Ladies and gentlemen, while there is no Skull Session tonight, I will remind you that there is plenty to look forward to.
The Buckeyes are sitting at 21 commitments in the 2020 class; however that number is more likely at 20 when you consider that K Jake Seibert is likely to be a “grayshirt,” i.e., he is likely to not be on scholarship during his first semester at Ohio State and thus not count against the Ohio State scholarship limit of 85 in 2020.
So we should expect that (at least) 5 players will be added to the 2020 class. The good news for Buckeyes fans is that the RB position is likely to be addressed in a big way in the coming weeks. Jaylan Knighton out of Deerfield Beach, FL is expected to announce his college decision on July 30. He is reportedly between Florida State and Ohio State, although Florida State sources have been increasingly pessimistic in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Ohio State sources are cautiously optimistic, although a July commitment means that the program will need to maintain a prospective commitment for at least 5 months (if he signs in December). It’s worth noting that I was one of the first to put in a FanFutureCast prediction to Ohio State, and I stand by that prediction (courtesy of information previously provided by @Marc Givler). Keeping his pledge will be the challenge between now and signing day.
Bijan Robinson, RB from Salpointe Catholic in Arizona (same high school as OSU commit Lathan Ransom), will also commit in the near term, with a currently expected commitment date of August 2. With Knighton (potentially) in the fold, it isn’t expected that this will have any impact on Robinson (or vice versa). Robinson is believed to be deciding between Ohio State and Texas. I also have a FanFutureCast prediction of Robinson to Ohio State. This would essentially complete a dream scenario RB class for Ohio State, as Robinson and Knighton would be great compliments to each other.
Also deciding in the near future is Kourt Williams, LB/S out of St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA. He is expected to be deciding between Ohio State and Texas A&M. He is in decision mode now and could decide at any point from now through the end of July. I also have a FanFutureCast prediction of Williams to Ohio State. He could eventually grow into an outside LB, but he is being recruited for the Bullet position.
If the aforementioned Knighton, Robinson and Williams all choose Ohio State, Ohio State will have filled a big need at the RB position, and those commitments may be the last offensive commitments of the OSU 2020 class; and it will have also filled a big need at its Bullet position.
For the remaining spots, look for Ohio State to assess potential options across the defensive line and at Cornerback. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that Ohio State would look to add a second QB late in the cycle. While there has been a lot of debate about whether OSU can exceed 25 in the 2020 class, I look for that to be a clear possibility. I would expect OSU to have at least 25, and possibly 26-27, in the 2020 class considering that there are 18 scholarship seniors this coming season (after factoring in players leaving for the NFL and other natural attrition). Does that mean there is room for another Safety, such as Makari Paige out of West Bloomfield, Michigan? I’m not sure. But I do prefer previously-committed Cameron Martinez to start at Ohio State on offense (over also discussed Safety position), and a Paige commitment would presumably help OSU with 2021 RB target Donovan Edwards.
The Buckeyes are sitting at 21 commitments in the 2020 class; however that number is more likely at 20 when you consider that K Jake Seibert is likely to be a “grayshirt,” i.e., he is likely to not be on scholarship during his first semester at Ohio State and thus not count against the Ohio State scholarship limit of 85 in 2020.
So we should expect that (at least) 5 players will be added to the 2020 class. The good news for Buckeyes fans is that the RB position is likely to be addressed in a big way in the coming weeks. Jaylan Knighton out of Deerfield Beach, FL is expected to announce his college decision on July 30. He is reportedly between Florida State and Ohio State, although Florida State sources have been increasingly pessimistic in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Ohio State sources are cautiously optimistic, although a July commitment means that the program will need to maintain a prospective commitment for at least 5 months (if he signs in December). It’s worth noting that I was one of the first to put in a FanFutureCast prediction to Ohio State, and I stand by that prediction (courtesy of information previously provided by @Marc Givler). Keeping his pledge will be the challenge between now and signing day.
Bijan Robinson, RB from Salpointe Catholic in Arizona (same high school as OSU commit Lathan Ransom), will also commit in the near term, with a currently expected commitment date of August 2. With Knighton (potentially) in the fold, it isn’t expected that this will have any impact on Robinson (or vice versa). Robinson is believed to be deciding between Ohio State and Texas. I also have a FanFutureCast prediction of Robinson to Ohio State. This would essentially complete a dream scenario RB class for Ohio State, as Robinson and Knighton would be great compliments to each other.
Also deciding in the near future is Kourt Williams, LB/S out of St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA. He is expected to be deciding between Ohio State and Texas A&M. He is in decision mode now and could decide at any point from now through the end of July. I also have a FanFutureCast prediction of Williams to Ohio State. He could eventually grow into an outside LB, but he is being recruited for the Bullet position.
If the aforementioned Knighton, Robinson and Williams all choose Ohio State, Ohio State will have filled a big need at the RB position, and those commitments may be the last offensive commitments of the OSU 2020 class; and it will have also filled a big need at its Bullet position.
For the remaining spots, look for Ohio State to assess potential options across the defensive line and at Cornerback. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that Ohio State would look to add a second QB late in the cycle. While there has been a lot of debate about whether OSU can exceed 25 in the 2020 class, I look for that to be a clear possibility. I would expect OSU to have at least 25, and possibly 26-27, in the 2020 class considering that there are 18 scholarship seniors this coming season (after factoring in players leaving for the NFL and other natural attrition). Does that mean there is room for another Safety, such as Makari Paige out of West Bloomfield, Michigan? I’m not sure. But I do prefer previously-committed Cameron Martinez to start at Ohio State on offense (over also discussed Safety position), and a Paige commitment would presumably help OSU with 2021 RB target Donovan Edwards.
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