Updating the TE situation
A new offer went out today to class of 2017 Illinois tight end Cole Kmet (video interview with Cole on the front page currently). Kmet has the NFL bloodlines as his father, Frank, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and his uncle, Jeff Zgonina, had a 17-year NFL career.
Kmet and Kierre Hawkins were far and away the best tight ends at camp today and I really liked what I saw out of Cole. He has exactly what you're looking for from a size standpoint. He's a tall kid with a pretty broad frame that will fill out over time. He looked smooth running routes with the receivers and was very sure handed. Definitely an offer that was well deserved and this is a kid that has a lot of momentum right now on the recruiting front. He has been grabbing offers left and right recently.
Taking a quick look at his film and having a chance to size him up in person, he's probably a better blocker at this stage and is probably a little more polished at this point than Matt Dotson who they offered on Saturday. Now Dotson is probably the better run and jump athlete so it will be an interesting debate between the two over the next year and a half.
In talking with Cole, I get the sense that this was a really big offer for his recruitment and that Ohio State could be the team that everyone is chasing now. He is adamant, however, that he is going to take his time with this and make as many visits as he can over the next 6-12 months and then make a decision sometime before senior season.
With the way things are setup right now, I don't know that the Buckeyes are going to be able to take two tight ends in 2017. There is always a chance that some guys get moved around to different positions or that some attrition occurs (we're still 18+ months from Signing Day, afterall) but it looks like two could be a tough proposition unless Luke Farrell pulls a surprise and leaves Ohio State with just Hawkins and Hausmann in this class.
Speaking of Farrell, I remain pretty confident in Ohio State's chances and have spoken with a good source when it comes to Michigan State recruiting that believes Farrell is 'all Buckeye' so there isn't much optimism with the competition right now.
More camp notes
If there's one thing Ohio could use more of in the 2017 class, it's good wide receiver prospects, am I right?
Fremont Ross product Russ Yeast had the best day I've seen him have in three camp viewings this off-season. He was the best route runner in today's group and he can really stop-and-go, just super quick. Definitely has to play in the slot (or in the defensive secondary) but he's a heck of a player.
Dublin Coffman's Caleb Stoneburner looked like a completely different human being than what I saw last summer. He's hitting his growth spurt and looked about two inches taller, 15-pounds heavier and he's went from running 4.8 40's last summer to running in the high 4.4's to mid 4.5's consistently this summer.
He's a bit of a different player than Jake. They are similar speed wise at the same stage but Jake had that big frame that you knew for sure would take him to tight end at the next level and I think Caleb has a little more wiggle to his game.
No idea what Ohio State can really do here with the wide receiver situation being what it is but Stoneburner and Yeast are certainly prospects worth evaluating and will be good players for someone in the Big Ten if the Buckeyes don't make a move.
The Woodlands (Texas) cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. also had a very good day today. Like his dad, he is sawed off at about 5-foot-9 and a half but he makes up for that with excellent speed and strength.
I'm told the coaches liked what they saw today but I don't see Winfield Jr. becoming a serious option unless the Buckeyes miss on a few guys. Definitely an underrated guy though who should have more offers.
2017 Columbus DeSales defensive tackle Derrius Mullins weighed in at 326-pounds at our Cleveland camp about two months ago so he's carrying quite a bit on that 6-foot-4 frame. He ran a sub 5.0 40-yard dash today, one of the more impressive numbers at the camp, all things considered.
Mullins is still working on that first step, which I thought was better today than in Cleveland and the feedback he received from Larry Johnson is that he needs to keep working on using his hands more but I think he intrigued the coaches today. He was offered by Ohio U. at the camp and his size and athleticism will probably net him more than 20 offers before it's all said and done. It's hard to find kids with his size, strength, and athleticism. He'll need a big junior year for Ohio State to offer but he's a guy who I definitely think is on the radar. He's looking at returning for Friday Night Lights.
Fellow 2017 DT Jerron Cage out of Winton Woods also had the clear attention of Larry Johnson. I think Cage might be a little quicker off the ball at this stage but doesn't have the big nose tackle body at this point. Both of these guys are going to get long looks before it's all said and done.
2018 trio impresses
While (arguably) Ohio's top class of 2018 prospect, Jaelen Gill, was on campus today hanging out, three more very good ones were working out with the coaching staff in Dublin Coffman linebacker Griffin Hoak, Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott, and Shelby quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
In my opinion it's too early to talk about an offer for any of these guys but they all showed very well for themselves. Armstrong showed good accuracy throughout the day and put nice touch on the deep ball. The arm strength was solid and will only improve as he gets stronger. Throwing motion checked out pretty well on my end too so I think he's one to keep an eye on moving forward.
Hoak was very good in space at about 6-foot-1, 200-pounds. He is the younger brother of Kentucky QB commit Gunnar Hoak. Hoak did an excellent job in coverage and competed really hard. Coffman has a very good group of veteran linebackers so Hoak might make his first impact at tight end but I really like him on defense as a prospect.
Scott has dropped some weight from last summer, reshaped his body, and probably grown an inch or two. He was very good today and landed an offer from Toledo. He'll be back on Friday just to hang out with his good friend Tyler Gerald who is back in Ohio right now on break. He's a kid who has a chance to develop into an absolute mauler of an offensive guard.
What about Jackson?
No, I didn't forget about Rivals100 defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson who I am sure is at least half the reason most of you clicked through to read this.
Hearing very positive things for Ohio State so far. Jackson worked out with Buckeye DE commit Jonathon Cooper this afternoon and received a lot of intruction from Larry Johnson Sr. We don't bug kids during the camp but he was stretching during lunch before he took the field and saw us and said hello and gave us a big smile and thumbs up when we quickly asked him how things were going.
Had a chance to then talk to a couple of people that are close to this one and what I've gathered is that this is becoming an Ohio State vs. Auburn battle. I won't go as far to say that UGA is out, but they're trailing these two right now. This isn't completely unexpected, at some point one of these Georgia guys was going to look for a better situation in terms of the numbers/depth chart and Auburn and OSU are great programs with very appealing depth chart situations for a 2016 defensive tackle prospect.
Been told a couple things specifically as to why Ohio State has some momentum here....
1. Was told that this was 'by far' the best instruction he felt he received at any college camp to this point. He was blown away by working with Larry Johnson this afternoon. LJ is a technician and Jackson felt he learned more at this camp and was pushed harder at this camp than his other stops. That relationship continues to get better.
2. The campus/facilities/fan support has surpassed what he expected coming in. From the football facilities to the academic support, to the stadium and everything else, it is bigger and better than what he had envisioned. He has been seen out and about on campus a couple of times and had people come up to him knowing who he was already. He was really surprised by that, I'm told, just blown away by how much people care about Ohio State football.
I think a big key will be getting Jackson back on campus again this summer as he's talked about in the past. Right now I'm hearing a push is being made for that to happen for Friday Night Lights and I'm also told that this visit has helped cement a second visit but we'll see what Antwuan says when he leaves campus.
I'm also told there is a pretty good chance he decides BEFORE his senior season which initially was not going to be the case. Now that doesn't mean there won't be any official visits but we could be looking at a commitment sooner rather than later.
Auburn is definitely a big threat here but this visit has been huge. This absolutely had to happen for OSU to have any chance and they've done about as well for themselves as they could have. Jackson will leave campus tomorrow morning so he still has another night in Columbus but it has been a home run so far.
A new offer went out today to class of 2017 Illinois tight end Cole Kmet (video interview with Cole on the front page currently). Kmet has the NFL bloodlines as his father, Frank, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and his uncle, Jeff Zgonina, had a 17-year NFL career.
Kmet and Kierre Hawkins were far and away the best tight ends at camp today and I really liked what I saw out of Cole. He has exactly what you're looking for from a size standpoint. He's a tall kid with a pretty broad frame that will fill out over time. He looked smooth running routes with the receivers and was very sure handed. Definitely an offer that was well deserved and this is a kid that has a lot of momentum right now on the recruiting front. He has been grabbing offers left and right recently.
Taking a quick look at his film and having a chance to size him up in person, he's probably a better blocker at this stage and is probably a little more polished at this point than Matt Dotson who they offered on Saturday. Now Dotson is probably the better run and jump athlete so it will be an interesting debate between the two over the next year and a half.
In talking with Cole, I get the sense that this was a really big offer for his recruitment and that Ohio State could be the team that everyone is chasing now. He is adamant, however, that he is going to take his time with this and make as many visits as he can over the next 6-12 months and then make a decision sometime before senior season.
With the way things are setup right now, I don't know that the Buckeyes are going to be able to take two tight ends in 2017. There is always a chance that some guys get moved around to different positions or that some attrition occurs (we're still 18+ months from Signing Day, afterall) but it looks like two could be a tough proposition unless Luke Farrell pulls a surprise and leaves Ohio State with just Hawkins and Hausmann in this class.
Speaking of Farrell, I remain pretty confident in Ohio State's chances and have spoken with a good source when it comes to Michigan State recruiting that believes Farrell is 'all Buckeye' so there isn't much optimism with the competition right now.
More camp notes
If there's one thing Ohio could use more of in the 2017 class, it's good wide receiver prospects, am I right?
Fremont Ross product Russ Yeast had the best day I've seen him have in three camp viewings this off-season. He was the best route runner in today's group and he can really stop-and-go, just super quick. Definitely has to play in the slot (or in the defensive secondary) but he's a heck of a player.
Dublin Coffman's Caleb Stoneburner looked like a completely different human being than what I saw last summer. He's hitting his growth spurt and looked about two inches taller, 15-pounds heavier and he's went from running 4.8 40's last summer to running in the high 4.4's to mid 4.5's consistently this summer.
He's a bit of a different player than Jake. They are similar speed wise at the same stage but Jake had that big frame that you knew for sure would take him to tight end at the next level and I think Caleb has a little more wiggle to his game.
No idea what Ohio State can really do here with the wide receiver situation being what it is but Stoneburner and Yeast are certainly prospects worth evaluating and will be good players for someone in the Big Ten if the Buckeyes don't make a move.
The Woodlands (Texas) cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. also had a very good day today. Like his dad, he is sawed off at about 5-foot-9 and a half but he makes up for that with excellent speed and strength.
I'm told the coaches liked what they saw today but I don't see Winfield Jr. becoming a serious option unless the Buckeyes miss on a few guys. Definitely an underrated guy though who should have more offers.
2017 Columbus DeSales defensive tackle Derrius Mullins weighed in at 326-pounds at our Cleveland camp about two months ago so he's carrying quite a bit on that 6-foot-4 frame. He ran a sub 5.0 40-yard dash today, one of the more impressive numbers at the camp, all things considered.
Mullins is still working on that first step, which I thought was better today than in Cleveland and the feedback he received from Larry Johnson is that he needs to keep working on using his hands more but I think he intrigued the coaches today. He was offered by Ohio U. at the camp and his size and athleticism will probably net him more than 20 offers before it's all said and done. It's hard to find kids with his size, strength, and athleticism. He'll need a big junior year for Ohio State to offer but he's a guy who I definitely think is on the radar. He's looking at returning for Friday Night Lights.
Fellow 2017 DT Jerron Cage out of Winton Woods also had the clear attention of Larry Johnson. I think Cage might be a little quicker off the ball at this stage but doesn't have the big nose tackle body at this point. Both of these guys are going to get long looks before it's all said and done.
2018 trio impresses
While (arguably) Ohio's top class of 2018 prospect, Jaelen Gill, was on campus today hanging out, three more very good ones were working out with the coaching staff in Dublin Coffman linebacker Griffin Hoak, Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott, and Shelby quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
In my opinion it's too early to talk about an offer for any of these guys but they all showed very well for themselves. Armstrong showed good accuracy throughout the day and put nice touch on the deep ball. The arm strength was solid and will only improve as he gets stronger. Throwing motion checked out pretty well on my end too so I think he's one to keep an eye on moving forward.
Hoak was very good in space at about 6-foot-1, 200-pounds. He is the younger brother of Kentucky QB commit Gunnar Hoak. Hoak did an excellent job in coverage and competed really hard. Coffman has a very good group of veteran linebackers so Hoak might make his first impact at tight end but I really like him on defense as a prospect.
Scott has dropped some weight from last summer, reshaped his body, and probably grown an inch or two. He was very good today and landed an offer from Toledo. He'll be back on Friday just to hang out with his good friend Tyler Gerald who is back in Ohio right now on break. He's a kid who has a chance to develop into an absolute mauler of an offensive guard.
What about Jackson?
No, I didn't forget about Rivals100 defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson who I am sure is at least half the reason most of you clicked through to read this.
Hearing very positive things for Ohio State so far. Jackson worked out with Buckeye DE commit Jonathon Cooper this afternoon and received a lot of intruction from Larry Johnson Sr. We don't bug kids during the camp but he was stretching during lunch before he took the field and saw us and said hello and gave us a big smile and thumbs up when we quickly asked him how things were going.
Had a chance to then talk to a couple of people that are close to this one and what I've gathered is that this is becoming an Ohio State vs. Auburn battle. I won't go as far to say that UGA is out, but they're trailing these two right now. This isn't completely unexpected, at some point one of these Georgia guys was going to look for a better situation in terms of the numbers/depth chart and Auburn and OSU are great programs with very appealing depth chart situations for a 2016 defensive tackle prospect.
Been told a couple things specifically as to why Ohio State has some momentum here....
1. Was told that this was 'by far' the best instruction he felt he received at any college camp to this point. He was blown away by working with Larry Johnson this afternoon. LJ is a technician and Jackson felt he learned more at this camp and was pushed harder at this camp than his other stops. That relationship continues to get better.
2. The campus/facilities/fan support has surpassed what he expected coming in. From the football facilities to the academic support, to the stadium and everything else, it is bigger and better than what he had envisioned. He has been seen out and about on campus a couple of times and had people come up to him knowing who he was already. He was really surprised by that, I'm told, just blown away by how much people care about Ohio State football.
I think a big key will be getting Jackson back on campus again this summer as he's talked about in the past. Right now I'm hearing a push is being made for that to happen for Friday Night Lights and I'm also told that this visit has helped cement a second visit but we'll see what Antwuan says when he leaves campus.
I'm also told there is a pretty good chance he decides BEFORE his senior season which initially was not going to be the case. Now that doesn't mean there won't be any official visits but we could be looking at a commitment sooner rather than later.
Auburn is definitely a big threat here but this visit has been huge. This absolutely had to happen for OSU to have any chance and they've done about as well for themselves as they could have. Jackson will leave campus tomorrow morning so he still has another night in Columbus but it has been a home run so far.
