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D-Line Notes
Ohio State has done an excellent job so far of addressing the need for a big haul along the defensive line in the 2021 class. But there are still numerous big fish out there for the Buckeyes and with three in the fold right now, there will be a minimum of two added between now and February.
My personal belief has been that this could stretch to six if it is the right combination of guys, though that is a decision that likely won't be made (nor will need to be made) until later on in the fall or even winter.
Rivals Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman posted an update today on four-star Kernersville (NC) Glenn product Jahvaree Ritzie. Ritzie released his top five, which was very Southeast centric but did include Ohio State along with North Carolina, UGA, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Ritzie is a prospect that I know the OSU braintrust likes quite a bit. While most of the talk right now, and rightfully so, centers around J.T. Tuimoloau and Tywone Malone, Ritzie is certainly a player worth nothing as the Buckeyes look to keeping adding to what is shaping up to be one of the best D-Line classes in school history. I think it's fair to have Tuimoloau and Malone as Tier 1 guys at this point, the top two options on the board. But there is another group right on those guys' heels that Ohio State really, really likes and Ritzie is in that group along with Marcus Bradley and Damon Payne.
The big hurdle right now for the Buckeyes is that Ritzie hasn't made a visit to Ohio State and as we know, these North Carolina guys can be pretty serious homebodies so getting visits is critical to land these types of kids. Right now I think North Carolina is in the driver's seat with UGA probably running second.
Ohio State knows they have to get him on campus to shake this one up so the longer this one goes, the better for the Buckeyes who certainly want to stay in this thing as long as possible while they try and figure out just how many of these talented linemen they can fit into this class. So wait for the visit here. Without it, Ritzie isn't going to Ohio State.
Now on to a name that I sense isn't going to go away for the fans until he commits a second time is Korey Foreman. I posted last week when Foreman decommitted that the talk of Ohio State being a slam dunk for a visit was pre-mature as Foreman hadn't really been reciprocating interest with the Buckeyes during his time as a Clemson pledge and that we needed to wait and see if anything changes on that front.
Has it? Kind of, but not really.
Sources have informed me that Foreman has returned some texts from the OSU staff over the past week but nothing significant to the point where the Buckeyes have even been able to setup one of their Zoom meetings or virtual tours yet so it continues to be pretty tough-sledding there.
One source close to the Buckeyes believes it's going to be very difficult for anyone to pry him away from USC. So there isn't a ton of optimism right now, but I suspect Ohio State will stay persistent here and see how things go over the next few months. There's nothing to lose at this point. You have three fantastic players committed, you're in good to great position with your top two remaining targets (Tuimoloau and Malone) while also still in the mix for several guys beyond those two, so there's no harm in continuing to work the Foreman situation even if the at-bat turns into a three-pitch strikeout.
Mathews connects with Coombs
This past week we profiled Top 100 Louisiana safety Jacoby Mathews as a name to watch for the Buckeyes in the 2022 recruiting class. Mathews, a close friend of fellow Louisiana star, and now Buckeyes pledge, Jyaire Brown has been hoping to hear more from Ohio State. He was able to connect with Kerry Coombs over the weekend and things look to be moving in a positive direction.
"We're going to do a zoom call this week and talk more about the football side of things," Mathews informed me this weekend. "Hopefully they'll offer."
This will not be as quick and easy as the Jyaire Brown recruitment. Mathews has already stated he'll be operating on a much longer timeline than his buddy. But there is undoubtedly real interest in the program and of course in teaming up with Brown at the next level.
"If I get extended the opportunity to play and further my education (at Ohio State), they're a school that I would think really hard about," Mathews added. "It is really somewhere that I'd consider."
Good first impression made by Coombs as well.
"I really like him," he stated. "He seems to be pretty down to business."
Buckeyes in the driver's seat for Top 100 DB
I continue to have Ohio State as the leader for Rivals100 cornerback Jaylin Davies out of powerhouse Mater Dei in Southern California. Davies has been one of a select few 2021 guys that Kerry Coombs has spent a ton of time recruiting over the past several weeks. Davies has done the whole virtual visit process with the Buckeyes and seems completely sold on every aspect of the Ohio State program.
But right now, he has to visit.
I've said that maybe this could change in the future as we don't know just how long this COVID-19 shutdown is going to last. We all obviously hope that this is over sooner than later, but if for some reason this gets extended into the fall or winter where Ohio State can't have kids on campus, then maybe we see a change on that front.
But for now, it remains a matter of visiting. I think this is as much an Ohio State rule as anything on this one, but Davies is completely comfortable with that from my talks with him. Ohio State knows spots are now at a premium and I think they want some extra time to do their diligence and also could be a little leery of taking perhaps the final cornerback spot in the class and giving it away to a player that lives more than 2,000 miles away and has never set foot on campus.
Make no mistake though, this is going extremely well for the Buckeyes right now. Davies loves Ohio State and Ohio State loves Davies, just think there is a bit of a process that everyone has to go through here to make sure this is going to happen.
Harris excited about Buckeye offer
Ohio State is red hot in the secondary in the 2021 class but that is also carrying over to 2022. The Buckeyes landed Jyaire Brown this past week but have several more big-time rising junior defensive backs showing serious interest.
Houston (Texas) North Shore five-star corner Denver Harris is one of those and he was offered the same week as Brown.
"I'm excited and honored to receive the offer," Harris told me this week. "I was anxious before because I had been anticipating it for awhile. My head coach Jon Kay reached out to me and let me know that coach Matt Barnes wanted to talk to me and once I did he offered me."
Harris will be a tough battle out of a very competitive part of the country to recruit. He's got most of the big offers already with LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, and many more. Ohio State is on his priority list to visit once things open back up.
"It will be one of my first stops," Harris stated. "I planned to visit even before they offered me."
Much like Mathews above, this is one worth keeping an eye on but don't expect it to be easy.
