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News and tidbits from UA Camp in Atlanta
For the second weekend in a row, I was able to attend an Under Armour All-America Camp event, with this most recent one being held in Atlanta. I spoke with a pair of five-star prospects, a couple of top-15 offensive tackles and a priority running back target about where things stand with Ohio State, so check out the tidbits I gathered down below.
The highest rated player I got to watch in person earlier today was Walter Nolen.
First off, Nolen checks off almost all of the boxes you are looking for in a defensive lineman. At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, he does not carry any bad weight, and is very nimble on his feet for a player with his body frame. Nolen chops his feet well, dips his shoulders low when turning corners, and simply overpowered one of his opponents in a one-on-one drill.
My only negative takeaway from his performance was that – for one reason or another – he seemed to be out of it for a couple of drills. This was especially true during the three-cone drill, when he had to do it three total times as a result of him failing the previous ones.
Switching over to my conversation with him, the biggest piece of news was that Nolen said Ohio State is guaranteed to receive an official visit from him. The only other program that is in that same boat as tOSU is Michigan, though none of those OVs have been scheduled yet.
When asked why the Buckeyes have done enough to earn a spot in his top 10, Nolen cited defensive line coach Larry Johnson as the main reason they’re a legitimate contender for him. Johnson speaks with Nolen every day or every other day, and actually told the five-star defensive tackle to call him following today’s camp.
Johnson’s resume, which carries weight across the country, is also appealing to Nolen. He’s taken notice of the high draft picks Ohio State has produced in recent years, and how they’re success has transitioned to the NFL.
Nolen’s interest in the program can be dated as early back as July 2020, when he labeled Ohio State as a top-two school for him. They’re in his top 10 now, and will make the top eight Nolen is planning to release in the coming weeks.
It’s too early to put in a FutureCast, but I like the Buckeyes’ chances just as much as anyone with the No. 3 overall junior in the nation.
Williams definitely had the most surprising information during the interview I conducted with him on Sunday.
The five-star defensive end told me that Ohio State is actually on the outside looking in in his recruitment. He has a handful of schools near the top of his list, with those being Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU and USC.
Williams seemed to be close to revealing something when asking why tOSU isn’t a part of his top five, but stopped just short of what he was about to say.
“They dropped out,” Williams said of the Buckeyes. “They were high on me. I almost… they were high on me for a minute, but we went months without talking. They just fell off.”
Even though Williams said he went months without talking to Ohio State’s staff, he did note that the coaches reached out to him last week. There was a gap in communication for some time, but the coaches told Williams that they still want him and he remains high on their board.
Look, there is no real telling as to why the Buckeyes have not prioritized Williams as much as they were several months ago. It’s very much possible that they felt he was a lock to Georgia, and his recent decision to postpone his March 15 commitment date has led to them reaching back out to the Peach State recruit.
I’ll file this one under “wait-and-see” for the time being as we need to see if Ohio State will pick up communication with him, or focus their attention on players like Caden Curry, Jihaad Campbell and Kenyatta Jackson. All Williams is looking for – when asked what the Buckeyes need to do to get back into the mix – is to have a “steady recruitment” of him.
Williams is a seemingly unlikely option as of right now, but he shouldn’t be completely crossed off the list.
Another player who revealed an interesting tidbit after the Under Armour camp was Addison Nichols.
Nichols, a top-15 tackle in the 2022 class, told me that he is slated to take an official visit to Ohio State at the end of June. He will start off the month by officially visiting Georgia from June 4-6, and then he should be at Florida from June 11-13, USC from June 18-20, and then Ohio State from 25-27.
He did not give any specific dates for the visits outside of UGA, but this is the likeliest schedule if he takes his trips in consecutive weekends.
I have to make a note here, however, and say that this could be subject to change as the NCAA could easily push the dead period back (as they’ve done before) and affect Nichols’ schedule. A recent report by CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, however, indicates the dead period will likely end after May 31, so that is definitely encouraging.
In terms of that official visit, Nichols says he is looking forward to meeting and learning more about Day and Studrawa during that three-day stay in Columbus. The Rivals250 offensive lineman has manufactured a strong bond with these coaches as he is in touch with them multiple times a week.
When discussing his interest in Ohio State, Nichols says he is very intrigued by the opportunities presented on the field and in the classroom. Nichols referred to their internship program as one of the best in the country, and is also impressed with their dominance as a football team.
Those official visits will be crucial for Nichols as he is hoping to come to a decision by the end of the summer. I think he’s the in-state Georgia Bulldogs’ to lose if they really want him, based on what I’ve heard, but Nichols is not a lock for any college right now.
As is the case seemingly every cycle, Ohio State is in pursuit of multiple prospects from IMG Academy.
Along with four-star DT Nick James and offensive lineman Aliou Bah, the Buckeyes are putting on the full-court press for Rivals100 offensive tackle Tyler Booker.
Booker received an offer from Ohio State last October, and the program earned a spot in his top 10 on New Year’s Eve. He’s actually from New Haven (Connecticut), so his top schools list was fairly diverse and featured schools from four different Power Five conferences, along with Jackson State.
When asked about the Buckeyes, Booker had high praise for them. He called tOSU the “best team in the Big 10,” and is interested in the competition level presented in the conference.
Greg Studrawa has also been doing a good job of selling him on the success former Ohio State players enjoy at the next level. Studrawa has spoken with Booker about the possibility of earning a lot of money after he’s moved on from the school, and has pointed to the longevity of former Buckeyes in the NFL.
With Studrawa and Ryan Day himself leading the way, Ohio State is separating themselves from the pack, in terms of how much they are prioritizing Booker.
“The Buckeyes have been recruiting me the hardest, probably, out of all my schools. One of the hardest,” Booker said. “I really like the relationship I’m building with them. I talk to Coach Day almost every day. I have a great relationship with Coach Stud. The things they do for you outside of football, as far as getting you a job and helping you find internships, is second to none.
“I want to be set up for life after football, and I feel like Ohio State does that for their players the best out of any college.”
At this time, Booker has a trio of official visits locked in – Alabama, Florida and Georgia. He actually told me that he will be talking to Ohio State’s staff soon to schedule an official to Columbus, though he did not say when that trip may occur.
I definitely like where the Buckeyes stand following this conversation with Booker, and him not being laser-focused on playing in the SEC gives the program a real shot at landing him. Adding Booker to the fold could significantly help their pursuit of Bah and James, and any other 2023 prospects from IMG that Ohio State offers in the future.
For the first time in a few months, I had a chance to catch up with one of Ohio State’s top running back targets in this cycle: Damari Alston.
Unfortunately, I could not record any clips of Alston as I was too preoccupied getting interviews with all of the players in the trenches mentioned above. I did see a couple of nice catches he had on his wheel routes from a distance, and Alston told me he went four-for-four during one-on-ones with linebackers.
When talking about Ohio State, Alston says Tony Alford has been keeping up consistent communication with him ever since extending an offer back in August. The running backs coach feels like Alston is an all-around back who can both run the ball and line up on the outside to catch passes.
Besides chopping it up with Alford, Alston says he is in weekly contact with Day and Al Washington, who is his area recruiter. Day speaks with the College Park (Georgia) recruit every day, and Alston appreciates his willingness to talk about life in general, such as his March Madness bracket.
Ohio State has been pressing all the right buttons here, and they’ve earned a spot in his unofficial top three.
“Definitely one of my top schools,” Alston said of the Buckeyes. “If I could make a list down to three, they would definitely be in there. Definitely a school that is leading for me.”
* I will clarify here that Alston did not mean Ohio State is his leader. That was just the phrase he used to describe how high they are in his recruitment *
While he’s hinted at a potentially early commitment in the past, Alston says his goal is to take his officials and make his commitment in the summer. Alston made it clear that he will officially visit Ohio State when recruiting trips open up again, but has yet to set up a weekend for when he will visit.
I still think Dallan Hayden is the likeliest RB in this class, but Alston absolutely remains a strong possibility for Alford and Company.
