Urban Meyer’s return to the Ohio Stadium sidelines also marked the first big recruiting weekend of the season for the Buckeyes.
This is not a coincidence.
Meyer is a key part of the Ohio State recruiting machine, and when he was gone on game days due to suspension, that machine wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
Now he’s back, and on Saturday so were the five-star recruits. The header photo for this article includes the No. 1 overall player in the 2020 class, and the No. 3 overall player for 2021. They walked into the Horseshoe within seconds of each other on Saturday. So yeah, there were some big names.
Here’s a look at some of the players who make the trip to Columbus this weekend, and where the Buckeyes stand with them right now.
First, we’ll start with that No. 1 overall player for 2020, defensive end Bryan Bresee. He’s a 6-foot-5, 290 lb. junior from Damascus, Maryland.
If the “highly ranked defensive end from Maryland” thing sounds familiar, the Buckeyes landed Chase Young out of the state in 2017. He was the 7th-ranked player in the nation, and has worked out just fine so far as a collegiate player.
Ohio State currently holds the majority of Crystal Ball picks for Bresee, although Penn State will be a threat.
Moving to 2021, defensive end Jack Sawyer from Pickerington North High School is ranked as the No. 3 overall player in his class, and the top defensive end.
Sawyer is still just a sophomore, but already holds offers from basically every powerhouse school in the midwest.
His Crystal Ball reads 100 percent to the Buckeyes, but he’s more than two years away from Signing Day, so it’s a little early to count him as a Buckeye just yet.
Michigan is likely the Buckeyes’ most serious competition for his services.
A player to know for 2020 is 3-star wide receiver Devell Washington from Bay City, Michigan.
Washington has spent a few S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y nights in Columbus recently.
He made the trip from Michigan to the Horseshoe for the season-opener against Oregon State as well.
Washington is clearly interested in the Buckeyes, but it’s not clear whether he will end up in OSU’s 2020 class.
The Bucks are still looking at a number of other receivers for 2020, and Michigan State is a possible threat to land Washington.
Saturday was also a big day for committed prospects to visit. A pair of 5-star offensive line commits, 2019’s Harry Miller and 2020’s Paris Johnson spent a lot of time together before the game.
Their families even posed for a photo together.
If you’re wondering whether the last month’s controversy surrounding Urban Meyer will impact Miller’s commitment to the Buckeyes, his mom was wearing an “Urban Legends Never Die” shirt.
You can see some other Buckeye commits who made the trip to Columbus below, including 2019 quarterback Dwan Mathis, 2019 OL Ryan Jacoby, and 2019 DE Noah Potter.
Ohio State 2019 quarterback commit Dwan Mathis with OSU's Director of On-Campus Recruiting, Tori Magers. pic.twitter.com/A1IlxpI2RB
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) September 23, 2018
2019 OSU offensive line commit Ryan Jacoby was at today's game as well. pic.twitter.com/wJpVRJkxpb
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) September 23, 2018
2019 OSU defensive end commit Noah Potter was at the game today. pic.twitter.com/46K0L3U54C
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) September 23, 2018
So Bresee still has 2 years of high school remaining & he’s already 6’5″ & 290 ? Sounds like a future tackle to me. What a beast !!
“I understood that reference.”