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Nation’s second-ranked RB still has Ohio State on his radar
When I wrote my BuckeyeGrove Big Board Breakdown on tOSU’s running back targets earlier this week, Gavin Sawchuk was a player I did not dedicate a whole lot of time to.
He’s not someone who has officially written off the Buckeyes; most would agree, however, that 2022 targets Dallan Hayden, Damari Alston and Nicholas Singleton are likelier options for them. That still may be the case, but I got to learn a little bit more about Sawchuk’s interest in Ohio State.
Kevin Sawchuk, Gavin’s father, told me today that running backs coach Tony Alford is in consistent contact with the both of them. Mr. Sawchuk said Alford communicates with them on a weekly basis.
He went on to note that Alford is letting Gavin know the staff wants him to return to Columbus; if you recall, Sawchuk visited the campus as a freshman. Alford is also checking in on them and making sure the top-50 overall junior is remaining interested in the Buckeyes.
So, does Gavin still have legitimate interest in Ohio State?
“Absolutely,” Mr. Sawchuk replied.
At this time, it’s hard to tell where Ryan Day’s program stands in Sawchuk’s recruitment. Mr. Sawchuk says Ohio State is in Gavin’s top 10, but did not elaborate any further.
There are no plans for the Sawchuks to make their way out to the Buckeye State in the near future as they are waiting for the dead period to end before they return to the school. Mr. Sawchuk did tell me, however, that they are heading out to California soon to visit USC and Stanford.
I still think Alston, Hayden and Singleton are more likely to end up in this class than Sawchuk, but this conversation made me believe Ohio State is a more serious option than I previously thought.
Rivals250 DB puts the Buckeyes his top seven
Back on Friday, Toriano Pride unveiled a top seven that featured The Ohio State University. Also making the cut for him were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Missouri and Oregon.
With Domani Jackson and Will Johnson committed elsewhere, and Denver Harris not having them in his top four, Pride is definitely one of the top uncommitted 2022 cornerback targets for the Buckeyes.
Given how much of a priority Pride is for Kerry Coombs and Company in this cycle, it’s no surprise to hear that they speak with him frequently. In fact, Pride says the staff talks with him every single day, if not every other day.
There’s one FutureCast in each for Clemson and Missouri here, with Dabo Swinney's program gaining some momentum in recent weeks. Pride’s recruitment is far from over, however, and he says the Buckeyes have made a strong impression on him since delivering an offer back in August.
“I love Ohio State,” Pride said. “I love Coach Coombs and I like Coach Day. They’re one of the schools where I can tell they’re not trying to sell me a dream. I like how they develop DBs, player development… I just like them. I like how they run the defense and they compete for a national championship every single year. You can’t beat that.”
He also noted that he’s in a big group chat with all of Ohio State’s commits. Pride said that Caleb Burton, CJ Hicks, Dasan McCullough and Quinn Ewers are the future Buckeyes he chops it up with the most.
As is the case with Sawchuk, do not expect Pride to take a visit to Columbus soon as he’s already been on campus before. Plus, Coombs wants him to wait until the dead period ends before he visits.
Stay tuned for my full update on Pride that will be published tomorrow.
Buckeyes commits and targets shown respect at camps this week
This weekend, there were a couple of events that multiple Ohio State commits and targets were able to attend.
The first one I’ll talk about in this section is the Battle 7-on-7 tournament held in New Orleans (Louisiana). Attending the event were Jaheim Singletary, Kyion Grayes and Xavier Nwankpa.
Starting with Grayes, I heard he did pretty well during the time he was on the field yesterday. Unfortunately for Ohio State’s most recent commit, he ended up not playing too much today as a result of a minor injury.
I reached out to Grayes, and he told me that it was just a sprain, so it was nothing too serious.
Looking at Singletary, Sam Spiegelman was in attendance for the event, and said that the five-star cornerback was barely targeted yesterday. While it was unfortunate that he could not make as many plays on the ball as he would have liked to, Singletary was able to float around in coverage and made some breaks on the ball.
Spiegelman also said that Singletary was dominant as a wide receiver, showcasing his downfield speed and long arms to haul in receptions. Check out a couple of clips from Singletary’s first day of competition HERE.
Xavier Nwankpa, one of Ohio State’s top two targets at safety in this recruiting cycle, also showed out on Saturday. Here is what Spiegelman had to say about the eighth-ranked safety on Rivals.
“He challenged defenders downfield and flashed his ability to high-point the football and challenge for passes at their highest point, which he'll do at the next level on defense,” Spiegelman wrote. “Nwankpa provided a full reminder that he's one of the nation's best athletes. Right now, there's a lot of buzz with the Buckeyes and the elite safety.”
Another important event that transpired this weekend was the Under Armour All-America Camp Series in Miami (Florida). This was covered by Rivals recruiting analyst Chad Simmons.
There weren’t any Ohio State commits that were at the event, and only two targets were in attendance.
One of those targets that made his way out to this event was five-star offensive lineman target Julian Armella. Armella is unlikely going to be Columbus-bound even though he has the program in his top seven, but showcased why he’s one of the top tackles in the nation.
Armella, who has lost nearly 40 pounds this offseason, showcased his strength and that once he gets his hands locked in and engaged with his opponent, he wins. Simmons did note that Armella struggles a little bit with speedy edge rushers, and could end up being a guard down the line.
The other target that was at the camp on Sunday was Brandon Inniss, a recent 2023 wide receiver offer for the Buckeyes. Ohio State immediately became a contender for Inniss following the offer, and you can read my full interview with him HERE.
Some were concerned about his height when he was offered, but Inniss checks in at 6-foot-1, 188 pounds now. Simmons, who called him one of the top sophomores in the state, said Inniss has a great frame, is strong and has consistent hands. He'll certainly be one to watch as the 2023 class becomes more of a priority for the Buckeyes and programs across the nation.
I’m hoping to get out to a camp soon and if all goes well, I know you all will like where I head in the near future.
Carson MacRae's Report
Buckeyes surging for a borderline Rivals100 DT
The Buckeyes have extended offers to eight defensive tackles in the 2022 class. Now, many of those defensive tackles do have Ohio State high on their list, although as of late it appears one name has started to surge a little bit more.
With the Buckeyes extending an offer to Georgia native Christen Miller only about a month ago, not many expected it to play too much of an impact. Well, with Georgia landing top DT Bear Alexander, it would open the door for the Buckeyes to take the lead in this recruitment.
Interesting to note, after speaking with a couple of people close to Miller, it would appear the Buckeye offer changed a lot more than most expected. Miller wanted the Buckeye offer and was actually not expecting to get it.
After receiving the offer from Day and Larry Johnson, Miller seems to have liked the idea of being "the guy" as a major four-star DT and knowing the Buckeyes currently do not hold a commitment from any 2022 players in his position.
As of right now, this is one I find very interesting as his commitment date approaches on the fourth of April. Many still believe the home-state Bulldogs lead, but I would no longer be inclined to agree.
Any time Larry Johnson is involved in a recruitment, though, I like the chances even more to land a top prospect.
Buckeyes and Notre Dame to split top targets?
This week, Joseph Hastings provided a great breakdown of the RB position and where many of these running backs stand currently in their recruitments.
As Joseph stated, Dallan Hayden, Nicholas Singleton, and Damari Alston are the top three RBs on the board for the Buckeyes. Lately, it has seemed that Alston is in no rush to commit with him wanting to take visits.
Singleton and Hayden appear now to be the front leaders to get that RB spot. Now, the interesting side of this is the fact that both players seem to have Ohio State and Notre Dame among their top two schools.
I think both guys are fairly close in skill and would be great assets to an already loaded 2022 Ohio State class.
After our roundtable this week, I stated that Hayden was my pick to be the guy. I still believe that to be the case and have Hayden taking that spot right now.
Notre Dame has been putting in work on both prospects just as much as Ohio State and both seem to love each school equally. This one could in fact end with both the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish splitting top RB targets.
