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Where things stand with Domani Jackson and Will Johnson
Rivals recruiting analysts Adam Gorney and Josh Helmholdt are slated to reach out to five-star defensive backs Domani Jackson and Will Johnson later tonight. Both took self-guided visits to USC’s campus this past weekend, so keep an eye out for what Gorney and Helmholdt have to say either tonight or tomorrow.
In the meantime, I wanted to inform you all of what I have heard about these highly coveted prospects in recent days.
Starting with Johnson, I am hearing really good things about Ohio State’s pursuit of him. He does not yet have a decision date locked in, but the program believes that they will be able to land him when it’s time for him to commit. Johnson previously told Helmholdt that a decision could come after his visit to USC, so don’t be surprised if it potentially happens this month.
The fourth-ranked cornerback on Rivals is impressed with how the school develops players at his position and the opportunities that would be present for him in Columbus. Even though his father, Deon, played for Michigan, the family visited OSU’s campus in November, and Will has his father’s seal of approval for the school.
There are a trio of FutureCast predictions in favor of Michigan on Johnson’s page – all submitted after he spent time at the school in November – so I decided to dig a little bit more into where things stand between him and the Wolverines.
E.J. Holland of our Michigan site stated that cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich not expecting to return significantly hurts their pursuit of Johnson. Johnson is about development and likes Zordich’s track record, and Michael MacDonald recently being hired as UM’s defensive coordinator hurts the program since there won’t be a lot of time to manufacture a relationship with him prior to his commitment.
Also, I reached out to a 2022 Michigan commit, who had this to say about Johnson.
“I think he might be going to Ohio State,” the commit said.
USC is probably on the outside looking in here, so I feel really good about Ohio State’s chances with Johnson at this time.
With Jackson, however, it would be hard for me to see USC not coming out on top here. The Trojans have had a lot of momentum on the recruiting trail in recent weeks, and some of Jackson’s friends have decided to team up with the Trojans.
Also, USC’s cornerbacks coach, Donte Williams, is one of the best recruiters at the position in the country, so that’s playing a role. One of USC’s commits described Williams’ relationship with Jackson as “great,” and a couple told me they feel confident that their future school will land him.
Jackson is slated to commit on Jan. 23, and Kevin and I have flipped our picks to USC. In my opinion, however, this one will not be over until Jackson signs his Letter of Intent, and Ohio State will not let up on their pursuit of the five-star even if he commits elsewhere next week.
If Johnson commits to Ohio State and Jackson commits to USC, that’s actually not a bad result for Ryan Day’s program. For one, they get the fourth-ranked cornerback in the nation, who is from enemy territory, to join their already talented 2022 class.
For another, The Team Up North loses an elite legacy target who lives just under an hour away from the school’s campus. The Wolverines also miss out on Jackson, who has stated multiple times in the past that UM is his “dream school” and that he grew up a fan of the program.
I’ll have more if I hear of any new updates, but this is what I’ve gathered as of tonight.
Update on five-star offensive lineman Zach Rice
Just under a couple of weeks ago, Zach Rice, the third-ranked offensive tackle in the 2022 cycle, revealed that he has a top three of North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He also said earlier this month on Twitter, “As a reminder… I could commit any day.”
Rice has obviously left things up to interpretation in his recruitment, so I reached out to his mother this weekend to see if I could get some additional information on where things stand with him.
When asked about when her son could end up deciding, Rice told me that COVID-19 impacted their plans because the goal was to get out to some of these schools before visiting. She is hopeful that the dead period will be over after April 15, implying that he may wait until he takes his visits before committing.
One interesting note here is that Rice told me Zach has somewhat taken a step back in his recruiting process to focus on school and working out. This led to a reduction in the calls, texts and Zooms he did with coaching staffs in recent weeks.
I did ask Mary specifically about Ohio State because, well, I cover Buckeyes recruiting and he’s a top target for them. Here is what she had to say about why her son has the school in his top three.
“OSU is an amazing school and I believe Zach is very interested,” Rice said. “Who wouldn’t be interested in The Ohio State University? I was very impressed with the staff, the school and information I received over Zoom. They have the total package in a program.”
These are high remarks from Rice’s mom, and I know he’s very high on the school, too, because of their academics and development of offensive linemen. In fact, he referred to the 2022 class as “we” during an interview we conducted with him back in November.
I think it’s neck-and-neck between Notre Dame and Ohio State, but North Carolina should not be overlooked. The Rice family has a really good relationship with Deon Glover, who is the father of Tar Heels defensive back Tony Grimes.
I’m not ready to make a prediction just yet in this one because I feel like Rice could extend this out until the spring in order to take his visits.
2023 DT from IMG Academy reels in an offer from Ohio State
As you all know, the Buckeyes do not often dish out offers early on to underclassmen prospects. In fact, prior to this weekend, only 14 members of the 2023 class had been recipients of an offer from the program.
On Saturday, however, Ohio State opted to extend an offer to IMG Academy prospect Malik Bryant. Bryant’s offer sheet also features Florida, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
I reached out to Bryant to get his quick thoughts on receiving the green light from OSU and his thoughts on the program. Interestingly, for the first time in covering recruiting, Bryant requested that I text him the messages, and he would post the responses on Twitter.
Although it was not in traditional fashion, here is what Bryant said when talking about his interest in the program.
“I like the history behind the school and their ability to put very good edge rushers in the league,” Bryant said. “I think they know how to prepare their edge rushers very well, so I’ll keep that in mind moving forward.”
Ohio State is more than familiar with recruiting in IMG Academy. Over the past six years, the program has signed seven players from the powerhouse program, with the most recent one being Lejond Cavazos.
It’s early on, so we’ll see if the Buckeyes can make a serious run at him.
Andy Anders’ Report
Ewers comes up short in state championship game
After missing much of the regular season due to injury, 2022 five-star quarterback commit Quinn Ewers embarked on an impressive run to guide his Southlake Carroll team to the Texas 6A-D1 state title game.
Slinging the ball around multiple venues, Ewers toppled the talent-laden state’s top competition, including last season’s state runner-up in Duncanville. Saturday, however, Ewers and the Dragons fell one win short of the ultimate goal, losing the championship contest to Westlake 52-34.
Ewers did all he could to avoid that outcome. The gunslinger finished 23-of-39 for 351 yards and three touchdowns, which were leveraged against two interceptions and a lost fumble.
At least one of those picks required an acrobatic catch from a Chaparral defender, however.
Southlake Carroll’s brightest star did what makes him the nation’s No. 1 recruit for 2022. Make every throw.
Against Westlake, he made passes on the run, under pressure, with zip and with touch. He put on full display his ability to maintain tremendous arm strength and accuracy from any arm angle.
Ewers’ play and that of Westlake’s quarterback garnered the attention of three-year Texas starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger, leaving an impression on the 11,000-yard career passer.
As a senior, Ewers will get one last shot at a state crown in the upcoming 2021 season.
