Javonte Richardson – We had the chance to talk about Richardson’s reps – or lack thereof – at Sunday’s The Opening regional in Columbus. While I was a bit confused at the time or was concerned it might be an unwillingness to get to the front of lines and compete, I had the chance to catch up with Richardson after he left camp and he assuaged some of my concerns. I’ve never had questions about his compete level before, and he’s one of the most aggressive kids on the field I know, so it was good to learn nothing had changed there.
Unfortunately, he suffered a minor injury during the camp and tweaked his back. He’d had some slight pains with it throughout the spring from lifting and Maple Heights’ athletic trainer is encouraging him to rest and ice and take a little time off of lifting. Adding 15 pounds in muscle over the course of three months or so wasn’t conducive to continued and constant exercise, and for as many activities as Richardson participates in, strain became an issue. There shouldn’t be any lasting issues and he’ll rest up and get back to full go in a week or two. You should still expect him at Ohio State’s camps, most likely at the one day elite camp on June 19th.
From a recruiting standpoint, things are starting to heat up here. Bama has really been in on him hard, and they’ve sent coaches to Maple Heights twice during the spring evaluation period. Richardson is eager and willing to listen to more schools and Bama will work on getting him down there, although it is unlikely at this juncture due to some logistical concerns.
We do have a list of schools he’ll be camping at this summer, and while this entire list is locked in and confirmed, he may still be adding more, particularly in the south, and I will stay on top of this as you guys know. Mark Harris of Raw Talent Sports trains Richardson during the offseason and conducts a yearly bus tour with dozens of prospects, which Richardson intends to participate in. The bus tour will take him to camps at Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, and Cincinnati.
This may sound a bit over the top, but I genuinely would not be surprised if every single one of those schools offered by the end of June. Richardson didn’t get a chance to showcase his talent fully at Nike’s The Opening regional, but he is a big, strong receiver with a fluidity that belies his size and age and is essentially uncoverable in most camp settings. Coaches who see him before the Ohio State camp will be pressured to offer him because they’ll need to be in before the Buckeyes to have a strong chance and coaches who see him after Ohio State may need to play catch up if the Buckeyes offer.
Rob Hainsey – Hainsey is another big time prospect in 2017 and was a very intriguing guy to watch during the OL/DL one-on-ones. Right now he’s around 6-foot-5 and maybe 270 pounds soaking wet. For a long time, we thought he was a guard at the college level, but he’s been adding height and more importantly, length, every time we see him. His arms have gotten longer and while he still needs to continue adding strength and muscle, he has the feet and the mobility to play at tackle at the next level.
He has lots of experience at the high school level being the lead blocker for virtually any late game run scenario and they’ll frequently look to get him into the second level and attacking the guys in front of him, so he’s got no problem moving in space. Perhaps just as crucially, he has not just experience in space, but the mean streak and competitiveness to enjoy attacking and flattening whoever they line up in front of him. He’s right up there with the notoriously nasty and aggressive Drake Jackson, 2016 Kentucky commit, for competitiveness in camp settings and on the field.
He also visited Ohio State this past weekend while he was in Columbus for Nike’s camp and things went well there. Unfortunately, his potential future position coach, Ed Warinner, was out of town at the time, but Rob has continued to build a strong relationship with area recruiter Luke Fickell. He was given a tour of the facilities and the campus area as a whole and introduced to multiple members of the coaching staff beyond Fickell.
While an offer was not extended, the Ohio State staff has tried to set the table for further recruitment opportunities and want to see more film of him. Hainsey’s family was a bit frustrated by the lack of an offer at this stage and doesn’t intend to visit again this summer (as I was told in as many words) without an offer forthcoming. However, what I did learn from sources around the recruitment is that if Ohio State were to offer Hainsey, they would essentially immediately jump to number one, despite his strong connections to Penn State (mom’s an alum) and Michigan State (one of his best friends plays there and he loves the staff). Right now, Michigan State is pretty far out front ahead of Penn State and those are the only two schools besides Ohio State even factoring in.
Unfortunately, he suffered a minor injury during the camp and tweaked his back. He’d had some slight pains with it throughout the spring from lifting and Maple Heights’ athletic trainer is encouraging him to rest and ice and take a little time off of lifting. Adding 15 pounds in muscle over the course of three months or so wasn’t conducive to continued and constant exercise, and for as many activities as Richardson participates in, strain became an issue. There shouldn’t be any lasting issues and he’ll rest up and get back to full go in a week or two. You should still expect him at Ohio State’s camps, most likely at the one day elite camp on June 19th.
From a recruiting standpoint, things are starting to heat up here. Bama has really been in on him hard, and they’ve sent coaches to Maple Heights twice during the spring evaluation period. Richardson is eager and willing to listen to more schools and Bama will work on getting him down there, although it is unlikely at this juncture due to some logistical concerns.
We do have a list of schools he’ll be camping at this summer, and while this entire list is locked in and confirmed, he may still be adding more, particularly in the south, and I will stay on top of this as you guys know. Mark Harris of Raw Talent Sports trains Richardson during the offseason and conducts a yearly bus tour with dozens of prospects, which Richardson intends to participate in. The bus tour will take him to camps at Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, and Cincinnati.
This may sound a bit over the top, but I genuinely would not be surprised if every single one of those schools offered by the end of June. Richardson didn’t get a chance to showcase his talent fully at Nike’s The Opening regional, but he is a big, strong receiver with a fluidity that belies his size and age and is essentially uncoverable in most camp settings. Coaches who see him before the Ohio State camp will be pressured to offer him because they’ll need to be in before the Buckeyes to have a strong chance and coaches who see him after Ohio State may need to play catch up if the Buckeyes offer.
Rob Hainsey – Hainsey is another big time prospect in 2017 and was a very intriguing guy to watch during the OL/DL one-on-ones. Right now he’s around 6-foot-5 and maybe 270 pounds soaking wet. For a long time, we thought he was a guard at the college level, but he’s been adding height and more importantly, length, every time we see him. His arms have gotten longer and while he still needs to continue adding strength and muscle, he has the feet and the mobility to play at tackle at the next level.
He has lots of experience at the high school level being the lead blocker for virtually any late game run scenario and they’ll frequently look to get him into the second level and attacking the guys in front of him, so he’s got no problem moving in space. Perhaps just as crucially, he has not just experience in space, but the mean streak and competitiveness to enjoy attacking and flattening whoever they line up in front of him. He’s right up there with the notoriously nasty and aggressive Drake Jackson, 2016 Kentucky commit, for competitiveness in camp settings and on the field.
He also visited Ohio State this past weekend while he was in Columbus for Nike’s camp and things went well there. Unfortunately, his potential future position coach, Ed Warinner, was out of town at the time, but Rob has continued to build a strong relationship with area recruiter Luke Fickell. He was given a tour of the facilities and the campus area as a whole and introduced to multiple members of the coaching staff beyond Fickell.
While an offer was not extended, the Ohio State staff has tried to set the table for further recruitment opportunities and want to see more film of him. Hainsey’s family was a bit frustrated by the lack of an offer at this stage and doesn’t intend to visit again this summer (as I was told in as many words) without an offer forthcoming. However, what I did learn from sources around the recruitment is that if Ohio State were to offer Hainsey, they would essentially immediately jump to number one, despite his strong connections to Penn State (mom’s an alum) and Michigan State (one of his best friends plays there and he loves the staff). Right now, Michigan State is pretty far out front ahead of Penn State and those are the only two schools besides Ohio State even factoring in.
