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Joseph Hastings’ Report
What I’m hearing regarding Emeka Egbuka’s and Tristan Leigh’s trips to Oklahoma
As some of you all may know, five-star Ohio State targets Emeka Egbuka and Tristan Leigh flew out to Norman, Oklahoma, this weekend. What was not expected during their trips, however, is that they would be able to get tickets for Oklahoma’s home game against Baylor.
So, Egbuka and his father, Henry, attended the game and were seated next to Sooners quarterback commit Caleb Williams. I do not know where Leigh was in relation to these two, but he was accompanied by his mother, father and brother, Aidan.
Starting with Egbuka, I was told that Williams was, and has been, putting on the full-court press for the Washington native. I didn’t hear what the exact pitch was, but I imagine Williams talked with him about teaming up in a pass-friendly offense and what they can do as a tandem.
One of our Oklahoma reporters, Josh McCuistion, gathered some information from a source who had first-hand knowledge of the conversations of the OU commits who attended the game. This is what he wrote in a board post on our Oklahoma site.
“The commitments think he’s coming,” the source told McCuistion said when referring to Egbuka.
Now, take this with a giant grain of salt.
For one, pledges always think top targets are going to pick the schools they chose as they view their recruitments with rose-colored glasses. For another, Egbuka was interested enough in Oklahoma to take a visit to the school on his own dime. He almost certainly expressed that interest with the commits, leading them to believe he’s Norman-bound.
As for the Ohio State side of things, a source in Columbus did admit that Egbuka visiting OU was something the staff obviously did not love, especially with Early Signing Period just 10 days out. The source did say, however, that there is confidence Egbuka ultimately chooses the Buckeyes, in large part due to the presence of wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.
Yes, Lincoln Riley and company did get the potential final visit so close to his expected decision date, and Egbuka attending the game with Williams was not ideal. Until I hear anything further, however, I’m keeping my prediction in for Ohio State to land the five-star WR.
Switching over to Leigh, I am getting close to submitting a FutureCast for him to land at Oklahoma. Multiple sources told me the Sooners feel very confident about their chances with him, and this trip may have sealed the deal.
One source in particular told me that Leigh making two trips out to Norman during a pandemic, coupled with the fact that Oklahoma hasn’t offered any offensive tackles in several months, is a key reason for why the program appears to be in the driver’s seat. I was also told that Williams is “killing it” with Leigh, so there is a lot of optimism in Norman right now.
Also, I did want to mention something quickly before concluding this section. Some have posted on the board about Leigh potentially wanting to stay closer to home – which is Fairfax, Virginia – because of his mother’s health condition (Laura Rigney has Multiple Sclerosis).
Columbus is actually the closest of all the schools he’s considering, but that probably won’t matter in the end. They are going to move with Tristan wherever he decides to go, so proximity to home is not going to be a huge factor here.
I probably won’t write about Leigh from now on unless I hear something significant in terms of Ohio State’s pursuit of him or if he ends up visiting the school this month.
Ohio State commits who are scheduled to sign early
I do not have the full list just yet, but I know some people have asked about when Ohio State’s commits are slated to sign their Letter of Intents. The Early Signing Period begins on Dec. 16 and ends on Dec. 18.
I’ll write up a full story when I get everyone confirmed, but this is what I have gathered so far.
Ben Christman: No surprise as long-time Ohio State pledge Ben Christman will be signing on Dec. 16 and enrolling early.
Denzel Burke: The Arizona-based defensive back, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fall, will sign during ESP. Burke also told me that he will indeed be enrolling in January.
Donovan Jackson: Jackson is scheduled to sign this month, but can’t enroll in January because his school will not allow him to graduate early.
Evan Pryor: As he announced back in August, Pryor will be signing in December and enrolling at Ohio State the following month. He’ll be joined in Columbus by his parents as they’re making the move to the city with him.
Jack Sawyer: A day after Pryor’s announcement on Aug. 13, Sawyer also revealed he’ll be signing and enrolling early, and those plans have not changed.
Jantzen Dunn: Dunn tweeted it out earlier this week, but his father, Mitchell, confirmed to me today that the Kentucky-based defensive back will be signing on Dec. 16. Mitchell also noted that his son is slated to enroll at Ohio State next month.
Jaylen Johnson: Johnson recently tweeted that he’ll be signing on Dec. 14, but told me that was a mistake and his LOI will faxed in on Dec. 16. The Ohio-based prospect did say, however, that his school will not allow him to graduate early, so he’s focused on training until he enrolls in the summer.
Kyle McCord: Once again, no surprise as borderline five-star prospect Kyle McCord will be signing and enrolling at Ohio State early.
Michael Hall: Hall tweeted a few days ago that he will be signing his LOI on Dec. 16. During our text conversation today, however, Hall revealed that he is not going to be enrolling until the fall, though I believe he meant to say the summer.
Sam Hart: The four-star tight end tells me that he is going to sign this month and will be in Columbus in January.
TreVeyon Henderson: One of Ohio State’s top ambassadors in the 2021 class is set to sign and enroll early. He said the ceremony will be at his high school, and the time will be determined this upcoming week.
Tyleik Williams: The four-star defensive tackle is unsure of what time he will be signing, though he will indeed officially become a Buckeye in just over a week. Williams will also be enrolling early.
Zenuae Michalski: Michalski, who will be enrolling early, sent out a tweet today confirming that he will be signing on Dec. 16. He is not yet sure about what time he will sign his LOI, and is still figuring out where it will be held.
We are still working to confirm when Andre Turrentine, Jakailin Johnson, Jordan Hancock, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Reid Carrico will sign. Other outlets may have reported when, but we have yet to confirm these prospects’ plans.
Also, punter Jesse Mirco already signed in September, and will be enrolling at Ohio State in January.
Andy Anders’ Report
2023 defensive end hearing from Buckeyes
Ohio State’s only extended a handful of offers for the Class of 2023, but one player that’s received one is defensive end Derrick LeBlanc.
And from what he told me Sunday, it’s an offer he’s excited about.
“I love the Buckeyes, they are great people,” LeBlanc said. “I cannot wait to visit.”
Rankings won’t be released for the Florida native’s class until springtime 2021, but when they are, he stands to be highly rated.
Offers for LeBlanc have already sailed in from Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia and Florida, among many others.
He’s the prototypical height at the position standing 6-foot-5, with a 240-pound frame that holds plenty of explosion. A look at his film shows an edge rusher with an incredible first step, the quickness to close from the backside of a play and plenty of tenacity.
Head coach Ryan Day has already spoken with the sophomore, and defensive line coach Larry Johnsonalongside defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs are making early inroads.
“We talk about the system and how they would use me and all that,” LeBlanc said. “They don’t always talk about football. It’s about me and trying to know me and build a better relationship.”
Any notes for a class of 2023 prospect are going to be accompanied by the phrase “it’s early,” but I think LeBlanc has an affinity for Ohio State and the Buckeyes are no stranger to landing high-end talent out of Florida. He’ll be a player to watch as both the weather and 2023 recruiting heat up in the spring.
LeBlanc is not the only 2023 target who already “loves” Ohio State
Another 2023 player with an offer from the Buckeyes is offensive tackle Payton Kirkland.
Kirkland’s early recruitment holds a lot of similarities to LeBlanc’s. His measurables are what you look for at his position: 6-foot-7, 285 pounds with long arms and broad shoulders.
Both hail from Florida, and both have been in touch with Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford (unlike LeBlanc, however, Alford is Kirkland’s primary recruiter at this point).
And like LeBlanc, he had high praise for the Buckeyes.
“I truly love Ohio State. The game yesterday really opened my eyes to who really runs the Big 10,” Kirkland said.
Kirkland already holds offers from Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Penn State and Nebraska among others.
Former BuckeyeGrove recruiting analyst Dave Lackford submitted a FutureCast prediction for Kirkland in favor of Ohio State in July. While I believe Kirkland is extremely interested in Ohio State and it’s clear a relationship already exists with the staff, I’m not ready to pull the trigger on a FutureCast prediction yet.
I’ll be conducting a full interview with Kirkland Wednesday with a story to follow Thursday that will include more details about his recruitment, thoughts on Ohio State, what he’s looking for in a collegiate program and much more. Stay tuned.
