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Welcome back for another edition of “A-Deck” at BuckeyeGrove.com, presented by Infinit Nutrition, where I’ll bring you thoughts, what I’m hearing, inside scoop, tidbits, and more for Ohio State recruiting and team coverage, every Wednesday.
Last week’s A-Deck provided a new FutureCast pick for the Buckeyes, as well as the latest on one of the top defensive backs in America.
This week I share some intel on a receiver target people may be sleeping on, as well as go behind my FutureCast pick for 5-star defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau.
THE WR NOT NAMED STELLATO OR EGBUKA THAT OHIO STATE IS RECRUITING
Most of the talk around wide receiver recruiting for Ohio State has been involving Emeka Egbuka or Troy Stellato, but the Buckeyes have been chasing another playmaking 2021 wideout to pair with Jaylen Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. in Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater’s Christian Leary.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Leary is a speedster that would be a great fit in the slot for Ohio State and has been timed at 10.5 seconds in the 100-meter dash (school record) and 21.92 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He holds 43 offers, including scholarships from most of the elite programs in the country.
Leary was supposed to take a bunch of visits this spring and summer, but those unfortunately got cancelled due to COVID-19. He has done “virtual visits” in place of those over the last couple of months, including one to Ohio State, and has ultimately cut his list down to a group of six: Alabama, Oklahoma, Auburn, West Virginia, Florida, and the Buckeyes.
A decision is planned and scheduled for June 6, his mother’s birthday, but sources close to this recruitment tell me that likely won’t be the end of things when it comes to an ultimate decision. The plan for the Leary camp is to still take official visits, whenever that is possible, with OSU definitely being one of the programs slated to get a trip in the fall. I’m also told that outside of his top six that schools such as Miami, Florida State, and USC could get further looks, and that nothing should be considered final until pen goes to paper on a letter of intent.
In checking in with some sources on the Ohio State side of things, they’re definitely still recruiting Leary and it sure seems like he would be a taker. While nobody expects the Buckeyes to be the pick on June 6, there are definitely a few staffers that have some optimism around the program having a realistic shot to land the Sunshine State product in the long game, which won’t end until a LOI is signed in December or February.
My personal take on this does not have a ton of confidence in Leary ending up playing for Ohio State, but I do think he’s someone to watch for sure, especially if the Bucks don’t get both Egbuka and Stellato (I have the former in and the latter to Clemson). While some OSU sources feel there is indeed a shot, there’s a ton of confidence coming from Norman, Tuscaloosa, and Gainesville as well. Additionally, I’ve heard some buzz that it may be tough for Leary to eventually leave the South, which would put another dent in Ohio State’s chances. Although Leary says Ohio State is recruiting him harder than any other program right now, my pick for June 6 is either Oklahoma or Alabama, but we’ll see what happens as this recruitment is just heating up.
BEHIND MY PICK OF OHIO STATE FOR JT TUIMOLOAU
I caused quite a stir on Buckeye Twitterverse yesterday when I made a FutureCast prediction for 5-star defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau to Ohio State shortly after a bunch of current commits were teasing out that somebody would be joining them in the near future.
First things first, my pick here had nothing to do with that. I do believe the Buckeyes will be getting another member in the Class of 2021 in the next couple of weeks, but the player I have in mind is not Tuimoloau, for the record.
Back to the topic on hand, I made my FutureCast in favor of the Buckeyes after speaking to sources on both sides of this recruitment. A reliable West Coast source told me that they felt the Scarlet and Gray had the clear edge right now due to the relationship with Larry Johnson and his track record in developing top prospects into top draft picks. Additionally, a source on the OSU side of things confirmed that they feel fairly confident about their chances in landing the 6-foot-4, 275-pounder as things stand today, although they noted there was a long way to go.
My take is that there is no doubt the Bucks lead as of May 20, but as mentioned above, there could be a long way to go here. I’ve been told there is a possibility Tuimoloau doesn’t sign a letter of intent, or even make a final decision on a school until February, with a round of planned visits to come (including one to Columbus) in the fall. I feel that Ohio State is the leader in the clubhouse heading into the next stretch of this recruitment, with Washington, Oregon, USC, and Alabama as the major competition. Michigan and Stanford were two other programs I was told had a chance of getting visits, but I don’t see either as a concern for Ohio State at the moment.
