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Texas Roundup
As some of you all know by now, Kevin Noon and I ventured out to Texas today to attend the Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas. We are slated to stay in the state until Friday, and we are excited about the content we will be rolling out.
In terms of what we got done on Sunday, we had an opportunity to speak with five-star offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, borderline five-star sophomore Jalen Hale, and recent defensive lineman offer Chris McClellan.
Dewberry has been on the Buckeyes’ radar for well over a year, and the five-star offensive tackle continues to hear from the staff on a regular basis. He says Greg Studrawa and Ryan Day are pursuing him “really, really hard.”
The second-ranked OT on Rivals reiterated once again that Ohio State was his “dream school” growing up. He’s also been impressed with the success they’ve enjoyed with Ryan Day at the helm, and likes the way they develop their players as well.
The big takeaway from this conversation is that Dewberry does intend on utilizing an official to Columbus. He says the first weekend of June is the date he’s eyeing, but nothing is set in stone just yet.
From speaking with people at the camp, the belief here is that Dewberry is not necessarily a lock to commit to Texas A&M, the school leading on his FutureCast page. They are currently my pick, but I don’t think the likes of Alabama, LSU or even Ohio State should be ruled out.
Dewberry would not give any insight as to what his “big surprise” will be on April 17, but I believe it is likely to be a top five.
Chris McClellan is somebody I’m keeping a close eye on as I would not be shocked if he jumps on his recent offer and becomes the first defensive lineman to commit to Ohio State’s 2022 class.
As far as what transpired during our conversation, McClellan says it was “big” for him to land an offer from the program earlier this month. McClellan referred to Larry Johnson as one of the best d-line coaches ever, and likes what he has done while in Columbus and previously at Penn State.
McClellan did acknowledge that the Buckeyes’ lack of a DL in this cycle is appealing as he could come in and potentially play right away. The Oklahoma-based prospect went on to say yet again that Ohio State is guaranteed an official from him, and intends on taking that trip during the season.
Auburn, LSU and Florida are high on his list as well, and it appears as if his visits will determine where McClellan ultimately winds up signing. The possibility of playing early, learning under Johnson’s tutelage, and joining an elite program makes Ohio State a legitimate contender in this one.
I won’t spend too much time here as we just spoke with Hale last month, and there have been no significant updates as he is just a 2023 prospect.
Hale told us during our one-on-one interview that Ohio State’s track record of recruiting wide receivers in Texas has stuck out to him. He cited current Buckeyes Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as examples of this trend, and likes the development they’ve received in Columbus.
The No. 8 overall sophomore recruit on Rivals says he is in touch with Brian Hartline on a weekly basis, and that the wide receivers coach believes he’ll fit in well with the Buckeyes’ offense.
Hale went on to tell us that he intends on visiting Ohio State in the summer, and is looking forward to seeing the environment at the school. Although one of the factors in his recruitment will be the number of players at his position on the roster, Hale won’t rule out tOSU despite them having a stacked wide receiver room.
I came away really impressed by Hale’s smooth route running, the separation he easily creates, and his catch radius, so he’s definitely worthy of being a top-two wideout on our network.
Columbus Camp Conversations
The Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas was not the only camp BuckeyeGrove was at today. Griffin Strom jumped into the recruiting world for the first time as he was in attendance for the Under Armour All-AmericaCamp in Columbus.
Griffin was able to catch up with several commits and a few 2023 targets as well, and we’ll be rolling those stories out throughout the week. Before we publish them, however, check out brief summaries of each conversation below.
The Commits
On Sunday, Griffin had an opportunity to speak with Dasan McCullough, who visited Columbus for the first time since committing to the program last August.
McCullough did not imply that stopped by and toured the school; instead, McCullough essentially said that it was a quick drive-by near the campus. This trip also marked the first time that McCullough was able to meet CJ Hicks, one of his best friends in the 2022 class.
He did not lace up the cleats today, however, as McCullough is still recovering from turf toe surgery he underwent last week. The top-35 junior on Rivals says he does not expect to be back on the field at 100 percent until this July.
Even though he did not participate in the camp today, McCullough was sure to do some recruiting while in Columbus. During the interview, he even stated, “Decisions might be made soon.”
This won’t be the last time McCullough will be visiting Columbus, either. McCullough plans on attending Ohio State’s spring game on April 17, and will also be officially visiting from June 4-6.
McCullough also reflected on his decision to commit to the Buckeyes, and he cited linebackers coach Al Washington as a big part of his decision. He said Washington’s “constant communication” during the pandemic helped OSU land a commitment from him on August 18.
Right now, McCullough checks in at 220 pounds, but is hoping to get himself up to 230 pounds.
We also had an opportunity to catch up with Rivals250 OL commit Tegra Tshabola for the first time since last summer.
Tshabola was somewhat reserved during the conversation, but said he speaks with Greg Studrawa on a daily basis. This is impressive as Studrawa is essentially treating Tshabola like an uncommitted prospect and is still prioritizing him.
Ohio State’s only offensive lineman commit in this class also talked about the relationship he has with his fellow commits. He says they all send each other their films and that they also tell one another who they are recruiting.
The top-20 OT on Rivals pointed to borderline five-star 2023 o-lineman Kadyn Proctor when asked who he is helping the Buckeyes recruit at this time.
At today’s camp, Tshabola checked in at 340 pounds. Around the summer, he usually drops to 320 and 325, so don’t expect for him to stay at this weight.
Griffin also caught up with CJ Hicks and Gabe Powers, but since Carson spoke with each of them recently, we’ll just skip the summary of today’s conversations and wait until we run their pieces.
The Targets
Brenan Vernon, the ninth-ranked overall sophomore on Rivals, spoke with BuckeyeGrove for the first time today.
Vernon says that he started speaking with Larry Johnson recently, and is working on building up a relationship with him. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound pass rusher says he actually watches the Bosa Brothers on YouTube during his free time, and is also learning from Chase Young’s and Khalil Mack’s skill sets.
Although there may be comparisons made to other top Ohio-based prospects that went to the Buckeyes, Vernon says he’s focused on his own recruitment and isn’t letting anyone influence his process.
Vernon does not have any visit dates set up, but intends on visiting Notre Dame and Ohio State in the summer. Along with Michigan, those are the programs he talks with the most, though he is not leaning toward any school at this time.
Legacy target Sonny Styles also spoke with the media on Sunday.
Ohio State, the school his father played at, is looking for Styles to play that outside linebacker/safety hybrid role. This is also known as the “Bullet” position, and it’s the same position the Buckeyes are considering putting McCullough at.
Even with his father having played for the Buckeyes and his brother, Lorenzo, currently a member of Notre Dame’s football program, Styles says there is no pressure from his family for him to go anywhere.
Switching back to Ohio State, Styles is the most familiar with Coach Washington, Coach Coombs and Coach Day. He’s been speaking with Coach Washington since August, and is looking forward to meeting him in person.
As for when he may meet Washington for the first time since landing that offer, Styles says he wants to visit Ohio State after the dead period. Some of the other trips he’s eyeing are ones to Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State.
Finally, we arrive at recent offensive lineman offer Joshua Padilla.
The product out of Wayne High School said one of the biggest things he’s ever accomplished in his high school career was landing an offer from Ohio State. Studrawa loves that he gets after it and the mentality Padilla has on the field, but that he will need to work on his technique over these next couple of years.
Wayne has sent several players to Ohio State, including former three-star Robert Landers, who told Padilla recently that he is going to be a Buckeye. Padilla also watched Braxton Miller growing up, as well as former OSU offensive guard Josh Meyers.
Padilla says he is actually going to Ohio State spring practice on April 17, and will also head to Notre Dame on June 8. He’s still got a while to go until he makes a decision, but noted that relationships with the coaches will be the most important factor for him.
Rivals100 OL Kiyaunta Goodwin to commit on April 17
I can confirm that Kiyaunta Goodwin, Ohio State’s top target along the offensive line, is slated to commit this upcoming Saturday. The No. 8 offensive tackle on Rivals is down to a top five of Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Ohio State.
As you can see on his Rivals profile, I have switched my pick from the Buckeyes to the Wildcats. 100 percent of the FutureCast predictions that have been submitted are now in favor of Kentucky.
The reason why I made that switch is because I heard Kentucky’s coaching staff has developed incredible bonds with Goodwin and his close ones. They trust the program, and that trust is a huge factor in why the Wildcats have separated themselves from the pack.
Also, another key aspect that is going in their favor is how close the school is to his home. Lexington is roughly an hour and a half away from where Goodwin lives; Ohio State is the next closest as they’re over three hours away.
I did hear something that I cannot report, however, as I was asked to keep it between myself and the person who told me. It does lead me to believe that this wasn’t as much of a case of the Buckeyes and other programs losing Goodwin as it was what Kentucky did well.
That’s very broad and I wish I can reveal more, but this loss is definitely not comparable to the misses of Jager Burton and JC Latham from a year ago.
One thing I was told that should be encouraging for the Buckeyes is that Goodwin is expected to take his official visits. If he does, then I would not write off Ohio State from potentially pulling off a flip down the line.
Where do things stand with Jihaad Campbell?
This past Thursday, I also had an opportunity to travel down to Bradenton (Florida) and be in attendance for a practice at IMG Academy. I came away impressed by how structured everything is; they use three fields for practice, it was divided up into over 20 periods, and there were a lot of coaches/other team personnel out there.
Afterwards, I spoke with multiple 2022 targets as they were heading back to their rooms. I’ll do a quick rundown of what they told me before getting to the biggest prospect of the day: Jihaad Campbell.
First off, Rivals250 running back Kaytron Allen confirmed to me that Ohio State and him no longer speak on a regular basis. This is not too much of a surprise given the fact that there are at least five players higher on the board, but we can officially scrap him off of the list of 2022 RB options for the Buckeyes.
Secondly, Nick James confirmed to me that he will be taking an official to Columbus from June 4-6, and listed OSU as one of the four schools – along with LSU, South Carolina and Texas A&M – that he speaks with the most. I think it’s likely the Alabama native ends up in the SEC at the next level, but that visit in early June could turn the tide in his recruitment.
You can read my full conversation with the top-15 DT on Rivals right HERE.
Lastly, we arrive at Campbell. The Rivals250 recruit is listed as a weak-side defensive end on Rivals, but is now being courted by the Buckeyes and others as a linebacker.
This was my third conversation with Campbell, but it’s probably the least enthusiastic he’s sounded when talking about Ohio State. Not only that, but after telling me last month that the school is guaranteed an official visit from him, Campbell would not say definitively if the Buckeyes will host him for an OV.
Campbell is slated to officially visit Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia in the first three weekends of June, and is unsure of where he will take his other two trips.
I am definitely in the mindset that some momentum has been lost in tOSU’s pursuit of Campbell. I also heard that contact between him and the staff isn’t what it once was, though a source at IMG Academy said to me that Campbell and his teammates have been told to focus primarily on this upcoming season.
Campbell confirmed this to be the case, so I don’t think the Buckeyes should be too concerned that he hasn’t been as active when it comes to their communication with him.
I previously had Ohio State in Campbell’s top two; now, I would say they’re more on the outside looking in. If he does not schedule an official visit to the school, however, then I would say the Buckeyes’ chances with him are slim to none.
