Transitioning to tackles
Ohio State's 2019 offensive line class is expected to be a big one. Five or possibly even six offensive linemen when the dust settles would not be a surprise. So far the Buckeyes have a pair of commitments in Doug Nester and Ryan Jacoby.
With Nester, that one is pretty straight forward, he's going to be a guard. He knows that and has actually mentioned that he would prefer to play that position. Jacoby's situation is perhaps not that straight forward and there are varying opinions. Personally I think he's a tackle. Ohio State, I'm told, is pretty open-minded about tackle or guard.
There are not a lot of interior offensive line targets at the moment, and that is mostly by design. Ohio State is recruiting both Georgia standout Harry Miller and Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson's Zeke Correll hard at this point. Both guys project to the interior, likely center. They'll also continue to take the temperature on Nolan Rumler if for no other reason than to mess with Michigan.
So if/when Ohio State is able to land another interior guy, it becomes much less of a priority. Do I think they would try and squeeze in two of the above three guys? Absolutely, especially if for some reason Correll would beat Harry Miller to the punch as I believe Miller has a spot indefinitely in this class.
Right now my stance is that Ohio State leads Stanford for Miller and that it will be one of those two. Correll's situation is a little bit more cloudy, Zeke has announced a top four of Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Stanford. If I had to pick right now on Correll I would guess Notre Dame. I would handicap things as 1. Notre Dame 2. Ohio State and 3. Clemson. But I think the gaps here are close enough for any of those three to make a push. Correll will be making official visits in June and those visits could swing things in any of those three directions. Stanford is kind of a wild card, you can never count them out because of their academic reputation, but Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Clemson I think have the best relationships and have been in this for a while, Stanford is kind of the new school here. Both Miller and Correll I expect to be off the board by the end of July.
So with the early commitment of Nester, Ohio State can play the percentages that they have another interior guy either committing down the road this summer in Miller and/or Correll or that they already have one in Jacoby. That would just about fill the need there.
So you're really going to see a transition and focus on offensive tackles most of the rest of the way. Ohio State is not finished offering tackle prospects, not by a long shot. Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar tackle Jonathan Allen picked one up today. He'll camp with Ohio State in June and I think probably needs to do so, just to make sure. There is very little to go off of right now with Allen. Just one year of football at this point. But the ceiling here is so high, he is so light on his feet and he is such a strong and athletically coordinated kid that teams are rolling the dice on him becoming an outstanding offensive lineman. At this point, I would expect Allen in Ohio State's class. They are undoubtedly the favorite and the offer he has wanted to land.
I still look for tackle offers to continue to go out throughout the spring and summer. Trevor Keegan out of Illinois is a guy who already has an offer and I think things are looking pretty good both for Ohio State's chances of landing him and for there being room for him in the class so that is one that would be trending up right now.
Camps this summer could also bring some changes here. I suspect getting as many tackle bodies to work out at their camps will be a point of emphasis for the staff.
Camp circuit coming to Ohio
On Saturday, Nike's The Opening regional will hit Ohio, Massillon Washington High School specifically. Then on Sunday, the Rivals Camp Series event will be held at Hilliard Bradley High School. So for me this will be a very busy weekend of getting to watch some of the Midwest's top talent.
What this means for Ohio State is that you should see several prospects setting up unofficial visits around these two camps. Sunday will probably be the more active day as players who compete at The Opening regional on Saturday can get into Columbus Saturday night for a Sunday visit, and players who compete in the Rivals Camp on Sunday will still have time to visit after the camp as its only about 15 minutes from campus and should wrap up around 1 PM.
I'm told Chicago area tight end prospect Jahleel Billingsley will be one prospect who is expected to swing by campus over the weekend. It's also possible we'll see some guys from the Detroit area show up at Ohio State, including 2020 priority offensive line target Justin Rogers.
These visits are a little more helter skelter with kids just swinging through before, after, or in-between camps but are still important opportunities for Ohio State to get guys on campus and to spend some time with them.
We'll have coverage of both events throughout the weekend and into next week as well as coverage of the visitors that are able to make their way to Ohio State around these two events.
Assessing the Dwan Mathis offer
Obviously some interesting news today in the form of the Buckeyes offering four-star quarterback Dwan Mathis. Mathis was on the radar for a long time but was never offered and ultimately committed to Michigan State. Ryan Day spent Thursday in Michigan watching a pair of QB's throw in Mathis as well as Sam Johnson.
I don't see much changing with Johnson at this point. He might visit this weekend around the two camps mentioned above, but he was not offered and with a decision coming soon, I don't think Ohio State will prioritize him enough to alter the course on that one.
So why is this happening?
Well, Grant Gunnell has not committed yet. I continue to think Ohio State is in very good shape there, but it's not yet a done deal. In fact there are probably a good four to six weeks minimum left to go there.
Secondly, and this is probably the most important thing, we are smack in the middle of the Spring Evaluation Period. Ryan Day is Ohio State's quarterbacks coach. Ryan Day's job during the Spring Evaluation Period is to take advantage of this window of opportunity to go evaluate quarterbacks in person.
If something goes sideways with Gunnell, say he commits somewhere else in mid-June. Ohio State will have had most of its camps at that point, the Spring Evaluation Period will be over, and the Buckeyes will be left with Friday Night Lights as basically the only other evaluation tool to see quarterbacks throw in person until September. Even with things looking good with Gunnell, that seems like a hell of a gamble to just stop evaluating QB's and to not do their homework these next few weeks when they have this rare window to watch guys in person.
So Day and the Buckeyes need to cover their bases here. Better safe than sorry is a great mindset to have when it comes to recruiting.
We have also discussed the possibility of this being a two quarterback class. My stance hasn't changed on that topic. I would not completely close the door on that scenario, but I also think it's more likely than not that there will be just one quarterback in this class. It has been a struggle to find QB's they like in a pretty underwhelming QB class nationally, so finding two they like and two that would come into the same class together seems like a difficult proposition. For example if you're Gunnell, one of the better guys in a weak QB class, you have some leverage and I don't see why you'd be part of a two-QB class.
But if all of the stars align where there is some attrition in the QB room, they find multiple QB's they like, and two of those QB's that they like are OK with not being the only QB, I guess it remains possible and the groundwork for that scenario probably needs to be laid right now rather than the very end of the cycle.
Big visit coming up for Bell
Our Michigan site caught up with Rivals100 wide receiver David Bell this week. The four-star prospect has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, but there have been questions at various points throughout this recruitment about how much energy the Buckeyes were putting into the Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central star.
In the update, Bell says he will make a two-day unofficial visit to Ohio State on May 21-22 and I have confirmed that with David today. There are certainly other visit possibilities for Bell but this one is going to be a big one.
As I've mentioned on the board recently, I have sensed an increase in urgency from Ohio State in recent weeks with Bell. I felt they were a little bit late with the offer and then a little bit hesitant in really jumping into the pool instead of dipping their toe into the water. But it is certainly starting to feel like Bell has moved up the priority list. He had another tremendous football season this past fall and then dominated on the basketball floor as well this winter and spring.
Bell stays pretty tight-lipped about this stuff, but Ohio State was absolutely the childhood favorite or the dream school or whatever you want to call it. That is the one offer he really wanted when the recruiting process started. I think the rest of the pack has caught up to a certain extent, but I still think that if Ohio State pushes they can win this one. If they make David feel like a priority and continue that momentum with a good visit later this month, I could absolutely see this one going their way.
I think this visit will tell the tale. I think the time is now for OSU in terms of deciding if they are going to go all-in here or not. If they do, again I like their chances. If they don't, I could see David deciding to go in a different direction as opposed to waiting around to see what the Buckeyes want to do. So we could be just a few weeks away from a monumental moment in Bell's recruiting process.
Interesting RB note
Sometimes scheduling conflicts arise and prospects are not able to make their local regional camp and have to go to a later camp further from home. That is the case with Rivals100 running back Kenny McIntosh. The four-star prospect out of powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School will take part in The Opening regional in Ohio on Saturday.
Obviously running back recruiting has been a hot topic, really through this entire cycle, but especially in recent weeks. When Steele Chambers committed, even though it marked the end for the Buckeyes in the Devyn Ford recruitment, I mentioned to be prepared for the door to be left slightly open at this position. There is a long time to go until National Signing Day and a lot can happen, so there is still a chance some irons could remain in the fire at running back.
Which brings me back to McIntosh. I reached out to Kenny's father, Richard, this evening to ask about the possibility of visiting Ohio State either around this camp or at some point in the near future.
"Not sure we will be able to (make it to Ohio State) on this trip," the elder McIntosh shared. "But we will get back to Columbus this summer."
Interesting.
Again, let's just leave the door open a crack when it comes to running back recruiting. I don't think Ohio State is at the point they were at when they had Zeke Elliott committed and completely shut down all running back recruiting. Think some tires will still be kicked here.
Ohio State's 2019 offensive line class is expected to be a big one. Five or possibly even six offensive linemen when the dust settles would not be a surprise. So far the Buckeyes have a pair of commitments in Doug Nester and Ryan Jacoby.
With Nester, that one is pretty straight forward, he's going to be a guard. He knows that and has actually mentioned that he would prefer to play that position. Jacoby's situation is perhaps not that straight forward and there are varying opinions. Personally I think he's a tackle. Ohio State, I'm told, is pretty open-minded about tackle or guard.
There are not a lot of interior offensive line targets at the moment, and that is mostly by design. Ohio State is recruiting both Georgia standout Harry Miller and Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson's Zeke Correll hard at this point. Both guys project to the interior, likely center. They'll also continue to take the temperature on Nolan Rumler if for no other reason than to mess with Michigan.
So if/when Ohio State is able to land another interior guy, it becomes much less of a priority. Do I think they would try and squeeze in two of the above three guys? Absolutely, especially if for some reason Correll would beat Harry Miller to the punch as I believe Miller has a spot indefinitely in this class.
Right now my stance is that Ohio State leads Stanford for Miller and that it will be one of those two. Correll's situation is a little bit more cloudy, Zeke has announced a top four of Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Stanford. If I had to pick right now on Correll I would guess Notre Dame. I would handicap things as 1. Notre Dame 2. Ohio State and 3. Clemson. But I think the gaps here are close enough for any of those three to make a push. Correll will be making official visits in June and those visits could swing things in any of those three directions. Stanford is kind of a wild card, you can never count them out because of their academic reputation, but Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Clemson I think have the best relationships and have been in this for a while, Stanford is kind of the new school here. Both Miller and Correll I expect to be off the board by the end of July.
So with the early commitment of Nester, Ohio State can play the percentages that they have another interior guy either committing down the road this summer in Miller and/or Correll or that they already have one in Jacoby. That would just about fill the need there.
So you're really going to see a transition and focus on offensive tackles most of the rest of the way. Ohio State is not finished offering tackle prospects, not by a long shot. Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar tackle Jonathan Allen picked one up today. He'll camp with Ohio State in June and I think probably needs to do so, just to make sure. There is very little to go off of right now with Allen. Just one year of football at this point. But the ceiling here is so high, he is so light on his feet and he is such a strong and athletically coordinated kid that teams are rolling the dice on him becoming an outstanding offensive lineman. At this point, I would expect Allen in Ohio State's class. They are undoubtedly the favorite and the offer he has wanted to land.
I still look for tackle offers to continue to go out throughout the spring and summer. Trevor Keegan out of Illinois is a guy who already has an offer and I think things are looking pretty good both for Ohio State's chances of landing him and for there being room for him in the class so that is one that would be trending up right now.
Camps this summer could also bring some changes here. I suspect getting as many tackle bodies to work out at their camps will be a point of emphasis for the staff.
Camp circuit coming to Ohio
On Saturday, Nike's The Opening regional will hit Ohio, Massillon Washington High School specifically. Then on Sunday, the Rivals Camp Series event will be held at Hilliard Bradley High School. So for me this will be a very busy weekend of getting to watch some of the Midwest's top talent.
What this means for Ohio State is that you should see several prospects setting up unofficial visits around these two camps. Sunday will probably be the more active day as players who compete at The Opening regional on Saturday can get into Columbus Saturday night for a Sunday visit, and players who compete in the Rivals Camp on Sunday will still have time to visit after the camp as its only about 15 minutes from campus and should wrap up around 1 PM.
I'm told Chicago area tight end prospect Jahleel Billingsley will be one prospect who is expected to swing by campus over the weekend. It's also possible we'll see some guys from the Detroit area show up at Ohio State, including 2020 priority offensive line target Justin Rogers.
These visits are a little more helter skelter with kids just swinging through before, after, or in-between camps but are still important opportunities for Ohio State to get guys on campus and to spend some time with them.
We'll have coverage of both events throughout the weekend and into next week as well as coverage of the visitors that are able to make their way to Ohio State around these two events.
Assessing the Dwan Mathis offer
Obviously some interesting news today in the form of the Buckeyes offering four-star quarterback Dwan Mathis. Mathis was on the radar for a long time but was never offered and ultimately committed to Michigan State. Ryan Day spent Thursday in Michigan watching a pair of QB's throw in Mathis as well as Sam Johnson.
I don't see much changing with Johnson at this point. He might visit this weekend around the two camps mentioned above, but he was not offered and with a decision coming soon, I don't think Ohio State will prioritize him enough to alter the course on that one.
So why is this happening?
Well, Grant Gunnell has not committed yet. I continue to think Ohio State is in very good shape there, but it's not yet a done deal. In fact there are probably a good four to six weeks minimum left to go there.
Secondly, and this is probably the most important thing, we are smack in the middle of the Spring Evaluation Period. Ryan Day is Ohio State's quarterbacks coach. Ryan Day's job during the Spring Evaluation Period is to take advantage of this window of opportunity to go evaluate quarterbacks in person.
If something goes sideways with Gunnell, say he commits somewhere else in mid-June. Ohio State will have had most of its camps at that point, the Spring Evaluation Period will be over, and the Buckeyes will be left with Friday Night Lights as basically the only other evaluation tool to see quarterbacks throw in person until September. Even with things looking good with Gunnell, that seems like a hell of a gamble to just stop evaluating QB's and to not do their homework these next few weeks when they have this rare window to watch guys in person.
So Day and the Buckeyes need to cover their bases here. Better safe than sorry is a great mindset to have when it comes to recruiting.
We have also discussed the possibility of this being a two quarterback class. My stance hasn't changed on that topic. I would not completely close the door on that scenario, but I also think it's more likely than not that there will be just one quarterback in this class. It has been a struggle to find QB's they like in a pretty underwhelming QB class nationally, so finding two they like and two that would come into the same class together seems like a difficult proposition. For example if you're Gunnell, one of the better guys in a weak QB class, you have some leverage and I don't see why you'd be part of a two-QB class.
But if all of the stars align where there is some attrition in the QB room, they find multiple QB's they like, and two of those QB's that they like are OK with not being the only QB, I guess it remains possible and the groundwork for that scenario probably needs to be laid right now rather than the very end of the cycle.
Big visit coming up for Bell
Our Michigan site caught up with Rivals100 wide receiver David Bell this week. The four-star prospect has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, but there have been questions at various points throughout this recruitment about how much energy the Buckeyes were putting into the Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central star.
In the update, Bell says he will make a two-day unofficial visit to Ohio State on May 21-22 and I have confirmed that with David today. There are certainly other visit possibilities for Bell but this one is going to be a big one.
As I've mentioned on the board recently, I have sensed an increase in urgency from Ohio State in recent weeks with Bell. I felt they were a little bit late with the offer and then a little bit hesitant in really jumping into the pool instead of dipping their toe into the water. But it is certainly starting to feel like Bell has moved up the priority list. He had another tremendous football season this past fall and then dominated on the basketball floor as well this winter and spring.
Bell stays pretty tight-lipped about this stuff, but Ohio State was absolutely the childhood favorite or the dream school or whatever you want to call it. That is the one offer he really wanted when the recruiting process started. I think the rest of the pack has caught up to a certain extent, but I still think that if Ohio State pushes they can win this one. If they make David feel like a priority and continue that momentum with a good visit later this month, I could absolutely see this one going their way.
I think this visit will tell the tale. I think the time is now for OSU in terms of deciding if they are going to go all-in here or not. If they do, again I like their chances. If they don't, I could see David deciding to go in a different direction as opposed to waiting around to see what the Buckeyes want to do. So we could be just a few weeks away from a monumental moment in Bell's recruiting process.
Interesting RB note
Sometimes scheduling conflicts arise and prospects are not able to make their local regional camp and have to go to a later camp further from home. That is the case with Rivals100 running back Kenny McIntosh. The four-star prospect out of powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School will take part in The Opening regional in Ohio on Saturday.
Obviously running back recruiting has been a hot topic, really through this entire cycle, but especially in recent weeks. When Steele Chambers committed, even though it marked the end for the Buckeyes in the Devyn Ford recruitment, I mentioned to be prepared for the door to be left slightly open at this position. There is a long time to go until National Signing Day and a lot can happen, so there is still a chance some irons could remain in the fire at running back.
Which brings me back to McIntosh. I reached out to Kenny's father, Richard, this evening to ask about the possibility of visiting Ohio State either around this camp or at some point in the near future.
"Not sure we will be able to (make it to Ohio State) on this trip," the elder McIntosh shared. "But we will get back to Columbus this summer."
Interesting.
Again, let's just leave the door open a crack when it comes to running back recruiting. I don't think Ohio State is at the point they were at when they had Zeke Elliott committed and completely shut down all running back recruiting. Think some tires will still be kicked here.
