Weekend visitor notes
Ohio State hosted a handful of prospects at various points over the weekend, starting on Friday with a pair of class of 2018 prospects from West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West in linebacker Xavier Peters and defensive tackle Tyler Bentley.
Neither prospect left campus with an offer, but both prospects are still very much in that group of 12-15ish in-state prospects who are offer candidates moving forward. With Bentley, I think that is going to be a numbers issue for the Buckeyes. Certainly Taron Vincent holds a spot until National Signing Day if that is what it takes (it likely won't go that long, however) but it's not Vincent that impacts Bentley as much as it is the rest of the in-state group.
Aeneas Hawkins is probably a three-technique at the next level so that is one potential in-state defensive tackle. Tyreke Smith is also probably a three-technique at the next level, though he probably doesn't want to hear that, so that is another potential in-state defensive tackle. Then you also have to make a decision on what you're doing with Leonard Taylor. Is he a take? Is he a defensive tackle, defensive end, or a tight end?
So Bentley is down the totem pole a bit right now, though he can change that if he comes to camp in June and lights it up. Hawkins is set decide towards the end of May, so that will be at least one domino that should have fallen before Ohio State has to make a decision there. I do think there could be room for three defensive tackles in this class so Hawkins to OSU in May wouldn't totally kill Bentley's chance at an offer, but there are only so many guys you can take so some tough decisions could be in store for the coaching staff here.
With Peters, there could also be a numbers issue, but first the position issue needs to be solved. I'm told that right now Ohio State is seeing a probable linebacker. Peters is 218-pounds as we sit here today, so while certainly not unheard of that he could bulk up to be a defensive end, it's not like we're talking about a 235-240 pound prospect at this point. It's in the back of the minds of everyone evaluating him that DE is a possibility, but it is a ways off from becoming a reality.
Being a defensive end would actually help things out a bit since that is a position where OSU needs to take multiple players in 2018 but the national options are fairly slim at this point. It's not a particularly loaded D-End class nationally, and the few big-timers that do have high interest in OSU aren't necessarily located in easy places to recruit.
If he's a linebacker, you're looking at a position where despite the loss of Gaoteote, the Buckeyes are still sitting in good shape with some excellent players including two in-state four-star prospects in Dallas Gant and Chris Oats. So the numbers are more complicated there if OSU plans on taking both Gant and Oats while continuing to chase Gaoteote, Teradja Mitchell, Payton Wilson, Solomon Tuliaupupu, and the many other interested linebackers out there. Again, tough decisons could be on the horizon here.
As for the Georgia duo of 2019 wide receiver Jadon Haselwood and 2018 defensive end Brenton Cox. I am told those visits went well over the weekend and will be following up with them to get a little more insight.
Georgia and Ohio State continue to lead the pack for Haselwood who could announce a decision in the near future. This weekend's visit was important in order to stop the momentum that Georgia had recently gained with Haselwood as that is the team that I think would have the best chance of landing a commitment from Jadon if he goes through with an early decision.
Interestingly enough, despite being a year older, Cox is likely to wait longer to make a decision. This is unofficial visit No. 2 for him and the success rate on these Georgia prospects goes through the roof for the Buckeyes once you start talking about guys who make multiple unofficial visits. This won't be easy with Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson are in the mix and, again, I'd have to give Georgia an edge here but in talking to some people who were around campus over the weekend, I think Ohio State can be a factor in this one and the need for D-Ends in this class combined with the success OSU has had at the position recently will be two things that will work in their favor.
Ohio State is working to get both back either for a spring practice or the spring game.
Elite RB likes the Buckeyes
The class of 2019 has not been ranked yet by Rivals.com but there are already several prospects that look like they have a chance to be very special players. One of those is IMG Academy (Fla.) running back Noah Cain. Cain transferred to IMG from Denton (Texas) Guyer just outside of Dallas and is already a very heavily recruited prospect with nearly 20 scholarship offers.
Ohio State joined the fold on Saturday with Cain speaking with running backs coach Tony Alford. It was the first communication between the two.
"I spoke with coach Alford on the phone and he offered me," Cain recalled. "I was speechless after I got off the phone with coach Alford. This has been an offer that I've been working for, along with a few others, since 8th grade after I gave up basketball."
The conversation with Alford was a good first impression for Cain who says he has admired the Ohio State program over the years, particularly their development of running backs.
"I like how they develop a complete running back," he said. "They don't make you just a running back, (they develop) pass protection, catching the football, and moving to the slot when needed."
Though Noah will be classified as a Florida prospect from here on out, the roots in the Dallas/Fort Worth area probably haven't hurt Ohio State here given the Buckeyes' activity in the area on the recruiting trail and of course Zeke Elliott's ascent to stardom for the Cowboys.
Hard to handicap a race this early for an out-of-region kid, but Ohio State should be a player here as this starts to heat up. I am sure Cain will see plenty of Alford at IMG this spring and getting up for a visit early in the process will be important here for OSU. This is a kid who is expected to at least be in the conversation for the nation's top running back in that class, though it is very early for that.
Sticking with Sparty?
Michigan State made some major waves in recent months by landing commitments from three outstanding class of 2018 Ohio prospects. Dayton Dunbar wide receiver Jojo Scates and the Pickerington Central duo of tight end Trenton Gillison and defensive back Xavier Henderson all gave the Spartans an early commitment and are all rated four-star prospects.
At the time, there were equal parts questioning the strength of these commitments and wondering what Ohio State was doing here. Is Ohio State missing the boat on these kids? Will they peel back and offer, and if they do, will it be too late?
It will be interesting to see just how involved Ohio State gets with these three prospects. They have not stopped recruiting any of them at this point, but at the same time, they also haven't taken the plunge and offered.
Scates has already decommitted as we know. Alabama offered recently and Ohio State continues to take a look. Certainly those two programs would be the favorites to land Scates should they push for him, but that hasn't quite happened yet on OSU's end and we still don't quite know how serious the Alabama offer is.
As for the Central kids, I talked to a good source close to the four-star tandem recently who weighed in on OSU's chances should they offer.
"I still think they could flip Trent if they offer him soon," they shared. "After he visits (Michigan State) a few times and gets comfortable up there, that could change. I think the situation with the kid from New York (Jeremy Ruckert) turned Trent off a little bit, but I think they could patch that up with him and that he would listen. I don't think Xavier will flip. With the whole (former MSU linebacker and Henderson's cousin) Ed Davis thing, I think he is very solid."
So now we play the waiting game and see what Ohio State decides. In a perfect world for OSU, all of these kids would camp in June, but it's awfully difficult to get a committed prospect to camp and we saw what happened when Gavin Cupp did that two summers ago. These situations can often times turn into a game of chicken where the kid wants the offer and the school wants him to camp and one side has to blink for any progress can be made.
Halfway there
Ohio State officially has just four commitments in the 2018 class, a class that I suspect will get into the mid 20's before it is all said and done. The four early commitments are all ranked among the nation's top 100 prospects, giving the Buckeyes another fantastic start to what should be yet another top five class for Urban Meyer and one that should compete for the top spot. But if this class is to get into the mid 20's, that would mean there are approximately 20 spots left, on paper.
But is that truly the reality of the situation? One source close to the program doesn't believe so.
"I think they know who is going to make up about half of this class," they shared with me during the week. "All of these class of 2018 kids from around the country are in a group chat together and there are kids who know they are going to Ohio State who have not made it public. I think coach Meyer knows 10, maybe 12, of the kids that are going to be in this class on Signing Day."
So with that in mind, did Jaelen Gill open the flood gates?
I didn't go down the line and ask about every single kid at this point, but some not so surprising names came up when we started discussing prospects that they felt would be in the class. Jackson Carman, Jeremy Ruckert, Dallas Gant, all guys where confidence is very high right now.
But this is the year 2017 and recruiting in 2017 is never quite that simple. Which brings us to the one who got away. Five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote.
"When (Gaoteote) visited, he shook coach Meyer's hand and told him he was coming to Ohio State," they continued. "They really thought they had him. They were completely caught by surprise when he committed to USC."
Another interesting name that came up was five-star defensive end Micah Parsons.
"I know they can flip him," they shared. "He is getting close with some of the other OSU recruits and those guys think they can get him in this class."
Now before anyone loses their mind over that comment, there are a lot of moving parts right now with Parsons and I'm still told on my end that Ohio State is content letting this play out over the coming months and continuing to do their homework on Micah and just working on building relationships and getting to know him better. But there is no question that OSU has become a very appealing option for the five-star pass rusher.
Ohio State hosted a handful of prospects at various points over the weekend, starting on Friday with a pair of class of 2018 prospects from West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West in linebacker Xavier Peters and defensive tackle Tyler Bentley.
Neither prospect left campus with an offer, but both prospects are still very much in that group of 12-15ish in-state prospects who are offer candidates moving forward. With Bentley, I think that is going to be a numbers issue for the Buckeyes. Certainly Taron Vincent holds a spot until National Signing Day if that is what it takes (it likely won't go that long, however) but it's not Vincent that impacts Bentley as much as it is the rest of the in-state group.
Aeneas Hawkins is probably a three-technique at the next level so that is one potential in-state defensive tackle. Tyreke Smith is also probably a three-technique at the next level, though he probably doesn't want to hear that, so that is another potential in-state defensive tackle. Then you also have to make a decision on what you're doing with Leonard Taylor. Is he a take? Is he a defensive tackle, defensive end, or a tight end?
So Bentley is down the totem pole a bit right now, though he can change that if he comes to camp in June and lights it up. Hawkins is set decide towards the end of May, so that will be at least one domino that should have fallen before Ohio State has to make a decision there. I do think there could be room for three defensive tackles in this class so Hawkins to OSU in May wouldn't totally kill Bentley's chance at an offer, but there are only so many guys you can take so some tough decisions could be in store for the coaching staff here.
With Peters, there could also be a numbers issue, but first the position issue needs to be solved. I'm told that right now Ohio State is seeing a probable linebacker. Peters is 218-pounds as we sit here today, so while certainly not unheard of that he could bulk up to be a defensive end, it's not like we're talking about a 235-240 pound prospect at this point. It's in the back of the minds of everyone evaluating him that DE is a possibility, but it is a ways off from becoming a reality.
Being a defensive end would actually help things out a bit since that is a position where OSU needs to take multiple players in 2018 but the national options are fairly slim at this point. It's not a particularly loaded D-End class nationally, and the few big-timers that do have high interest in OSU aren't necessarily located in easy places to recruit.
If he's a linebacker, you're looking at a position where despite the loss of Gaoteote, the Buckeyes are still sitting in good shape with some excellent players including two in-state four-star prospects in Dallas Gant and Chris Oats. So the numbers are more complicated there if OSU plans on taking both Gant and Oats while continuing to chase Gaoteote, Teradja Mitchell, Payton Wilson, Solomon Tuliaupupu, and the many other interested linebackers out there. Again, tough decisons could be on the horizon here.
As for the Georgia duo of 2019 wide receiver Jadon Haselwood and 2018 defensive end Brenton Cox. I am told those visits went well over the weekend and will be following up with them to get a little more insight.
Georgia and Ohio State continue to lead the pack for Haselwood who could announce a decision in the near future. This weekend's visit was important in order to stop the momentum that Georgia had recently gained with Haselwood as that is the team that I think would have the best chance of landing a commitment from Jadon if he goes through with an early decision.
Interestingly enough, despite being a year older, Cox is likely to wait longer to make a decision. This is unofficial visit No. 2 for him and the success rate on these Georgia prospects goes through the roof for the Buckeyes once you start talking about guys who make multiple unofficial visits. This won't be easy with Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson are in the mix and, again, I'd have to give Georgia an edge here but in talking to some people who were around campus over the weekend, I think Ohio State can be a factor in this one and the need for D-Ends in this class combined with the success OSU has had at the position recently will be two things that will work in their favor.
Ohio State is working to get both back either for a spring practice or the spring game.
Elite RB likes the Buckeyes
The class of 2019 has not been ranked yet by Rivals.com but there are already several prospects that look like they have a chance to be very special players. One of those is IMG Academy (Fla.) running back Noah Cain. Cain transferred to IMG from Denton (Texas) Guyer just outside of Dallas and is already a very heavily recruited prospect with nearly 20 scholarship offers.
Ohio State joined the fold on Saturday with Cain speaking with running backs coach Tony Alford. It was the first communication between the two.
"I spoke with coach Alford on the phone and he offered me," Cain recalled. "I was speechless after I got off the phone with coach Alford. This has been an offer that I've been working for, along with a few others, since 8th grade after I gave up basketball."
The conversation with Alford was a good first impression for Cain who says he has admired the Ohio State program over the years, particularly their development of running backs.
"I like how they develop a complete running back," he said. "They don't make you just a running back, (they develop) pass protection, catching the football, and moving to the slot when needed."
Though Noah will be classified as a Florida prospect from here on out, the roots in the Dallas/Fort Worth area probably haven't hurt Ohio State here given the Buckeyes' activity in the area on the recruiting trail and of course Zeke Elliott's ascent to stardom for the Cowboys.
Hard to handicap a race this early for an out-of-region kid, but Ohio State should be a player here as this starts to heat up. I am sure Cain will see plenty of Alford at IMG this spring and getting up for a visit early in the process will be important here for OSU. This is a kid who is expected to at least be in the conversation for the nation's top running back in that class, though it is very early for that.
Sticking with Sparty?
Michigan State made some major waves in recent months by landing commitments from three outstanding class of 2018 Ohio prospects. Dayton Dunbar wide receiver Jojo Scates and the Pickerington Central duo of tight end Trenton Gillison and defensive back Xavier Henderson all gave the Spartans an early commitment and are all rated four-star prospects.
At the time, there were equal parts questioning the strength of these commitments and wondering what Ohio State was doing here. Is Ohio State missing the boat on these kids? Will they peel back and offer, and if they do, will it be too late?
It will be interesting to see just how involved Ohio State gets with these three prospects. They have not stopped recruiting any of them at this point, but at the same time, they also haven't taken the plunge and offered.
Scates has already decommitted as we know. Alabama offered recently and Ohio State continues to take a look. Certainly those two programs would be the favorites to land Scates should they push for him, but that hasn't quite happened yet on OSU's end and we still don't quite know how serious the Alabama offer is.
As for the Central kids, I talked to a good source close to the four-star tandem recently who weighed in on OSU's chances should they offer.
"I still think they could flip Trent if they offer him soon," they shared. "After he visits (Michigan State) a few times and gets comfortable up there, that could change. I think the situation with the kid from New York (Jeremy Ruckert) turned Trent off a little bit, but I think they could patch that up with him and that he would listen. I don't think Xavier will flip. With the whole (former MSU linebacker and Henderson's cousin) Ed Davis thing, I think he is very solid."
So now we play the waiting game and see what Ohio State decides. In a perfect world for OSU, all of these kids would camp in June, but it's awfully difficult to get a committed prospect to camp and we saw what happened when Gavin Cupp did that two summers ago. These situations can often times turn into a game of chicken where the kid wants the offer and the school wants him to camp and one side has to blink for any progress can be made.
Halfway there
Ohio State officially has just four commitments in the 2018 class, a class that I suspect will get into the mid 20's before it is all said and done. The four early commitments are all ranked among the nation's top 100 prospects, giving the Buckeyes another fantastic start to what should be yet another top five class for Urban Meyer and one that should compete for the top spot. But if this class is to get into the mid 20's, that would mean there are approximately 20 spots left, on paper.
But is that truly the reality of the situation? One source close to the program doesn't believe so.
"I think they know who is going to make up about half of this class," they shared with me during the week. "All of these class of 2018 kids from around the country are in a group chat together and there are kids who know they are going to Ohio State who have not made it public. I think coach Meyer knows 10, maybe 12, of the kids that are going to be in this class on Signing Day."
So with that in mind, did Jaelen Gill open the flood gates?
I didn't go down the line and ask about every single kid at this point, but some not so surprising names came up when we started discussing prospects that they felt would be in the class. Jackson Carman, Jeremy Ruckert, Dallas Gant, all guys where confidence is very high right now.
But this is the year 2017 and recruiting in 2017 is never quite that simple. Which brings us to the one who got away. Five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote.
"When (Gaoteote) visited, he shook coach Meyer's hand and told him he was coming to Ohio State," they continued. "They really thought they had him. They were completely caught by surprise when he committed to USC."
Another interesting name that came up was five-star defensive end Micah Parsons.
"I know they can flip him," they shared. "He is getting close with some of the other OSU recruits and those guys think they can get him in this class."
Now before anyone loses their mind over that comment, there are a lot of moving parts right now with Parsons and I'm still told on my end that Ohio State is content letting this play out over the coming months and continuing to do their homework on Micah and just working on building relationships and getting to know him better. But there is no question that OSU has become a very appealing option for the five-star pass rusher.
