A highly anticipated day for anyone that follows recruiting, '14 5-star LB Raekwon McMillan's decision day, ended with the scarlet and gray coming out on top. The Buckeyes have been in pursuit of the nation's top inside linebacker since the beginning, and have put in the time and effort to land the Georgia-native. McMillan was down to Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Ohio State, but it was reported that it was really a race between Alabama and Ohio State, with an outside shot for Clemson.

McMillan first received his offer from Ohio State back in April of 2012, which then was only his third offer overall. Coach Meyer and the rest of the staff instantly made the 6'2, 242-pound inside linebacker their top priority on their recruiting board. Now, the Buckeyes come out on top in one of the more important signings in recent memory.

In his junior year of high school, McMillan had an astounding 152 tackles, while 22 of them went for losses. This season, his senior year, McMillan did even better with 159 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, one interception, and three forced fumbles. McMillan was also named the 2013 High School Butkus Award winner, which is given annually to the nation's best linebacker.

Urban Meyer, Luke Fickell, Everett Withers and Mike Vrabel had the last shot at landing McMillan when they had an in-home visit Sunday night. Before Ohio State's coaching staff, McMillan had heard from Auburn and Clemson on the same day. Alabama got their in-home visit on Thursday. You have to think that this last visit made an important impact on McMillan's decision.

As of Monday morning, McMillan's standing on the 247 Crystal Ball had Ohio State as 75% favorites, with Alabama (20%) and Clemson (6%) the only other teams considered at all. Rated as the 17th-best prospect overall in the country, the nation's best inside linebacker, and the second-best recruit from the state of Georgia, this is a monstrous signing for the Buckeyes.

Raekwon McMillan's commitment gives Ohio State 18 total commitments for the class of 2014 thus far, and the highest rated prospect in that class. This is also good news for the staff as the linebacker depth at Ohio State isn't very strong, and could likely end up much weaker with the possible departure of junior linebacker Ryan Shazier, as he decides if he's going to the NFL or staying for his senior season.

With the announcement of '14 WR Johnnie Dixon coming later this week, the Buckeyes could end up with two top commitments in the past couple of days. Dixon is another top prospect, and Ohio State has been working around the clock to try and land both star high school athletes. We'll keep you up to date on the latest happenings with Dixon.

Check out what the 5-star linebacker really brings to Ohio State on the field with his senior highlight film: