Four-star defensive tackle Marcus Bradley released his top schools on Sunday and the Buckeyes were one of six schools to make the cut. Joining Ohio State were Tennessee, LSU, Maryland, Texas A&M, and USC. He made his announcement via Twitter.
TOP6…#MoneY #PoweredbytheT?#GoBucks?#GigEm? #GeauxTigers?#FightOn⚔️ #FTT? pic.twitter.com/L02jNALu6b
— MARCUS D. BRADLEY (@1ofthem1s) April 5, 2020
Bradley (6-3 270) attends Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is the No. 11 defensive tackle in the 247Sports Composite. Bradley is the No. 9 player in the state and the No. 184 player nationally.
He also holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, and others.
Maryland seems to be the favorite at this point as Rivals’ FutureCast has seen four projections cast in the Terps’ favor over the last week or so, including two switching from Ohio State to Maryland.
Here is the scouting report for Bradley from 247Sports.
Great frame with length. Carries 270 pounds easily. Combination of strength and athleticism is high. Can play defensive end in a 3-4 or defensive tackle in a 4-3. Explosive with body control and ability to change direction. Covers a lot of ground in first two steps. Strong at point of attack. Uses upper body strength to disengage and can redirect along line of scrimmage. Works hard to get off blocks and can pursue backside. Does not waste movement. Has to work on technique. Relies heavily on speed and burst at snap. Continued strength development is needed. Sometimes inconsistent in staying low when firing off at snap. Multi-year starter at high-level program. Day 3 NFL draft potential.
The 247Sports’ Crystal Ball has four projections, with the Terps holding half of them.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley is a tremendous recruiter, especially with the high schools in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area.
Of the Terps’ 10 commitments in the 2021 class, nine are from the DMV area, including Bradley’s 4-star linebacker teammate Demeioun Robinson, who committed to Maryland on March 27. It was at that point that the projections for Bradley started to swing in the Terps’ favor.
Robinson is the No. 9 inside linebacker in the nation and also held offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and all the rest.
Maryland already has a local 4-star defensive tackle committed in Taize Johnson, who is the No. 16 defensive tackle in the nation.
Ohio State currently has one defensive tackle committed. Streetsboro, Ohio prospect Michael Hall committed to the Buckeyes in February. He is the No. 8 defensive tackle in the nation.
The Buckeyes are also involved with three of the top seven defensive tackles. Five-star Washington prospect JT Tuimoloau is the No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 2 player overall. At the moment, Ohio State is leading in the Crystal Ball race.
The No. 3 defensive tackle is 5-star Michigan prospect Damon Payne. He appears to be interested in some of the nation’s best programs, but it doesn’t appear that Michigan is one of them.
New Jersey prospect Tywone Malone is the No. 7 defensive tackle and the No. 53 player in the nation. He attends the same high school (Bergen Catholic / Oradell, NJ) as current Buckeye defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste. No projections have been made where he may be headed.
