere was the headliner, the highest rated prospect nationally in an OSU class that, on paper, rivals Georgia and Texas for best in the land. Even though five-star tackle Jackson Carman from Fairfield, Ohio, spurned the Buckeyes for Clemson in December, Meyer said Petit-Frere was always the No. 1 player on their board. The reasons were clear to the coaches.

"He’s incredibly athletic for a man of his size," Schiano said. "And he plays with the kind of attitude we preach here all the time. … You don’t have to watch a highlight tape to see that. That coupled with his intellect, he’s one of the smarter guys I’ve ever been around."

Bios of future Buckeyes:

Nicholas Petit-Frere OL 6-6 272 Tampa, Fla. (Berkeley Prep)

He is a five-star and the consensus No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation according to the 247sports composite. He is the No. 7 overall prospect nationally. He picked Ohio State over Florida, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame. An overpowering blocker, he helped his team to the Class 3A state semifinals as a junior. He was part of the Under Armour All-America game, where he won the lineman strength competition. He is a finalist for Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Trophy Award, given to the top African-American high school football player in the country. A MaxPreps all-American, he named the No. 1 prospect on the Tampa Bay Times’ HomeTeam100.

Tyler Friday DL 6-3 262 Ramsey, New Jersey (Don Bosco Prep)

He is a consensus four-star prospect who is rated No.68 among overall prospects nationally by rivals.com, No.93 in the 247sports composite of the major recruiting rankings. Though he was considered a major defensive tackle prospect by some, he likely will be tried at defensive end first by OSU. He had 25 tackles for loss, including four sacks, his senior season. He was a two-way player at Don Bosco, and named among the 50 seniors to watch by NorthJersey.com. He picked OSU over Alabama and Michigan.

Chris Olave WR 6-1 170 San Marcos, California (Mission Hills)

He is a consensus three-star and considered a late-bloomer, but that might have as much to do with him having to sit out his junior season after transferring from another high school. The 247sports composite ranks him 54th nationally among receiver prospects. A speedster (10.8-second 100 meters), he set a San Diego section record with 1,764 receiving yards in 2017, catching 93 passes, 26 for touchdowns. Twelve of those catches, for 150 yards and a TD, came in the section championship game for his 12-1 team. He picked OSU over UCLA, Southern California and Utah.

Tyreke Smith DE 6-3 260 Cleveland Heights

The top 33 players in the final rivals.com 100 have five-star ratings; Smith is No. 34 but with four stars. He is the second-highest-ranked player from Ohio in the 2018 cycle, according to rivals.com. No. 1 Jackson Carman, a tackle from Fairfield, signed with Clemson in December. As it turns out, Smith signed with OSU then, too, but kept it secret through the Under Armour All-America game in January. He was an All-Ohio Division I defensive co-player of the year. He had 23 tackles for loss, including 11 sacks, as a senior, and as a tight end caught eight passes for 192 yards and four TDs. He is the leader of the Cleveland Heights basketball team as a power forward.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste LB/DE 6-5 215 Oradell, New Jersey (Bergen Catholic)

He is a consensus four-star prospect, and his versatility made him attractive to OSU. He played defensive end in high school, but could be a swing DE or outside linebacker in college. He picked the Buckeyes over Nebraska and Texas A&M. The 247sports composite rates him No. 16 nationally among outside linebacker prospects. He was named the NJ.com’s defensive player of the year, and was named first team all-New Jersey for a team that won the non-public group IV New Jersey state title. He was in on 88 tackles, including 11.5 sacks.