Davis delays visit
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back Jaden Davis had been penciled in for an official visit to Ohio State this coming weekend. But Davis took to Twitter over the weekend to state that he will no longer be in Columbus on April 6th. Davis' 7on7 team has a big tournament in California that initially it looked like he might skip to make this visit, but obviously that will no longer be the case now.
I'm told that on Davis' end this does not mean that Ohio State is no longer under consideration and that Davis intends to reschedule at some point down the road.
On Ohio State's end, I don't think anyone is losing sleep over this. Not because Davis isn't a good cornerback prospect, he certainly is, but I don't think Ohio State was all that wild about the idea of bringing in a South Florida guy on the very first weekend of official visits. I think the Buckeyes would much rather have the spring evaluation period to go see Davis in action and would much rather not have to blow their official visit with him when things are still so unclear in that recruitment.
Apparently there was some talk that Davis' teammate Jordan Battle was going to OV this coming weekend as well, but that hasn't been in the plans for a long time. The Battle family told me weeks ago about this 7on7 tournament, so a visit to Ohio State will come later and I think the Buckeyes are hoping to get Battle up in an unofficial capacity at some point later in the spring or the summer.
Texas Talk
If you're looking for a wide receiver in the 2019 class, Texas is the place to be. The Lonestar State has several big-time receiver prospects and Ohio State is recruiting many of them. Obviously Garrett Wilson is the biggest name of the group with Wilson likely just a few weeks away from a decision after he makes official visits to Ohio State and Texas in April.
I think Ohio State did very well for itself on the recent unofficial visit, but I still feel he's torn between the two schools and that these official visits will decide his fate. That said, I think Ohio State has some momentum. I think a lot of the initial OSU interest was nostalgia. Then Matt Baldwin goes there and it becomes a little more than that. Ultimately though, Ohio State had to show Wilson something, give him reason to not just stay at home in Austin and I think the Buckeyes gave him a lot to think about on the recent visit in terms of developing him both on and off the field.
Texas getting the last visit could be tricky, but it also gives Ohio State back-to-back visits essentially and a chance to build on their momentum from the previous unofficial visit.
A surprise omission on my recent receivers big board was that of five-star wide receiver Theo Wease. As I'd mentioned a couple of times recently, momentum was very much moving away from Ohio State in recent weeks, but even I'm just a little bit surprised Ohio State didn't make Wease's final five. Wease will decide, at some point, between Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and USC, he announced today.
The Buckeyes just weren't able to gain any traction recently. My best guess right now for where Wease ends up would be Oklahoma but Texas A&M has made quite a push since the Jimbo Fisher hire.
On the other hand, Ohio State is starting to pick up a little bit of steam with four-star Texas receiver Dylan Wright who made a visit on Friday. Wright told me several weeks ago when he picked up his offer from the Buckeyes that Ohio State was one of his dream schools and that he has been watching J.T. Barrett since Barrett was a star at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Wright gave a very quick two-word answer on what stood out most about this visit to Columbus.
"Urban Meyer".
Meyer is viewed by many recruits as kind of a rock star type of figure and Wright would fall into that category. He told me that he really enjoyed the conversations he had with Meyer and just getting a chance to meet him was a big moment. Think there is a ways to go here before people start penciling him into the Ohio State mock class or anything like that, but I think this will at least be one to watch moving forward.
Cain returns
Rivals100 running back Noah Cain made his anticipated return visit over the weekend. The four-star prospect was at practice on Friday and having seen pretty much all there is to see at Ohio State over the course of his numerous visits to campus, this was really just about getting to catch up with the people around the program.
"Everything was good in my opinion," Cain said. "I enjoyed getting back up there, especially seeing my boy J.K. (Dobbins)."
We've chronicled the close relationship those two have built in the past. A relationship that has helped Ohio State greatly as the Buckeyes remain a top contender for Cain's services. But after recently taking a pledge from Indiana star Sampson James, things are getting a little bit tighter at running back.
Cain continues to state, however, that he will not deviate from his plan of taking fall official visits and deciding later in the process. This, of course, could ultimately cause some interesting decisions for Ohio State who would not turn away a guy like Devyn Ford. But Cain seems at peace with both his plan and Ohio State's plan to take multiple backs.
"Yes sir, I did talk to coach Alford (about Ohio State's running back plan)," he said. "I'm not worried about anything."
Ohio State remains in a very strong position to get one of Cain's official visits this fall should the Buckeyes still be actively recruiting the position. So this whole thing is simply in a holding pattern at this point as we wait and see how things go with guys like Ford and Kenny McIntosh this spring/summer.
Harrison heads South
Five-star defensive end Zach Harrison used his spring break to expand his horizons a little bit, visiting both Clemson and Georgia this past week during his spring break. I spoke with Harrison at length this evening and will have an update on him in the morning. Of the two visits last week, I tend to think Clemson made the best impression, but Harrison told me he could potentially make official visits to both places.
That said, Dabo Swinney has had a no spring official visits policy in place and Harrison is absolutely planning to decide before his senior season so something is going to have to give there for an official visit to even transpire with the Tigers and Ohio's top prospect.
This remains primarily a Midwest battle but the real question is will Harrison actually make an official visit to Ohio State? He told me tonight that he wasn't sure yet just because he has been there so many times. He'll certainly be back at Ohio State at some point in the near future for a practice and told me that if for some reason he decides not to make an OV to Ohio State, that he would be sure to get over to campus and spend another day or two around the program in an official visit type of capacity.
Taking Ohio State out of the equation for a moment, Penn State and Michigan seem like the two most likely programs to get an official visit. Harrison walked things back a little bit on the April 20th visit to Penn State that he previously said he would take. Nothing has been completely finalized there yet, but that still looks likely to happen. No other dates have been set and he may decide to not take all five officials. Notre Dame and UGA were tossed out to me as two others under consideration for an official visit.
Handicapping right now, I'd have it; OSU, PSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson. There is no question that Zach doesn't love this process, really doesn't like anything about it and I think he is very eager to get through this phase of it and come to a decision so he can focus on the many other things in life that he'd rather be doing.
Odds and Ends
- Four-star defensive lineman Hakeem Beamon made his planned unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend and in fact is still on campus. The Rivals250 product recently decommitted from North Carolina and immediately listed Ohio State as a school of interest following that decommitment. The Chesterfield (Va.) Lloyd C Bird product is intriguing and is kind of in the mold of guys like Dre'Mont Jones or Tracy Sprinkle coming out in that he is a big-bodied defensive end that may ultimately need to kick inside to tackle.
Ohio State probably needs to see more out of Beamon and would prefer him to camp this summer, but he's definitely a guy they have their eye on and are serious about. Beamon spent some time on campus today and will wrap things up tomorrow after he takes in spring practice. As is our policy, we'll catch up with him after his visit is complete to get more in-depth thoughts on this trip, but told Beamon enjoyed himself in Columbus today and is very much looking forward to watching practice tomorrow.
- Was asked on the board today about 2019 Clayton (Ohio) Northmont DE Gabe Newburg. Newburg was indeed at Ohio State on Friday and the Buckeyes have yet to offer the three-star prospect. I'm told that Newburg probably needs to camp and that is going to be interesting because Michigan offered him on his visit on Wednesday. I *think* Michigan will take him and Newburg and his family are Michigan fans so this one could be over before it ever really takes off. Will definitely be something to watch the next couple of weeks.
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back Jaden Davis had been penciled in for an official visit to Ohio State this coming weekend. But Davis took to Twitter over the weekend to state that he will no longer be in Columbus on April 6th. Davis' 7on7 team has a big tournament in California that initially it looked like he might skip to make this visit, but obviously that will no longer be the case now.
I'm told that on Davis' end this does not mean that Ohio State is no longer under consideration and that Davis intends to reschedule at some point down the road.
On Ohio State's end, I don't think anyone is losing sleep over this. Not because Davis isn't a good cornerback prospect, he certainly is, but I don't think Ohio State was all that wild about the idea of bringing in a South Florida guy on the very first weekend of official visits. I think the Buckeyes would much rather have the spring evaluation period to go see Davis in action and would much rather not have to blow their official visit with him when things are still so unclear in that recruitment.
Apparently there was some talk that Davis' teammate Jordan Battle was going to OV this coming weekend as well, but that hasn't been in the plans for a long time. The Battle family told me weeks ago about this 7on7 tournament, so a visit to Ohio State will come later and I think the Buckeyes are hoping to get Battle up in an unofficial capacity at some point later in the spring or the summer.
Texas Talk
If you're looking for a wide receiver in the 2019 class, Texas is the place to be. The Lonestar State has several big-time receiver prospects and Ohio State is recruiting many of them. Obviously Garrett Wilson is the biggest name of the group with Wilson likely just a few weeks away from a decision after he makes official visits to Ohio State and Texas in April.
I think Ohio State did very well for itself on the recent unofficial visit, but I still feel he's torn between the two schools and that these official visits will decide his fate. That said, I think Ohio State has some momentum. I think a lot of the initial OSU interest was nostalgia. Then Matt Baldwin goes there and it becomes a little more than that. Ultimately though, Ohio State had to show Wilson something, give him reason to not just stay at home in Austin and I think the Buckeyes gave him a lot to think about on the recent visit in terms of developing him both on and off the field.
Texas getting the last visit could be tricky, but it also gives Ohio State back-to-back visits essentially and a chance to build on their momentum from the previous unofficial visit.
A surprise omission on my recent receivers big board was that of five-star wide receiver Theo Wease. As I'd mentioned a couple of times recently, momentum was very much moving away from Ohio State in recent weeks, but even I'm just a little bit surprised Ohio State didn't make Wease's final five. Wease will decide, at some point, between Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and USC, he announced today.
The Buckeyes just weren't able to gain any traction recently. My best guess right now for where Wease ends up would be Oklahoma but Texas A&M has made quite a push since the Jimbo Fisher hire.
On the other hand, Ohio State is starting to pick up a little bit of steam with four-star Texas receiver Dylan Wright who made a visit on Friday. Wright told me several weeks ago when he picked up his offer from the Buckeyes that Ohio State was one of his dream schools and that he has been watching J.T. Barrett since Barrett was a star at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Wright gave a very quick two-word answer on what stood out most about this visit to Columbus.
"Urban Meyer".
Meyer is viewed by many recruits as kind of a rock star type of figure and Wright would fall into that category. He told me that he really enjoyed the conversations he had with Meyer and just getting a chance to meet him was a big moment. Think there is a ways to go here before people start penciling him into the Ohio State mock class or anything like that, but I think this will at least be one to watch moving forward.
Cain returns
Rivals100 running back Noah Cain made his anticipated return visit over the weekend. The four-star prospect was at practice on Friday and having seen pretty much all there is to see at Ohio State over the course of his numerous visits to campus, this was really just about getting to catch up with the people around the program.
"Everything was good in my opinion," Cain said. "I enjoyed getting back up there, especially seeing my boy J.K. (Dobbins)."
We've chronicled the close relationship those two have built in the past. A relationship that has helped Ohio State greatly as the Buckeyes remain a top contender for Cain's services. But after recently taking a pledge from Indiana star Sampson James, things are getting a little bit tighter at running back.
Cain continues to state, however, that he will not deviate from his plan of taking fall official visits and deciding later in the process. This, of course, could ultimately cause some interesting decisions for Ohio State who would not turn away a guy like Devyn Ford. But Cain seems at peace with both his plan and Ohio State's plan to take multiple backs.
"Yes sir, I did talk to coach Alford (about Ohio State's running back plan)," he said. "I'm not worried about anything."
Ohio State remains in a very strong position to get one of Cain's official visits this fall should the Buckeyes still be actively recruiting the position. So this whole thing is simply in a holding pattern at this point as we wait and see how things go with guys like Ford and Kenny McIntosh this spring/summer.
Harrison heads South
Five-star defensive end Zach Harrison used his spring break to expand his horizons a little bit, visiting both Clemson and Georgia this past week during his spring break. I spoke with Harrison at length this evening and will have an update on him in the morning. Of the two visits last week, I tend to think Clemson made the best impression, but Harrison told me he could potentially make official visits to both places.
That said, Dabo Swinney has had a no spring official visits policy in place and Harrison is absolutely planning to decide before his senior season so something is going to have to give there for an official visit to even transpire with the Tigers and Ohio's top prospect.
This remains primarily a Midwest battle but the real question is will Harrison actually make an official visit to Ohio State? He told me tonight that he wasn't sure yet just because he has been there so many times. He'll certainly be back at Ohio State at some point in the near future for a practice and told me that if for some reason he decides not to make an OV to Ohio State, that he would be sure to get over to campus and spend another day or two around the program in an official visit type of capacity.
Taking Ohio State out of the equation for a moment, Penn State and Michigan seem like the two most likely programs to get an official visit. Harrison walked things back a little bit on the April 20th visit to Penn State that he previously said he would take. Nothing has been completely finalized there yet, but that still looks likely to happen. No other dates have been set and he may decide to not take all five officials. Notre Dame and UGA were tossed out to me as two others under consideration for an official visit.
Handicapping right now, I'd have it; OSU, PSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson. There is no question that Zach doesn't love this process, really doesn't like anything about it and I think he is very eager to get through this phase of it and come to a decision so he can focus on the many other things in life that he'd rather be doing.
Odds and Ends
- Four-star defensive lineman Hakeem Beamon made his planned unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend and in fact is still on campus. The Rivals250 product recently decommitted from North Carolina and immediately listed Ohio State as a school of interest following that decommitment. The Chesterfield (Va.) Lloyd C Bird product is intriguing and is kind of in the mold of guys like Dre'Mont Jones or Tracy Sprinkle coming out in that he is a big-bodied defensive end that may ultimately need to kick inside to tackle.
Ohio State probably needs to see more out of Beamon and would prefer him to camp this summer, but he's definitely a guy they have their eye on and are serious about. Beamon spent some time on campus today and will wrap things up tomorrow after he takes in spring practice. As is our policy, we'll catch up with him after his visit is complete to get more in-depth thoughts on this trip, but told Beamon enjoyed himself in Columbus today and is very much looking forward to watching practice tomorrow.
- Was asked on the board today about 2019 Clayton (Ohio) Northmont DE Gabe Newburg. Newburg was indeed at Ohio State on Friday and the Buckeyes have yet to offer the three-star prospect. I'm told that Newburg probably needs to camp and that is going to be interesting because Michigan offered him on his visit on Wednesday. I *think* Michigan will take him and Newburg and his family are Michigan fans so this one could be over before it ever really takes off. Will definitely be something to watch the next couple of weeks.
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