A group of three of the top underclassmen prospects in the Midwest, and possibly the country when it's all said and done, will be visiting Ohio State this week. All three hail from Michigan and are close friends, and all are going to work out for the chance to grab a Buckeye offer together.
Julian Barnett - Hudl
2019 wide receiver Julian Barnett is coming to Columbus to camp on Friday with the Buckeyes. There has been a really good run of receivers from "up north" as of late - Drake Harris, Donnie Corley, Dez Fitzpatrick, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Hunter Rison, KJ Hamler, etc. - and by my estimation, Barnett has next.
Barnett has already visited Ohio State once, a few months back, and has offers from Iowa State and Kentucky. He's going to Clemson for a few days, starting tomorrow, to camp with them and then he'll be back at Ohio State on Friday. He's also made his way to Ann Arbor and East Lansing on a couple occasions and the in-state schools are very intrigued. Moreover, Barnett's mother went to LSU and he very much covets an offer from the Bayou Bengals. This could well turn into a national recruitment by Barnett's sophomore year if he fulfills his potential. And that potential is serious.
As a high school freshman, he already checks in at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds. Surprisingly enough, that makes him the least physically developed kid on this list, which is insane. But he's not just built well, he ran a hand-timed 4.47 40-yard dash at Best of the Midwest. You can't trust those exact numbers, but it suffices to say that he was flying and he's only going to get faster. Barnett's a clean route runner too and his footwork is advanced for his age. He's always creating separation and getting open because of those two things. He's not consistent yet and his eye discipline and concentration will have to improve, but he's a freshman. They don't make them like this too often.
Devontae Dobbs - Hudl
- 2019 offensive tackle/defensive lineman Devontae Dobbs will also be in Columbus on Friday to work out at the camp. His was scheduled alongside Barnett's and the two are teammates at Belleville. Definitely one of the best programs in the state of Michigan in terms of turning out talent and these kids are going to have lots of polish and exposure when they come out of high school just because of the level of coaching they receive.
Dobbs is starting to blow up a little faster than Barnett or Mathis, mostly because of how developed he is physically. Just watch him maul this kid earlier in his freshman year when he was working at OT. His length and strength are very, very impressive for such a young guy. Just really uncommon. He's athletic and moves well laterally. The last really good Michigan OLs were Michael Onwenu and Michael Jordan (OSU signee) and he's much more in the mold of Jordan. He plays DL as well, but he's got insane potential if he dedicates himself to being a left tackle. Already 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds and only getting bigger, stronger, and better.
Florida was the first major program to dive in and offer Dobbs and that was just this weekend, but other schools are going to follow. Kentucky, ISU, and Cincy have all offered as well. His camp at Ohio State this week could go a very long way to earning an offer from the Buckeyes and he's also very comfortable with Michigan and Sparty. Everyone is going to offer this kid pretty soon, IMO. It's absurd that he's only a freshman.
Dwan Mathis - Hudl
- 2019 dual-threat quarterback Dwan Mathis is something to see. Brandon Brown of the Michigan Rivals site introduced him to me at the RCS in Columbus and I could not believe that he was only a freshman. That's a common theme here if you couldn't tell. These kids are all well beyond their years in ability. He was teammates with Dobbs and Barnett before transferring to Oak Park and honestly it would have been unfair if he stayed. They would have been an unstoppable trio.
Mathis is already in the 6-foot-5 range and has probably put on some weight since we listed him at 175. His passing game is solid and he's got a really nice arm, but it's his athleticism that makes him special. He honestly reminds me a lot of Torrance Gibson, but he has some maturing to do in order to get to Gibson's level of athleticism (so does every other prospect in America for the most part). Mathis looks really special on the hoof and he's also got some basketball talent, I've heard. He's definitely the most raw of the group but if he can put it all target, wow. Serious ceiling for Mathis.
Michigan and Michigan State are already building a strong relationship with Dwan and other schools will have some catch-up work to do. Kentucky, Cincy, and Akron have offered. He's taking visits to MSU, UM, Florida, PSU, Auburn, Oregon, and Clemson this summer - although not all of those have firm dates yet - and he's now expected to be at Ohio State on Friday with his two former teammates.
Julian Barnett - Hudl
2019 wide receiver Julian Barnett is coming to Columbus to camp on Friday with the Buckeyes. There has been a really good run of receivers from "up north" as of late - Drake Harris, Donnie Corley, Dez Fitzpatrick, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Hunter Rison, KJ Hamler, etc. - and by my estimation, Barnett has next.
Barnett has already visited Ohio State once, a few months back, and has offers from Iowa State and Kentucky. He's going to Clemson for a few days, starting tomorrow, to camp with them and then he'll be back at Ohio State on Friday. He's also made his way to Ann Arbor and East Lansing on a couple occasions and the in-state schools are very intrigued. Moreover, Barnett's mother went to LSU and he very much covets an offer from the Bayou Bengals. This could well turn into a national recruitment by Barnett's sophomore year if he fulfills his potential. And that potential is serious.
As a high school freshman, he already checks in at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds. Surprisingly enough, that makes him the least physically developed kid on this list, which is insane. But he's not just built well, he ran a hand-timed 4.47 40-yard dash at Best of the Midwest. You can't trust those exact numbers, but it suffices to say that he was flying and he's only going to get faster. Barnett's a clean route runner too and his footwork is advanced for his age. He's always creating separation and getting open because of those two things. He's not consistent yet and his eye discipline and concentration will have to improve, but he's a freshman. They don't make them like this too often.
Devontae Dobbs - Hudl
- 2019 offensive tackle/defensive lineman Devontae Dobbs will also be in Columbus on Friday to work out at the camp. His was scheduled alongside Barnett's and the two are teammates at Belleville. Definitely one of the best programs in the state of Michigan in terms of turning out talent and these kids are going to have lots of polish and exposure when they come out of high school just because of the level of coaching they receive.
Dobbs is starting to blow up a little faster than Barnett or Mathis, mostly because of how developed he is physically. Just watch him maul this kid earlier in his freshman year when he was working at OT. His length and strength are very, very impressive for such a young guy. Just really uncommon. He's athletic and moves well laterally. The last really good Michigan OLs were Michael Onwenu and Michael Jordan (OSU signee) and he's much more in the mold of Jordan. He plays DL as well, but he's got insane potential if he dedicates himself to being a left tackle. Already 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds and only getting bigger, stronger, and better.
Florida was the first major program to dive in and offer Dobbs and that was just this weekend, but other schools are going to follow. Kentucky, ISU, and Cincy have all offered as well. His camp at Ohio State this week could go a very long way to earning an offer from the Buckeyes and he's also very comfortable with Michigan and Sparty. Everyone is going to offer this kid pretty soon, IMO. It's absurd that he's only a freshman.
Dwan Mathis - Hudl
- 2019 dual-threat quarterback Dwan Mathis is something to see. Brandon Brown of the Michigan Rivals site introduced him to me at the RCS in Columbus and I could not believe that he was only a freshman. That's a common theme here if you couldn't tell. These kids are all well beyond their years in ability. He was teammates with Dobbs and Barnett before transferring to Oak Park and honestly it would have been unfair if he stayed. They would have been an unstoppable trio.
Mathis is already in the 6-foot-5 range and has probably put on some weight since we listed him at 175. His passing game is solid and he's got a really nice arm, but it's his athleticism that makes him special. He honestly reminds me a lot of Torrance Gibson, but he has some maturing to do in order to get to Gibson's level of athleticism (so does every other prospect in America for the most part). Mathis looks really special on the hoof and he's also got some basketball talent, I've heard. He's definitely the most raw of the group but if he can put it all target, wow. Serious ceiling for Mathis.
Michigan and Michigan State are already building a strong relationship with Dwan and other schools will have some catch-up work to do. Kentucky, Cincy, and Akron have offered. He's taking visits to MSU, UM, Florida, PSU, Auburn, Oregon, and Clemson this summer - although not all of those have firm dates yet - and he's now expected to be at Ohio State on Friday with his two former teammates.
