Another week and news continues to pour out on the Ohio State recruiting front. The Buckeyes landed their 10th commitment in the class of 2018 this week, and another big decision is incoming. Meanwhile, a slew of offers went out to 2019 and 2020 kids. And a few prospects who had been considering the Buckeyes trimmed their lists as well. Let’s take a look back at the week that was in Ohio State recruiting news.
Buckeyes Land No. 10
In case you missed it, the Buckeyes landed the No. 4 prospect from the state of Ohio on Tuesday when 4-star linebacker Dallas Gant committed to the Buckeyes. Gant became the second Ohio athlete to join this class along with 4-star running back Jaelen Gill. You can check out the commitment article and the commitment impact. The Buckeyes now have the No. 2 recruiting class in the 247Sports rankings.
Trending Away?
While the Buckeyes landed one linebacker, they may be on the verge of losing another. The 247 crystal ball projections have Virginia’s Teradja Mitchell trending towards Florida State after his visit there last weekend. While there hasn’t been much intel on the trip other than what he did while he was there, many have decided that enough information is there to make the call for the Seminoles.
As of this writing, the Buckeyes had 21% of the crystal ball projections and Florida State had the other 79%, with the last seven crystal balls coming in for the Noles. I have had mine in for Florida State since January and even though I thought the Buckeyes had an outside shot recently, I left it with Florida State as I think the relationship with them is too strong to overcome. The Buckeyes will be just fine on the recruiting trail without Mitchell, but he certainly would be a nice addition to go along with Gant. This should allow a guy like Georgia linebacker Michael Harris a shot if he can get his academics in order.
And Then There Were Two
The Buckeyes have not landed a wide receiver in this class yet and they will not be landing 4-star Jordyn Adams out of Cary, North Carolina. Adams announced on Twitter that his final two teams are North Carolina and Clemson.
Top 2️⃣, I will be announcing my commitment at @TheOpening !! ? (no interviews please!) pic.twitter.com/bR0FdoQ7Sd
— J2 (@jordynadams10) May 18, 2017
Adams will announce his decision next month at the Opening finals and most expect it to be the Tar Heels. The Buckeyes will keep their eyes on other receiving targets like Kamryn Babb, L’Christian Smith, Brennan Eagles, and Jahan Dotson.
Texas Two-Step
One of Texas’s best athletes is 4-star safety DeMarvion Overshown out of Arp, Texas. The Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in February and they were included in his top 15, which was released this week.
Here it is…..#top15 pic.twitter.com/6xoGhMx2ra
— DeMarvion Overshown (@dee_overshown6) May 18, 2017
While the Buckeyes remain a long shot, especially considering they have already landed Jaiden Woodbey and Josh Proctor in this recruiting cycle, they have proven that you can never have too much talent in the secondary. Texas is the perceived favorite for Overshown at this time, however he has quite the list of top programs to choose from when he finally decides.
Backup Plan No More?
It was always expected that the Buckeyes would take up to three running backs in this class. They already have Jaelen Gill and Brian Snead in the fold, though Gill is seen more as an H-back. While names like Tavion Thomas and Zamir White have been on the table as possibilities, the name of Master Teague has been one that has been on the outside looking in. The Buckeyes visited with him and had him on campus over the past few months, but had not offered him a scholarship. He announced this week his final three teams of Auburn, Georgia, and Tennessee.
This is our top 3. After this announcement we will go silent for a time except w/ coaches & in-person questions. Thanks for understanding. pic.twitter.com/IkBsJzvAWr
— Corey & Emily Teague (@DrCoreyMTeague) May 17, 2017
A flurry of crystal ball projections came in for the Bulldogs recently and it appears that is where he is headed. If the Buckeyes miss out on their other targets, would they circle back to Teague and try to get him to flip his commitment? It could certainly be one to watch going forward.
Committed but Visiting
There has been a lot of talk about committed prospects taking official and unofficial visits lately and I wanted to discuss that here for a second. Both Jaiden Woodbey and Brenton Cox have gone on record as saying that it is likely that they will still take visits to other schools this fall, although they remain 100% committed to the Buckeyes. These players are making a decision that will shape their lives. As such, they need to do the due diligence in order to make sure that decision is the correct one.
If Woodbey visits Oklahoma or Cox visits Oregon or Emory Jones visits Georgia or any other schools before they sign their letter of intent, then there might be something to talk about. Until that happens, there is a lot of speculation about nothing. We all saw the drama that unfolded last year with Shaun Wade and his multiple visits after being committed to Ohio State for over a year. That one turned out okay, and some others did not. When February rolls around, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes will sign the 22-25 players in this class that want to play for Ohio State. These players will buy into what the program has to offer. If some of the prospects that are committed now decide that is not for them, then wish them well and welcome in the kids who do want to play at OSU.
You Get an Offer, Everyone Gets an Offer (Okay not everyone)
It was a busy week for assistant coaches who were out scouring the country and offering prospects left and right. We saw the majority of the offers come out of the South where coach Kerry Coombs and Zach Smith were. However, the staff did spread out and they hit all corners of the country. Let’s look at each offer individually.
The Buckeyes were in Arizona a few weeks ago to watch freshman quarterback Jack Miller from Chaparral High School. Apparently they came away impressed enough to extend him his sixth offer. Miller holds offers from Florida State, Arizona, Arizona State, Memphis, and Louisiana Tech. It is unlikely that we see Miller commit any time soon, and the Buckeyes will be okay with him and other 2020 quarterback offers taking their time after what happened with Danny Clark last year.
While in Florida, Ohio State extended an offer to 4-star outside linebacker Ge’mon Eaford out of Deerfield Beach. Eaford is a member of the class of 2019 and is ranked as the No. 16 outside linebacker in the nation. He currently lists over 35 offers already, and has one crystal ball projection in for Florida State.
On their southern swing, the Buckeyes offered another 2019 Florida prospect in 4-star Akeem Dent out of West Palm Beach. Dent is ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2019 and the No. 2 player from the entire state of Florida. He currently lists 14 offers to date and has a split crystal ball between Miami and LSU. The Buckeyes can point to their success at getting guys to the next level, so they could have a legit shot at landing Dent.
Ohio State is always looking for quality offensive linemen, and Greg Studrawa put out an offer last week to 4-star New Jersey offensive tackle John Olmstead. Olmstead is ranked as the No. 31 offensive tackle in the country and currently has offers from Rutgers, Duke, Minnesota, and others. Chris Ash will be trying his hardest to keep the No. 7 player in the state at home and playing for the Scarlet Knights.
Back to the state of Texas, where the Buckeyes had great success last year. Ohio State put out an offer to 2018 4-star Houston cornerback Jalen Green. Green currently lists 37 offers, with the Longhorns leading the way with eight early crystal ball projections. Green has been selected as a U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant and looks to be a tough pull for the Buckeyes at this point.
Other Offers This Week
2018 – DE – Jayson Oweh – Blairstown, New Jersey
2018 – S – Jeremiah Salaam – Frostproof, Florida
2018 – CB – Divaad Wilson – Miami, Florida
2019 – DT – Tyler Davis – Apopka, Florida
2019 – S – Marcus Tillman Jr. – Orlando, Florida
2019 – ATH – Mark Richards – West Palm Beach, Florida
2019 – OLB – King Mwikuta – Lagrange, Georgia
2019 – CB – Kaiir Elam – North Palm Beach, Florida
2019 – OLB – Jahmar Brown – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2019 – CB – Jaden Davis – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2019 – OT – Michael Tarquin – Belleview, Florida
2020 – WR – Marcus Rosemy – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2020 – DT – Marcus Dumervil – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2020 – ATH – Arik Gilbert – Atlanta, Georgia
2020 – RB – Miles Friday – Suwanee, Georgia
2020 – ATH – Cartavious Bigsby – Hogansville, Georgia
2020 – WR – Jacobi Bellazin – Baker, Louisiana
2020 – WR – Kobe Hundson – Lagrange, Georgia
