It was a busy day on the Grove yesterday and there was a lot going on to say the least. Ohio State is approaching its biggest non-signing day recruiting weekend of the year as Friday Night Lights is all set in the Shoe for July 24th.
Courting Corley
The first news of the day came courtesy of Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst and frequent BuckeyeGrove contributor Josh Helmholdt, who explained that Rivals100 wide receiver Donnie Corley, a Detroit (Mich.) King prospect would be in town for FNL and has decided to extend his recruitment. Corley is, by any measure, one of the top prospects in the country at wide receiver and on the Buckeyes' board and somebody they covet. If they hope to turn this recruitment away from Michigan State, a huge home run must be landed on Friday. The lead is very large for Sparty right now, but there was a point in time where Ohio State was in the driver's seat of this recruitment and they will be hoping to regain top dog status. Corley is in the top group of receivers, along with Nate Craig-Myers and Binjimen Victor, that Ohio State would absolutely make room for and accept a commitment from.
Ace in the Hole
After the Corley update, I was able to share some insight on the magnetic pull of one of the Buckeyes' ace recruiters and top position coaches in DL maestro Larry Johnson. LJ has worked his magic on prospects like Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, Malik Barrow, and Terrell Hall, and is doing his best to spread the same appeal to Rivals100 DT Antwuan Jackson of Georgia.
Steel City Standout
Next up on the docket is none other than a five star out of Pittsburgh and the country's top defensive back in 2017, Lamont Wade. Wade will be attending Friday Night Lights for the second year in a row and the newly minted five star is beginning to get very comfortable in Columbus. He previewed his visit and talked about his relationship with the Buckeyes, as well as when he plans to make a commitment and wrap things up.
We have talked about Lamont at length in the past, and while he is coming off of a very productive visit to Penn State this past weekend for the Lasch Bash, I cannot help but feel good about Ohio State's chances here. This does not have the feel of many Pittsburgh and Clairton recruitments where the draw to Pitt is inevitable, and I have been told by members of the Wade camp that they are just not on the same level as Ohio State, Penn State, and others right now. Lamont has always been a part of successful, championship teams and he has no desire to see that end during his college career.
Getting Lamont on campus for the third time this offseason can be crucial to this recruitment. While the drive from Pittsburgh to Ohio State isn't exactly a cross-country marathon, making that three-plus hour drive multiple times in such a short time span shows that the interest is very real. He's visiting WVU, VaTech, and UCLA next, but this FNL visit could put the Buckeyes very firmly in the driver's seat ahead of their biggest threat here in PSU.
Perry, Ohio is the new Lob City
As we'll get to in the next section, I took a road trip out to the Cleveland area this evening, so I wasn't able to do my journalistic duties and write up the article of an interview I had done with Rivals250 tight end and Perry (Ohio) native Luke Farrell. Thankfully, The Givler (trademark and action figure line pending) was able to finish the alley-oop on the play and bring you guys the goods on what Farrell had to say in regards to his recruitment at Ohio State and his pending decision.
We've been on top of this one from the jump since Luke received his Ohio State offered at a one-day camp last June and followed it up with a Friday Night Lights visit. The recruitment will be coming full circle as he once again makes the pilgrimage to Columbus for FNL to spend time with the Ohio State coaches, his (potential) future classmates, and his brother, who is a student at Ohio State.
That didn't change after the article was published, and I continued gathering information on Luke and his recruitment from sources around a few different universities. Virtually every other school in this recruitment has conceded at this point and Notre Dame and Penn State have ceased contact entirely. Luke is one of the most intelligent and polite recruits I've covered, so he would never say a school was out of the running or say bad things about them, but this one has been all Ohio State for a while. They fill all of his criteria and offer the most competitive athletic environment possible among his finalists. I have remained confident since around December that this recruitment was all in for Ohio State and I have no reason to change that now. I am expecting Luke to show up at FNL, go underground for a couple of weeks, and re-emerge with a commitment to the Buckeyes before August 7th.
Taking my talents to the Cuyahoga
As I alluded to in the last section and provided updates for on the board, I took my talents to the banks of the mighty (and thankfully flame-less) Cuyahoga this evening to check out a pair of 7v7 scrimmages. The first was a four-team grouping headlined by Maple Heights and Parma, with Orange (the host) and John Hay in attendance as well and the latter was at John Carroll University's Shula Stadium with Cleveland Heights taking on St. Charles. You can read more about the stat lines and things of that nature in the original thread, but I wanted to provide some additional insight here.
First of all, after what I saw at John Carroll, I need to seriously reconsider my personal ranking of Ohio's 2017 wide receivers. Jaylen Harris was absolutely dominant and many of the traits that he showed off during his 6 catch, 80 yard, 3 touchdown performance were the exact things that I had questioned about him. He answered the bell again and again for his team, as he was the primary target on nearly every passing play. He was in for 10 passing plays that I witnessed and seven targets went his way, with the only pass he didn't catch being under throw by at least five yards.
He was aggressive and attacked and high-pointed the ball in the air without letting defenders beat him to the spot. Harris got after it on every rep without dogging a single route. He was more sudden in and out of his breaks than I had ever seen him before and would routinely win the ball despite clear defensive pass interference. It seems he has added muscle since I saw him last (just a month ago) and had no problem beating the jam at the line. To me, he clearly vaulted Danny Davis last night for the number 2 spot and put himself in the top tier with Javonte Richardson. To be fair, Davis has not had the chance to prove himself much in a work out setting and was only just cleared, so it was less about what he didn't do and more about what Harris did last night. He was dominant in a way I had never seen him be before.
Speaking of Mr. Jigg Richardson, he was far from chopped liver himself. Richardson's high school features the passing game much less than Cleveland Heights does (and Heights was going up-tempo, exacerbating the difference even further) but that did nothing to diminish his performance on Monday. His quarterback is raw and still working on putting the ball where it needs to be to lead his receivers, but Richardson still managed to finish with four receptions on six targets for 55 yards and two touchdowns, with three of those catches coming on contested balls. He is a big, athletic downfield target who glides effortlessly in space and will then tear a defensive back out of his cleats with sudden, jarring movements on a route break.
Richardson showcased his ground-eating stride and ability to break quickly on the ball on the defensive side of the ball as well. He finished with two interceptions, both inside the end zone on contested balls. You simply don't see many young athletes at his size who can close in space the way he has shown the ability to. After the second pick on the evening, head coach Devlin Culliver just turned to me, shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and said "That's just what Jigg does." I could not have said it better myself.
Something that both Harris and Richardson showed that they have in common last night was an absurd catch radius. Harris is a true 6-foot-5 and I would wager that his wingspan is at least 7 feet, as his fingertips nearly brush his knees when he stands straight up. Richardson is long-limbed as well and very flexible when reaching for the football away from his body. More than that, they both have the body control in the air to contort their large frames and make full use of that catch radius without sacrificing balance or control. Pairing those two at outside receiver with the 6-foot-4 Trevon Grimes would mean that any quarterback who could hit the broad side of a barn could throw for 1800 yards to these three.
I will have full length recruiting updates on Harris, Richardson, and Kierre Hawkins as the day goes on and I make my great escape from Mendenhall Lab and finish up with classes.
Ending with an exit
The final news of the day came from a pair of highly-rated Buckeye targets in the 2017 class seeking a new beginning at IMG Academy, one of the country's top football programs. It was teased on the Grove a while ago, but Rivals250 OL Rob Hainsey and five-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh left Gateway (Pa.) and Good Counsel (Md.) respectively to head down to Bradenton to train and play at IMG. They'll join Buckeye commits Tyler Gerald and Malik Barrow, as well as Buckeye target Emmanuel Greene, at the school, along with countless other prospects for high-level Division I program.
Hainsey is still intending to visit Ohio State for Friday Night Lights to my knowledge, but that may be changing with the transfer. Kaindoh is not intending on visiting for FNL and currently has the Nittany Lions out ahead of the Buckeyes for his services at DE.
Also, for any rap fans out there, the title was absolutely, one million percent inspired by the (NSFW) Future song. #FutureHive
Courting Corley
The first news of the day came courtesy of Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst and frequent BuckeyeGrove contributor Josh Helmholdt, who explained that Rivals100 wide receiver Donnie Corley, a Detroit (Mich.) King prospect would be in town for FNL and has decided to extend his recruitment. Corley is, by any measure, one of the top prospects in the country at wide receiver and on the Buckeyes' board and somebody they covet. If they hope to turn this recruitment away from Michigan State, a huge home run must be landed on Friday. The lead is very large for Sparty right now, but there was a point in time where Ohio State was in the driver's seat of this recruitment and they will be hoping to regain top dog status. Corley is in the top group of receivers, along with Nate Craig-Myers and Binjimen Victor, that Ohio State would absolutely make room for and accept a commitment from.
Ace in the Hole
After the Corley update, I was able to share some insight on the magnetic pull of one of the Buckeyes' ace recruiters and top position coaches in DL maestro Larry Johnson. LJ has worked his magic on prospects like Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, Malik Barrow, and Terrell Hall, and is doing his best to spread the same appeal to Rivals100 DT Antwuan Jackson of Georgia.
Steel City Standout
Next up on the docket is none other than a five star out of Pittsburgh and the country's top defensive back in 2017, Lamont Wade. Wade will be attending Friday Night Lights for the second year in a row and the newly minted five star is beginning to get very comfortable in Columbus. He previewed his visit and talked about his relationship with the Buckeyes, as well as when he plans to make a commitment and wrap things up.
We have talked about Lamont at length in the past, and while he is coming off of a very productive visit to Penn State this past weekend for the Lasch Bash, I cannot help but feel good about Ohio State's chances here. This does not have the feel of many Pittsburgh and Clairton recruitments where the draw to Pitt is inevitable, and I have been told by members of the Wade camp that they are just not on the same level as Ohio State, Penn State, and others right now. Lamont has always been a part of successful, championship teams and he has no desire to see that end during his college career.
Getting Lamont on campus for the third time this offseason can be crucial to this recruitment. While the drive from Pittsburgh to Ohio State isn't exactly a cross-country marathon, making that three-plus hour drive multiple times in such a short time span shows that the interest is very real. He's visiting WVU, VaTech, and UCLA next, but this FNL visit could put the Buckeyes very firmly in the driver's seat ahead of their biggest threat here in PSU.
Perry, Ohio is the new Lob City
As we'll get to in the next section, I took a road trip out to the Cleveland area this evening, so I wasn't able to do my journalistic duties and write up the article of an interview I had done with Rivals250 tight end and Perry (Ohio) native Luke Farrell. Thankfully, The Givler (trademark and action figure line pending) was able to finish the alley-oop on the play and bring you guys the goods on what Farrell had to say in regards to his recruitment at Ohio State and his pending decision.
We've been on top of this one from the jump since Luke received his Ohio State offered at a one-day camp last June and followed it up with a Friday Night Lights visit. The recruitment will be coming full circle as he once again makes the pilgrimage to Columbus for FNL to spend time with the Ohio State coaches, his (potential) future classmates, and his brother, who is a student at Ohio State.
That didn't change after the article was published, and I continued gathering information on Luke and his recruitment from sources around a few different universities. Virtually every other school in this recruitment has conceded at this point and Notre Dame and Penn State have ceased contact entirely. Luke is one of the most intelligent and polite recruits I've covered, so he would never say a school was out of the running or say bad things about them, but this one has been all Ohio State for a while. They fill all of his criteria and offer the most competitive athletic environment possible among his finalists. I have remained confident since around December that this recruitment was all in for Ohio State and I have no reason to change that now. I am expecting Luke to show up at FNL, go underground for a couple of weeks, and re-emerge with a commitment to the Buckeyes before August 7th.
Taking my talents to the Cuyahoga
As I alluded to in the last section and provided updates for on the board, I took my talents to the banks of the mighty (and thankfully flame-less) Cuyahoga this evening to check out a pair of 7v7 scrimmages. The first was a four-team grouping headlined by Maple Heights and Parma, with Orange (the host) and John Hay in attendance as well and the latter was at John Carroll University's Shula Stadium with Cleveland Heights taking on St. Charles. You can read more about the stat lines and things of that nature in the original thread, but I wanted to provide some additional insight here.
First of all, after what I saw at John Carroll, I need to seriously reconsider my personal ranking of Ohio's 2017 wide receivers. Jaylen Harris was absolutely dominant and many of the traits that he showed off during his 6 catch, 80 yard, 3 touchdown performance were the exact things that I had questioned about him. He answered the bell again and again for his team, as he was the primary target on nearly every passing play. He was in for 10 passing plays that I witnessed and seven targets went his way, with the only pass he didn't catch being under throw by at least five yards.
He was aggressive and attacked and high-pointed the ball in the air without letting defenders beat him to the spot. Harris got after it on every rep without dogging a single route. He was more sudden in and out of his breaks than I had ever seen him before and would routinely win the ball despite clear defensive pass interference. It seems he has added muscle since I saw him last (just a month ago) and had no problem beating the jam at the line. To me, he clearly vaulted Danny Davis last night for the number 2 spot and put himself in the top tier with Javonte Richardson. To be fair, Davis has not had the chance to prove himself much in a work out setting and was only just cleared, so it was less about what he didn't do and more about what Harris did last night. He was dominant in a way I had never seen him be before.
Speaking of Mr. Jigg Richardson, he was far from chopped liver himself. Richardson's high school features the passing game much less than Cleveland Heights does (and Heights was going up-tempo, exacerbating the difference even further) but that did nothing to diminish his performance on Monday. His quarterback is raw and still working on putting the ball where it needs to be to lead his receivers, but Richardson still managed to finish with four receptions on six targets for 55 yards and two touchdowns, with three of those catches coming on contested balls. He is a big, athletic downfield target who glides effortlessly in space and will then tear a defensive back out of his cleats with sudden, jarring movements on a route break.
Richardson showcased his ground-eating stride and ability to break quickly on the ball on the defensive side of the ball as well. He finished with two interceptions, both inside the end zone on contested balls. You simply don't see many young athletes at his size who can close in space the way he has shown the ability to. After the second pick on the evening, head coach Devlin Culliver just turned to me, shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and said "That's just what Jigg does." I could not have said it better myself.
Something that both Harris and Richardson showed that they have in common last night was an absurd catch radius. Harris is a true 6-foot-5 and I would wager that his wingspan is at least 7 feet, as his fingertips nearly brush his knees when he stands straight up. Richardson is long-limbed as well and very flexible when reaching for the football away from his body. More than that, they both have the body control in the air to contort their large frames and make full use of that catch radius without sacrificing balance or control. Pairing those two at outside receiver with the 6-foot-4 Trevon Grimes would mean that any quarterback who could hit the broad side of a barn could throw for 1800 yards to these three.
I will have full length recruiting updates on Harris, Richardson, and Kierre Hawkins as the day goes on and I make my great escape from Mendenhall Lab and finish up with classes.
Ending with an exit
The final news of the day came from a pair of highly-rated Buckeye targets in the 2017 class seeking a new beginning at IMG Academy, one of the country's top football programs. It was teased on the Grove a while ago, but Rivals250 OL Rob Hainsey and five-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh left Gateway (Pa.) and Good Counsel (Md.) respectively to head down to Bradenton to train and play at IMG. They'll join Buckeye commits Tyler Gerald and Malik Barrow, as well as Buckeye target Emmanuel Greene, at the school, along with countless other prospects for high-level Division I program.
Hainsey is still intending to visit Ohio State for Friday Night Lights to my knowledge, but that may be changing with the transfer. Kaindoh is not intending on visiting for FNL and currently has the Nittany Lions out ahead of the Buckeyes for his services at DE.
Also, for any rap fans out there, the title was absolutely, one million percent inspired by the (NSFW) Future song. #FutureHive
