La Habra, California cornerback Clark Phillips will be committing this Friday at 3:00 pm on CBS Sports HQ.
Phillips (5-11 178) is the No. 4 cornerback in the 2020 class per the 247Sports Composite and the No. 46 player in the nation. In 247Sports’ own rankings, he is the No. 3 cornerback and the No. 25 player overall.
Phillips is also set to begin an Ohio State official visit this weekend. He took an official visit to California three weeks ago.
Phillips also holds offers from Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, LSU, and many others.
Currently, all 14 Crystal Ball projections have been cast for the Buckeyes.
Phillips has nine interceptions over the last two seasons, with just two coming last year as opponents tended to avoid his side of the field. He also caught 54 passes for 1,210 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Here is the scouting report from 247Sports.
Has a strong build and plays with a bulldog mentality. Doesn’t have great length but makes up for it with a physical style of play and advanced technique. More quick than fast but has improved his long speed over the last year and is better able to turn and run with the fastest receivers. His improved burst and explosiveness shows up on the offensive side of the ball at receiver where he showed his ability to out run a defense and be dynamic after the catch. Has excellent ball skills and really improved in his ability to make a play on the ball without interfering. An extremely competitive player who loves the challenge of taking on another team’s best receiver. Is physical in the run game and does a nice job getting off blocks and making a tackle. Scrappy type of play looks conducive to playing as a nickel or slot corner in college. but is versatile enough to line up anywhere in the secondary. Projects as an impact, upper-tier Power 5 starter and future high-round NFL draft pick.
Phillips ran a 4.54 at a combine back in February. He will play in the 2020 All-American Bowl in January.
Ohio State currently has 12 verbal commitments, with two of those on defense. If the Buckeyes can land Phillips, that would give them two cornerbacks in the 2020 class. Four-star prospect Lejond Cavazos committed back in April.
If Phillips does join the class, do not be surprised if he isn’t the last commitment this month. With Ohio State set for a huge weekend of official and unofficial visits coming up, there could be more than a couple of booms in the next week or so.
