From the Road
Spent Thursday night in Northeast Ohio watching future Ohio State tight end Kierre Hawkins, who scored a late touchdown to give his team a big win over Bedford. Hawkins is used in a variety of ways at Maple Heights and not always in the same ways that he will be used at Ohio State.
Hawkins lined up just about everywhere. He lined up as an in-line tight end, he lined up in the slot and even split out a few times. He also lined up in the backfield, where Maple Heights pounded him between the tackles in the second half, especially on that late game-winning touchdown drive.
Since he didn't do a lot of the things that Ohio State will be asking him to do, it wasn't the easiest evaluation in the world but I will say this, Kierre played extremely hard and did everything his coaches asked him to do. If they needed a tough run up the middle in a short yardage situation, he came through. If they needed him to seal the edge for one of the backs, that is what he did. He played with energy on defense as well, recording a handful of tackles and a sack. Really liked the effort level I saw out of Kierre on Thursday.
From there it was on to Detroit, where I watched Buckeyes offensive tackle pledge Michael Jordan on Friday night. Jordan's team won a wild game that went back and forth throughout the second half.
Jordan's performance over the summer at Sound Mind Sound Body was the best I had seen him look so I was eager to evaluate him in pads. There is a lot to like with Michael, who has an ideal tackle body at 6-foot-6, with arms that seem to go down to his ankles. He uses his long arms very well in pass protection, he gets good extension without getting off balance. He also does a great job of knowing when to anchor, he uses his feet to get in great position and then just sits down and when he gets that position, a high school defensive lineman is going to be rendered pretty helpless.
There are some things he can improve on and it's all correctable. I thought he fired out a little high in run blocking, has to get lower and that can be tough for a kid that is 6-foot-6. He was very effective on Friday night, but at the next level when he's not just much bigger and stronger than the guys he's going against, that could cause some problems so he'll need to work on that.
He'll also need to add some upper body strength, he was moving guys, but wasn't as dominant at the point of attack as a guy like Josh Myers was a few weeks ago when I saw him. Part of that is adding strength, but again, I think playing a little high played into that too, much easier to drive guys out of the hole when you are playing low and using leverage.
All things considered, I thought he backed up his ranking as a national top 250 prospect and is a player that after a year or two of working with Ed Warinner should be ready to play at a high level for the Buckeyes.
As for his recruiting process, Jordan tells me he does not intend to visit any other schools at this time. I tend to believe him on that but we'll see how it plays out. There were recent rumors of both Michigan and Michigan State visits and neither ended up actually materializing, in fact one of those weekends Jordan was actually at Ohio State. None of the rumors have actually come from the Jordan family so until we see them change their tune on that, there's no reason not to take Michael at face value.
Wrapped things up this weekend with a great Saturday afternoon game between Detroit King and Cass Tech. In terms of the quality of athlete and guys just making great individual plays, this was probably the best game I've seen so far this year. Speed and playmakers everywhere and just a really physical game.
Donnie Corley seemed to constantly make important plays in this game. Whether it was a big catch to setup a touchdown, an interception on defense, catching a touchdown pass himself, or a couple of big tackles on defense in third down situations, Donnie just has a knack for making impact plays.
There were a couple instances where he didn't secure the catch before he started running, one he hung onto and another got poked away by a defender, but outside of those two plays, he was tremendous and showed once again why Ohio State has turned away several other wide receiver prospects to continue to chase him (and of course a couple others like Binjimen Victor).
Kind of a quiet day from 2017 Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones who saw a whole lot of 2016 King cornerback Lavert Hill. He did beat Hill on a slant pattern and then a long run after the catch in the second half, but for the most part I thought Hill did a very good job with the very tough task of playing man coverage on one of the nation's top receivers.
Very early but keep an eye on 2019 Detroit King linebacker Tyrece Woods. Played a little bit on Saturday afternoon and looks the part of a big-time prospect down the road. Probably the next national recruit out of the program.
More from Detroit
I posted a story this afternoon on Corley who told me he will likely make both an unofficial and official visit to Ohio State at certain points this fall/winter. I certainly expect the official visit to happen and would imagine his coaches bring down a group of guys at some point for an unofficial as well so I don't see any reason to question those claims.
Donnie continues to be a tough read though. He wouldn't put any of the contenders ahead of the others yet and when Josh Helmholdt asked him about if Michigan State had helped its chances after the recent official visit, he took the political way out again and said he needed to take officials to other places before he could say one way or another.
I do think Donnie's interest in Ohio State is genuine but the troubling thing for the Buckeyes here is that I just don't know what they have working in their favor. My opinion is still that Michigan State holds the edge for Donnie and I've been told there are those around him who would prefer to see him at Michigan. Somewhere along the line you have to have an edge somewhere, whether it's a relationship the kid has with a coach or player, location, having the right major, having someone in the inner circle wanting the kid at your school, etc. I just don't see where Ohio State has that one edge that can tip this in their favor.
In some respects it reminds me of the Malik McDowell recruitment two years ago when Ohio State basically tried to be the compromise school. I think Donnie likes a lot of things about Ohio State but I just don't know that there is that one area that they can hang their hat on with Donnie to get him in the fold. Time will tell but I think chances are better with Binjimen Victor right now.
One thing I found interesting out of my trip to Detroit (and I'll have a full update on him tomorrow) is that King 2017 defensive back Ambry Thomas told me that Kerry Coombs is the first coach he calls when he wants to talk football or ask advice about something to do with football.
Thomas will go to Coombs with an issue he may have had on the field in his previous game and seek advice and Coombs will watch the tape and give feedback. That's a heck of a relationship for a college coach and a junior prospect to have this early on. It's going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out in the secondary in 2017 and I know Thomas' name isn't one that is thrown around a whole lot as everyone is fixated on guys like Jeff Okudah, Richard LeCounte, Lamont Wade, and Darnay Holmes, but this is another guy to keep an eye on.
Visitor rumblings
I'll have full updates running on 2017 visitors Brendon White, Cole Kmet, Trey Pugh, and 2018 in-state star L'Christian Smith soon, but wanted to get some pertinent information in here first.
The Kmet visit was interesting. He was scheduled to visit for the Penn State game but with three siblings all involved in extra cirricular activities, the family was worried about some potential scheduling conflicts for that weekend and moved things up. Kmet visited with his mother (Dad saw OSU twice over the summer) and a decision could be coming sooner rather than later.
This has been an Ohio State/Notre Dame battle since June and Cole will likely be off the board by the end of the season to one of those schools. I think Ohio State has done a really good job here getting this kid on campus three times since June but hard to budge off my Notre Dame pick right now. Don't think it's a done deal but catholic school kid from suburban Chicago is always a tough pull away from the Fighting Irish.
Talked to Brendon White today and one interesting thing he told me is that Ohio State mentioned to him to stay patient and that "it's gonna happen soon" which seemed to imply an offer could be coming. White is a local kid, a legacy, and someone who absolutely loves Ohio State football so Ohio State can afford to wait a little bit here if they choose but you have to credit Michigan State and Notre Dame for the early offers to sort of turn up the heat there. Those offers mean OSU can't just relax on this one, and I don't think they will.
Brendon mentioned to me that he would play anywhere he was asked, but prefers to play wide receiver. I personally don't see that as his ticket at the next level so if he's truly on board with being a Darron Lee type of linebacker, that's probably his best bet and I think that's probably where Ohio State would prefer him as well.
Again, I think they have some time here, but the MSU and ND offers mean they probably can't just swoop in next year at this time and get it done, think they'll probably have to be a little more aggressive than that, and right now they are treating him as a pretty high priority guy so I don't sense that his status as a local legacy prospect is being taken for granted.
Trey Pugh is another local guy that I like but unlike White, I think that is one that Ohio State can and should wait on. He's coming off an ACL injury and has played very well this year but you don't have the threatening MSU and ND type offers yet and with Cole Kmet deciding at some point in the not too distant future and Matt Dotson just getting healthy and starting to put some film together, you can afford to let this one play out.
I think Pugh's fate will largely be decided by both Kmet's decision and how Dotson looks this fall. Not sure there would be room in the class for two of these three and certainly there won't be room for all three.
Odds and Ends
- Antwuan Jackson made an unofficial visit over the weekend to Auburn as the Tigers lost again in league play. This visit had been planned for a few weeks now so it wasn't a last minute thing. No commitment from Jackson and no plans (at least that he's sharing at this time) to announce in the immediate future.
That being said, and keep in mind I was told this before this latest Auburn visit so don't read too much into this, I have been told that Jackson continues to lean towards making a decision sooner rather than later. We're dangerously close to a 'boy who cried wolf' situation here though so we'll continue to monitor that situation, just know that he hasn't completely dismissed the idea of an announcement before he starts taking his official visits.
Those official visits will have to start soon as Jackson is planning to enroll early at the school of his choice.
- Talked to a couple of people over the past few days about 2017 Rivals100 ATH Javonte Richardson. I still get the vibe that an offer is going to come at some point. With a slew of 2017 commitments already and so many big-time out-of-state targets, you are seeing the Buckeyes take as much time as possible with the in-state guys. Richardson and Brendon White are two guys I think they'll ultimately take (and Warren Harding's Lynn Bowden is getting a long look right now as well) but I sense a very cautious approach to things in-state right now.
That means evaluating as much film as possible, evaluating character as much as possible, getting to know these kids and their families as much as possible. With spots already going fast in 2017 and some of the nation's top out-of-state guys holding the Buckeyes in high regard, there is a real emphasis being put right now on being accurate not only with the in-state guys that haven't been offered but with the out-of-state takes.
While recruiting has probably never been better at Ohio State, you could argue the stakes have never been higher. Every kid you take now, that ultimately could squeeze another great player out, so let's just say that nits are being picked with the 2017 evals right now. You don't want to miss on a guy and then see one of these other big-time guys go somewhere else and light it up because you didn't do all of your homework.
First world recruiting problems, I guess.
Spent Thursday night in Northeast Ohio watching future Ohio State tight end Kierre Hawkins, who scored a late touchdown to give his team a big win over Bedford. Hawkins is used in a variety of ways at Maple Heights and not always in the same ways that he will be used at Ohio State.
Hawkins lined up just about everywhere. He lined up as an in-line tight end, he lined up in the slot and even split out a few times. He also lined up in the backfield, where Maple Heights pounded him between the tackles in the second half, especially on that late game-winning touchdown drive.
Since he didn't do a lot of the things that Ohio State will be asking him to do, it wasn't the easiest evaluation in the world but I will say this, Kierre played extremely hard and did everything his coaches asked him to do. If they needed a tough run up the middle in a short yardage situation, he came through. If they needed him to seal the edge for one of the backs, that is what he did. He played with energy on defense as well, recording a handful of tackles and a sack. Really liked the effort level I saw out of Kierre on Thursday.
From there it was on to Detroit, where I watched Buckeyes offensive tackle pledge Michael Jordan on Friday night. Jordan's team won a wild game that went back and forth throughout the second half.
Jordan's performance over the summer at Sound Mind Sound Body was the best I had seen him look so I was eager to evaluate him in pads. There is a lot to like with Michael, who has an ideal tackle body at 6-foot-6, with arms that seem to go down to his ankles. He uses his long arms very well in pass protection, he gets good extension without getting off balance. He also does a great job of knowing when to anchor, he uses his feet to get in great position and then just sits down and when he gets that position, a high school defensive lineman is going to be rendered pretty helpless.
There are some things he can improve on and it's all correctable. I thought he fired out a little high in run blocking, has to get lower and that can be tough for a kid that is 6-foot-6. He was very effective on Friday night, but at the next level when he's not just much bigger and stronger than the guys he's going against, that could cause some problems so he'll need to work on that.
He'll also need to add some upper body strength, he was moving guys, but wasn't as dominant at the point of attack as a guy like Josh Myers was a few weeks ago when I saw him. Part of that is adding strength, but again, I think playing a little high played into that too, much easier to drive guys out of the hole when you are playing low and using leverage.
All things considered, I thought he backed up his ranking as a national top 250 prospect and is a player that after a year or two of working with Ed Warinner should be ready to play at a high level for the Buckeyes.
As for his recruiting process, Jordan tells me he does not intend to visit any other schools at this time. I tend to believe him on that but we'll see how it plays out. There were recent rumors of both Michigan and Michigan State visits and neither ended up actually materializing, in fact one of those weekends Jordan was actually at Ohio State. None of the rumors have actually come from the Jordan family so until we see them change their tune on that, there's no reason not to take Michael at face value.
Wrapped things up this weekend with a great Saturday afternoon game between Detroit King and Cass Tech. In terms of the quality of athlete and guys just making great individual plays, this was probably the best game I've seen so far this year. Speed and playmakers everywhere and just a really physical game.
Donnie Corley seemed to constantly make important plays in this game. Whether it was a big catch to setup a touchdown, an interception on defense, catching a touchdown pass himself, or a couple of big tackles on defense in third down situations, Donnie just has a knack for making impact plays.
There were a couple instances where he didn't secure the catch before he started running, one he hung onto and another got poked away by a defender, but outside of those two plays, he was tremendous and showed once again why Ohio State has turned away several other wide receiver prospects to continue to chase him (and of course a couple others like Binjimen Victor).
Kind of a quiet day from 2017 Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones who saw a whole lot of 2016 King cornerback Lavert Hill. He did beat Hill on a slant pattern and then a long run after the catch in the second half, but for the most part I thought Hill did a very good job with the very tough task of playing man coverage on one of the nation's top receivers.
Very early but keep an eye on 2019 Detroit King linebacker Tyrece Woods. Played a little bit on Saturday afternoon and looks the part of a big-time prospect down the road. Probably the next national recruit out of the program.
More from Detroit
I posted a story this afternoon on Corley who told me he will likely make both an unofficial and official visit to Ohio State at certain points this fall/winter. I certainly expect the official visit to happen and would imagine his coaches bring down a group of guys at some point for an unofficial as well so I don't see any reason to question those claims.
Donnie continues to be a tough read though. He wouldn't put any of the contenders ahead of the others yet and when Josh Helmholdt asked him about if Michigan State had helped its chances after the recent official visit, he took the political way out again and said he needed to take officials to other places before he could say one way or another.
I do think Donnie's interest in Ohio State is genuine but the troubling thing for the Buckeyes here is that I just don't know what they have working in their favor. My opinion is still that Michigan State holds the edge for Donnie and I've been told there are those around him who would prefer to see him at Michigan. Somewhere along the line you have to have an edge somewhere, whether it's a relationship the kid has with a coach or player, location, having the right major, having someone in the inner circle wanting the kid at your school, etc. I just don't see where Ohio State has that one edge that can tip this in their favor.
In some respects it reminds me of the Malik McDowell recruitment two years ago when Ohio State basically tried to be the compromise school. I think Donnie likes a lot of things about Ohio State but I just don't know that there is that one area that they can hang their hat on with Donnie to get him in the fold. Time will tell but I think chances are better with Binjimen Victor right now.
One thing I found interesting out of my trip to Detroit (and I'll have a full update on him tomorrow) is that King 2017 defensive back Ambry Thomas told me that Kerry Coombs is the first coach he calls when he wants to talk football or ask advice about something to do with football.
Thomas will go to Coombs with an issue he may have had on the field in his previous game and seek advice and Coombs will watch the tape and give feedback. That's a heck of a relationship for a college coach and a junior prospect to have this early on. It's going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out in the secondary in 2017 and I know Thomas' name isn't one that is thrown around a whole lot as everyone is fixated on guys like Jeff Okudah, Richard LeCounte, Lamont Wade, and Darnay Holmes, but this is another guy to keep an eye on.
Visitor rumblings
I'll have full updates running on 2017 visitors Brendon White, Cole Kmet, Trey Pugh, and 2018 in-state star L'Christian Smith soon, but wanted to get some pertinent information in here first.
The Kmet visit was interesting. He was scheduled to visit for the Penn State game but with three siblings all involved in extra cirricular activities, the family was worried about some potential scheduling conflicts for that weekend and moved things up. Kmet visited with his mother (Dad saw OSU twice over the summer) and a decision could be coming sooner rather than later.
This has been an Ohio State/Notre Dame battle since June and Cole will likely be off the board by the end of the season to one of those schools. I think Ohio State has done a really good job here getting this kid on campus three times since June but hard to budge off my Notre Dame pick right now. Don't think it's a done deal but catholic school kid from suburban Chicago is always a tough pull away from the Fighting Irish.
Talked to Brendon White today and one interesting thing he told me is that Ohio State mentioned to him to stay patient and that "it's gonna happen soon" which seemed to imply an offer could be coming. White is a local kid, a legacy, and someone who absolutely loves Ohio State football so Ohio State can afford to wait a little bit here if they choose but you have to credit Michigan State and Notre Dame for the early offers to sort of turn up the heat there. Those offers mean OSU can't just relax on this one, and I don't think they will.
Brendon mentioned to me that he would play anywhere he was asked, but prefers to play wide receiver. I personally don't see that as his ticket at the next level so if he's truly on board with being a Darron Lee type of linebacker, that's probably his best bet and I think that's probably where Ohio State would prefer him as well.
Again, I think they have some time here, but the MSU and ND offers mean they probably can't just swoop in next year at this time and get it done, think they'll probably have to be a little more aggressive than that, and right now they are treating him as a pretty high priority guy so I don't sense that his status as a local legacy prospect is being taken for granted.
Trey Pugh is another local guy that I like but unlike White, I think that is one that Ohio State can and should wait on. He's coming off an ACL injury and has played very well this year but you don't have the threatening MSU and ND type offers yet and with Cole Kmet deciding at some point in the not too distant future and Matt Dotson just getting healthy and starting to put some film together, you can afford to let this one play out.
I think Pugh's fate will largely be decided by both Kmet's decision and how Dotson looks this fall. Not sure there would be room in the class for two of these three and certainly there won't be room for all three.
Odds and Ends
- Antwuan Jackson made an unofficial visit over the weekend to Auburn as the Tigers lost again in league play. This visit had been planned for a few weeks now so it wasn't a last minute thing. No commitment from Jackson and no plans (at least that he's sharing at this time) to announce in the immediate future.
That being said, and keep in mind I was told this before this latest Auburn visit so don't read too much into this, I have been told that Jackson continues to lean towards making a decision sooner rather than later. We're dangerously close to a 'boy who cried wolf' situation here though so we'll continue to monitor that situation, just know that he hasn't completely dismissed the idea of an announcement before he starts taking his official visits.
Those official visits will have to start soon as Jackson is planning to enroll early at the school of his choice.
- Talked to a couple of people over the past few days about 2017 Rivals100 ATH Javonte Richardson. I still get the vibe that an offer is going to come at some point. With a slew of 2017 commitments already and so many big-time out-of-state targets, you are seeing the Buckeyes take as much time as possible with the in-state guys. Richardson and Brendon White are two guys I think they'll ultimately take (and Warren Harding's Lynn Bowden is getting a long look right now as well) but I sense a very cautious approach to things in-state right now.
That means evaluating as much film as possible, evaluating character as much as possible, getting to know these kids and their families as much as possible. With spots already going fast in 2017 and some of the nation's top out-of-state guys holding the Buckeyes in high regard, there is a real emphasis being put right now on being accurate not only with the in-state guys that haven't been offered but with the out-of-state takes.
While recruiting has probably never been better at Ohio State, you could argue the stakes have never been higher. Every kid you take now, that ultimately could squeeze another great player out, so let's just say that nits are being picked with the 2017 evals right now. You don't want to miss on a guy and then see one of these other big-time guys go somewhere else and light it up because you didn't do all of your homework.
First world recruiting problems, I guess.
