- 30 year fixed rates in the mid 2’s; 15 year fixed rates below 2%
- 3,000+ 5 star reviews
- A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau
- Nearly 100 Grove members have closed with JFQ
- Free appraisal covered by JFQ
- Email info@jfqlending.com or PM AZBuckeye6 for a free mortgage review
Favoring USC for Raesjon Davis
There was some initial optimism that Rivals100 linebacker Raesjon Davis could be Ohio State-bound after his trip to the school a week ago.
Davis was told by his parents that they would be more than fine with him committing to the Buckeyes if he chose to, and everything about OSU's campus and the city of Columbus stood out to them. In fact, both Davis and his father said on Twitter they were considering a second trip to the city before National Signing Day on Feb. 3.
That return visit will no longer occur, and after speaking with a source today, I don’t think OSU will be Davis’ home for the next three-to-five years. The source I spoke with is connected in the Los Angeles area, and had this to say when I asked about Davis.
“I’d be surprised if it’s not USC.”
The source went on to say that part of the reason they feel this way is because Davis’ dad, Rashad Davis Sr., is a “die-hard USC fan.” I was also told that several of his friends (teammate Domani Jackson, Korey Foreman and others) choosing the Trojans recently greatly helps USC’s pursuit of Davis.
I also don’t think it should be understated that distance could play a factor here. Davis Sr. has told me in the past that being far from his family, especially in a COVID-present world, had been weighing on his son’s mind.
I reached out to Davis Sr. a couple of days ago, and he told me that his son’s mind was made up. He noted, however, that Davis will not inform his parents of the decision until the morning of his announcement.
Taking him at his word, I would be shocked if Davis decided to make a 2,000-mile-plus move official after giving his parent’s short notice of the decision.
This is not necessarily an indictment on Ohio State if Davis signs elsewhere; I believe it’s more representative of the faith prospects, especially in-state players, are starting to have in USC. Davis has said that their defense will fit well with his skill set, and the new scheme impressed him when watching them last season.
We’ll have an update if anything changes, but I have submitted a FutureCast already for USC to land Davis.
Tuimoloau is not expected to sign this Wednesday
Earlier this week, Rivals.com's Adam Gorney reported that five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau could wait until after the upcoming National Signing Day to announce his decision. He was told by a source that prior to making things official with a program, Tuimoloau wants to take his visits.
I’ve tried just about everything I could do to confirm this myself, and see what the exact plan is for the Washington-based recruit. I have reached out to his mother, father, uncle, sister, head coach, trainer and even Tuimoloau himself over the past week.
No responses thus far, which is not surprising.
Tuimoloau and his camp have been very quiet throughout his recruitment. They are making it a point to not give anything away, but it definitely appears as if Tuimoloau’s decision could come in the spring.
Going off of Gorney’s report that Tuimoloau wants to take his visits, then it would be reasonable to assume they are going to wait to see what happens after April 15, the expected end of the current dead period. A recent report from Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel says a quiet period, which would allow for visits, could take place after the dead period is over.
Depending on how he schedules his visits and where he decides to go, best-case scenario would be that Tuimoloau signs in late April to early May.
I have not budged off of my Ohio State pick, and this news does not give me any reason to do so. Tuimoloau has solid bonds in Columbus (think Gee Scott Jr. and Emeka Egbuka), has a great relationship with the staff, and is impressed with Larry Johnson’s development of pass rushers.
There’s still a lot of time left here, but I view the Buckeyes as the ones in the driver's seat here.
Luther Burden is still in touch with Ohio State
I did want to bring a little bit of some good news to this week’s Skull Session, and it’s actually pretty significant.
Earlier today, I reached out to a source who resides in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. This source has actually known Oklahoma commit Luther Burden for several years, and keeps in touch with him frequently.
I figured this would be a shot in the dark when I caught up with him today, but this is what he had to say when I asked if the Buckeyes were still in touch with the five-star wideout.
“Keep ya ears and eyes open.”
The source further hinted that Burden’s recruitment is not over yet (I’m not saying exactly what he told me as it was said in confidence, but it caught my attention). I was also told Missouri is the only other school besides the Buckeyes and Sooners still in communication with Burden, and that OSU’s staff, led by Brian Hartline, speaks with him on a weekly basis.
I never wrote off Burden in this cycle as there was just too much in Ohio State’s favor here; the program recruits really well in his area, he knows several Buckeyes on the roster, Hartline has a solid relationship with him, and Burden did not decide to visit Columbus prior to committing last October, which is something he's wanted to do.
Today’s conversation with the source close to Burden leads me to believe this is far from over, which explains why Ohio State has yet to offer another pass catcher following Armani Winfield’s commitment to Texas.
I believe the program is confident they can land two or three of the following players: Burden, CJ Williams, Kojo Antwi or Kyion Grayes.
A trip to Columbus would be necessary here, so we’ll see if Burden decides to schedule one if visits open up come mid-April.
Notes on a couple of Texas-based DBs
For the final section of my report, I wanted to include some parts of my recent conversation with Rivals recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman.
Spiegelman is really connected in the Louisiana/Texas area, so I wanted to get his thoughts on a couple of Lone Star State defensive backs that the Buckeyes are pursuing.
Starting off, I asked him about Bryce Anderson. Anderson, who is the third-ranked safety on our network, recently backed off of his commitment to LSU.
“I think Ohio State is among the several suitors making a push for Anderson,” Spiegelman said to me. “The Buckeyes are in the same group with Texas, USC in establishing a relationship and cultivating it. However, I’d say Texas A&M is in the driver’s seat and LSU remains in it… decision expected sometime this offseason or by the summer."
Worth pointing out is that Spiegelman has FutureCasted Anderson to team up with the Aggies.
We also got to talking about Denver Harris, the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2022 class. According to Spiegelman, Harris’ recruitment is kind of at a standstill right now.
“[The Buckeyes are] in it, but he has kept away from recruiting,” Spiegelman said. “Watch out for LSU, Alabama, Texas, TAMU, Ohio State and Clemson.”
Spiegelman FutureCasted him to the Tigers in January, though it does not appear as if Harris is close to a decision.
I don’t have much to add here, but we’ll definitely be monitoring both of these prospects over the next several months.
Andy Anders’ Report
Thornton standing out
Five-star point guard Bruce Thornton, an Ohio State commit for the class of 2022, continues to show why he’s one of the nation’s best juniors.
The No. 12 prospect in his class catapulted Milton High School to a 90-77 victory Saturday, racking up 29 points and dishing out eight assists.
This wasn’t against a slouch program either. Wheeler High School, Milton’s opponent, is 16-4 on the season including its loss to the Eagles. The Wildcats had yet to give up 90 points in a contest entering this past weekend.
Rivals basketball recruiting analyst Dan McDonald watched the action and took to Twitter to say this about the centerpiece of Ohio State basketball’s 2022 class:
“Once again, Ohio State commit Bruce Thornton showed he’s one of the elite guards in the county. Not a single hole in his game.”
This can only be considered good news for Ohio State fans.
The team’s issues with point guard depth are no secret. There’s three total “ones” on scholarship right now for the Buckeyes, and two of them, CJ Walker and Jimmy Sotos, are seniors. Junior Duane Washington has had to slide over from his usual shooting guard position in certain lineups just to give the team some options.
Four-star Malaki Branham is the lone potential guard in Ohio State’s class of 2021, but he’s a shooting guard at his smallest and a small forward at his biggest. That means the only point guard that could be ahead of Thornton when he arrives in Columbus that is either committed or playing at Ohio State right now is current freshman Meechie Johnson.
Thornton could be a game-changer when he arrives in Columbus. He’s a shot-creator, a threat from deep and a threat to drive. He can pass the basketball. He can handle it.
He’s a solution at point guard for head coach Chris Holtmann.
