College Camp season kicking off
The past several months have been dominated by the independant camp and combine circuit, 7on7's, and in some states, spring practice. But June is when a lot of the focus shifts to college camps. Ohio State will be running three one-day elite camps during the month of June but will also be all over the country staffing camps at other schools.
That will start on Friday as the Buckeyes are set to host a joint camp at Rutgers. Ohio State has had tremendous success in the New York/New Jersey area under Urban Meyer. Between the Erasmus Hall pipeline in NYC and big recruiting wins in New Jersey for guys like Eli Apple and Tyler Friday, this has been an area of emphasis for the Buckeyes and that doesn't appear to be slowing down soon.
A big thing with these out-of-region camps, beyond just the evaluation component, is getting a chance to spend several hours around key targets. While the focus is mostly on the camp, there is still a relationship building component to these things and players and coaches are able to grow closer by working with each other in a setting that will more closely simulate a college practice than anything else on the recruiting calendar.
These are opportunities to bring the Ohio State camp to the player, instead of the player having to find a way to travel halfway across the country to the school so it definitely serves its purpose for programs that like to recruit nationally.
Friday's camp looks to be a good example of that. 2020 Don Bosco Prep (NJ) running back Jalen Berger has Ohio State out in front early on. Berger will be attending the camp on Friday and that will be an excellent chance for the Buckeyes to not only evaluate Berger as they start to figure out the plan at running back in 2020, but to also continue to strengthen that relationship coming off an outstanding unofficial visit in the spring.
Additionally, a group from Erasmus Hall is expected to be there, most notably super 2021 defensive Jahzion Harris. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound edge rusher already holds an offer from the Buckeyes and has a chance to be one of the best in his class nationally. It's unclear how much Harris will participate in the camp, he's dealing with a minor injury right now, but any opportunity for communication with an underclassmen talent like this is important.
Regardless of Harris' status, the Buckeyes will look to see a group from E-Hall on June 16th at one of their own camps, according to head coach Danny Landberg. He'll be bringing a group that includes Harris to Columbus for the Buckeyes' final one-day camp in June. This is a Tressel-Ginn type of relationship here between Meyer and Landberg as the Buckeyes continue to build a ton of trust with New York City's top high school football program and in turn, the E-Hall program continues to make major efforts to showcase its players in front of the Ohio State coaching staff.
Hubbard back in Ohio
Big-time 2020 Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral running back Darvon Hubbard will be spending a good chunk of his summer back in Ohio. The Akron native is looking to spend about 6-8 weeks in Ohio during the months of June and July. That time frame should include a pair of visits to Ohio State. Hubbard plans to attend the June 16th camp in Columbus as well as Friday Night Lights.
Ohio State will not be the only camp destination for Hubbard who plans to take full advantage of his time in the Midwest. Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Tennessee camps are all on the agenda as well as a few regional camps held at smaller schools that should attract Division I coaching staffs from all over.
Hubbard is definitely a guy that needs to remain on everyone's mind when we talk about class of 2020 possibilities as he is still very much on the Buckeyes' radar. Hubbard definitely still considers himself an Ohioan and is very loyal to the Midwest which will allow the Buckeyes to have a real shot here if they offer.
Alabama and LSU recently threw their hats into the ring for Hubbard who is turning into a national prospect. Darvon definitely caught the attention of Ohio State as a top performer at last summer's Friday Night Lights camp and he has remained in contact with Tony Alford. Ohio State is treating this one like an in-state prospect but I could certainly see some movement here on the offer front this summer, especially if Darvon competes at both camps as he is scheduled to do.
Williams one to watch for 2020
Speaking of 2020's to keep in mind. Defensive tackle Tre' Williams out of St. Thomas More school in Connecticut is another guy that the Buckeyes are off to a good start with. Williams fits the mold of what defensive line coach Larry Johnson has typically looked for at the defensive tackle position with a powerful build and explosive first step. Tre has a lot of upside as an interior pass rusher and was one of my favorites at the recent Rivals New Jersey Camp.
"My interest in Ohio State is very high," he told me recently. "I like the swagger of the program. I like the coaching staff a lot and the winning tradition."
Williams has also taken notice of the recent flow of defensive linemen from Columbus to the NFL. While most of the talk has surrounded defensive ends, the Buckeyes have sent a few tackles to the pros recently as well and look to have a potential first rounder on deck in Dre'Mont Jones.
"Of course that is something that I look at," Williams said. "There is a rich tradition there, a very rich tradition."
Williams intends to visit Ohio State this summer, preferably in June.
"I'm definitely trying to get up there in June," he told me recently. "I want to see if they have the major that I'm looking for (and how that major stacks up against other schools). I also want to meet with coach Johnson and hopefully break down some film."
Williams is leaning towards a business major at this point, probably marketing. There is no question in talking to Williams and several other sources, that Ohio State can be a very serious part of the equation for Tre'. A good unofficial visit this summer to kick start things would obviously be a great thing for Ohio State here as defensive tackle is shaping up to be more of a priority in 2020 than it is in 2019.
The past several months have been dominated by the independant camp and combine circuit, 7on7's, and in some states, spring practice. But June is when a lot of the focus shifts to college camps. Ohio State will be running three one-day elite camps during the month of June but will also be all over the country staffing camps at other schools.
That will start on Friday as the Buckeyes are set to host a joint camp at Rutgers. Ohio State has had tremendous success in the New York/New Jersey area under Urban Meyer. Between the Erasmus Hall pipeline in NYC and big recruiting wins in New Jersey for guys like Eli Apple and Tyler Friday, this has been an area of emphasis for the Buckeyes and that doesn't appear to be slowing down soon.
A big thing with these out-of-region camps, beyond just the evaluation component, is getting a chance to spend several hours around key targets. While the focus is mostly on the camp, there is still a relationship building component to these things and players and coaches are able to grow closer by working with each other in a setting that will more closely simulate a college practice than anything else on the recruiting calendar.
These are opportunities to bring the Ohio State camp to the player, instead of the player having to find a way to travel halfway across the country to the school so it definitely serves its purpose for programs that like to recruit nationally.
Friday's camp looks to be a good example of that. 2020 Don Bosco Prep (NJ) running back Jalen Berger has Ohio State out in front early on. Berger will be attending the camp on Friday and that will be an excellent chance for the Buckeyes to not only evaluate Berger as they start to figure out the plan at running back in 2020, but to also continue to strengthen that relationship coming off an outstanding unofficial visit in the spring.
Additionally, a group from Erasmus Hall is expected to be there, most notably super 2021 defensive Jahzion Harris. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound edge rusher already holds an offer from the Buckeyes and has a chance to be one of the best in his class nationally. It's unclear how much Harris will participate in the camp, he's dealing with a minor injury right now, but any opportunity for communication with an underclassmen talent like this is important.
Regardless of Harris' status, the Buckeyes will look to see a group from E-Hall on June 16th at one of their own camps, according to head coach Danny Landberg. He'll be bringing a group that includes Harris to Columbus for the Buckeyes' final one-day camp in June. This is a Tressel-Ginn type of relationship here between Meyer and Landberg as the Buckeyes continue to build a ton of trust with New York City's top high school football program and in turn, the E-Hall program continues to make major efforts to showcase its players in front of the Ohio State coaching staff.
Hubbard back in Ohio
Big-time 2020 Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral running back Darvon Hubbard will be spending a good chunk of his summer back in Ohio. The Akron native is looking to spend about 6-8 weeks in Ohio during the months of June and July. That time frame should include a pair of visits to Ohio State. Hubbard plans to attend the June 16th camp in Columbus as well as Friday Night Lights.
Ohio State will not be the only camp destination for Hubbard who plans to take full advantage of his time in the Midwest. Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Tennessee camps are all on the agenda as well as a few regional camps held at smaller schools that should attract Division I coaching staffs from all over.
Hubbard is definitely a guy that needs to remain on everyone's mind when we talk about class of 2020 possibilities as he is still very much on the Buckeyes' radar. Hubbard definitely still considers himself an Ohioan and is very loyal to the Midwest which will allow the Buckeyes to have a real shot here if they offer.
Alabama and LSU recently threw their hats into the ring for Hubbard who is turning into a national prospect. Darvon definitely caught the attention of Ohio State as a top performer at last summer's Friday Night Lights camp and he has remained in contact with Tony Alford. Ohio State is treating this one like an in-state prospect but I could certainly see some movement here on the offer front this summer, especially if Darvon competes at both camps as he is scheduled to do.
Williams one to watch for 2020
Speaking of 2020's to keep in mind. Defensive tackle Tre' Williams out of St. Thomas More school in Connecticut is another guy that the Buckeyes are off to a good start with. Williams fits the mold of what defensive line coach Larry Johnson has typically looked for at the defensive tackle position with a powerful build and explosive first step. Tre has a lot of upside as an interior pass rusher and was one of my favorites at the recent Rivals New Jersey Camp.
"My interest in Ohio State is very high," he told me recently. "I like the swagger of the program. I like the coaching staff a lot and the winning tradition."
Williams has also taken notice of the recent flow of defensive linemen from Columbus to the NFL. While most of the talk has surrounded defensive ends, the Buckeyes have sent a few tackles to the pros recently as well and look to have a potential first rounder on deck in Dre'Mont Jones.
"Of course that is something that I look at," Williams said. "There is a rich tradition there, a very rich tradition."
Williams intends to visit Ohio State this summer, preferably in June.
"I'm definitely trying to get up there in June," he told me recently. "I want to see if they have the major that I'm looking for (and how that major stacks up against other schools). I also want to meet with coach Johnson and hopefully break down some film."
Williams is leaning towards a business major at this point, probably marketing. There is no question in talking to Williams and several other sources, that Ohio State can be a very serious part of the equation for Tre'. A good unofficial visit this summer to kick start things would obviously be a great thing for Ohio State here as defensive tackle is shaping up to be more of a priority in 2020 than it is in 2019.
