Full story will run in the morning but some thoughts on the main dudes that visited this weekend ...
IN-STATE DIAL MOVING?
Ohio State hosted 10 official visitors over the weekend including a pair of in-state prospects that many in the recruiting world felt were slipping away from the Buckeyes.
Unsurprisingly, many of those folks are now changing their tune as Ryan Day's program put its best foot forward in the recruitment of both running back Bo Jackson and linebacker/edge prospect Justin Hill.
With Jackson, it was a chance for Ohio State to focus all of its effort on him as the lone running back recruit on campus. That's something that new running backs coach Carlos Locklyn intends to do with each of his official visitors this month but it's noteworthy that the in-state standout from Cleveland got the first opportunity. Sources in Columbus suggested that the visit featured a lot of individual time with Locklyn and Jackson's family and a chance to look over the generous Buckeyes depth chart.
Jackson is, at this moment, still planning to visit Alabama this coming weekend but it is hard to see him leaving the state of Ohio when all is said and done. He's been a priority for Ryan Day and Locklyn and any doubt about that was removed this weekend.
Justin Hill has never doubted his importance to the Buckeyes staff but he has been unsure about his role in the future of the Ohio State defense. That was the big question heading into the weekend and the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Hill says those concerns have been wholly eliminated.
"I really found some clarity in that jack position," Hill told Dotting the 'Eyes. "And I learned that I can truly enjoy living in Columbus."
There are official visits coming to Alabama, USC and Oregon for Hill and the Buckeyes aren't entirely out of the woods yet—those are three very hard recruiting programs—but heading into the next few weeks the positioning seems to have shifted quite a bit. Ohio State is now being chased in this battle and we'll see how that changes the dynamic of everything else over the next couple weeks. Hill has had a July 3 commitment date planned and that's still the plan.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Two of the country's top receivers and two of Brian Hartline's top targets—Dakorien Moore and Vernell Brown—were each back in Columbus over the weekend, the third visit since the spring for each player and, ostensibly, the final swing for Hartline at each of these star wideouts.
The noise around Brown, a four-star from Orlando, has been all over the place since he took a pair of trips at the end of March but from an Ohio State perspective nothing has changed even as the rumblings of Florida, Florida State and Miami taking control of the recruitment have persisted.
From talking to people around the program there's as much confidence in Brown's decision now as there was two months ago. But ... there are still other visits to come before any announcement will be made. That's a recurring theme during official visit season—especially for the guys that visit this early—and that means no matter how good the vibe is, there's still room for concern. This trip was key for Ohio State with Brown though because unlike his previous visits, his mother was finally able to see Columbus.
"It was the first time my entire family got to see [Ohio State,]" Brown said. "We definitely left the visit with all of our questions and concerns—my mom didn’t know much about it just because she hadn’t been there before—that was the biggest thing.
"They really did a good job of showing why they’re different then everyone else."
Dakorien Moore was a long-time commitment of LSU and he'll head back to Baton Rouge this coming weekend before trips to Texas and Oregon wrap up his month. Despite three trips to Ohio State in eight weeks the national media types want to dismiss the Buckeyes chances in this fight but one of the old recruiting rules—watch what they do and not what they say—feels like the right approach here. There's no doubt that Texas and Oregon folks have their own reasons to feel optimistic but ... Brian Hartline must not be aware he's supposed to lose battles like this.
LINEBACKER
It's not a surprise really but this weekend seemed to underscore what was already widely known: it's a very close two-team race for Texas linebacker Riley Pettijohn.
Pettijohn spent a lot of time with current Ohio State commitment TJ Alford, the aforementioned Justin Hill and Eli Lee, who came to hang out, and sources in Columbus feel like it's a toss-up between the Buckeyes and the Longhorns right now but an official visit to Texas looms large. USC and Texas A&M are still "in it" for Pettijohn but it'd be a major surprise if he ended up anywhere other than Austin or Columbus.
There are a number of reasons that players choose to stay close to home for college but at this point the family seems fully on-board with the country's No.1-ranked linebacker picking Ohio State if that's what he desires to do.
This may come down to whether or not the 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete wants something new or not. There are far more similarities between Ohio State and Texas than there are differences.
IN-STATE DIAL MOVING?
Ohio State hosted 10 official visitors over the weekend including a pair of in-state prospects that many in the recruiting world felt were slipping away from the Buckeyes.
Unsurprisingly, many of those folks are now changing their tune as Ryan Day's program put its best foot forward in the recruitment of both running back Bo Jackson and linebacker/edge prospect Justin Hill.
With Jackson, it was a chance for Ohio State to focus all of its effort on him as the lone running back recruit on campus. That's something that new running backs coach Carlos Locklyn intends to do with each of his official visitors this month but it's noteworthy that the in-state standout from Cleveland got the first opportunity. Sources in Columbus suggested that the visit featured a lot of individual time with Locklyn and Jackson's family and a chance to look over the generous Buckeyes depth chart.
Jackson is, at this moment, still planning to visit Alabama this coming weekend but it is hard to see him leaving the state of Ohio when all is said and done. He's been a priority for Ryan Day and Locklyn and any doubt about that was removed this weekend.
Justin Hill has never doubted his importance to the Buckeyes staff but he has been unsure about his role in the future of the Ohio State defense. That was the big question heading into the weekend and the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Hill says those concerns have been wholly eliminated.
"I really found some clarity in that jack position," Hill told Dotting the 'Eyes. "And I learned that I can truly enjoy living in Columbus."
There are official visits coming to Alabama, USC and Oregon for Hill and the Buckeyes aren't entirely out of the woods yet—those are three very hard recruiting programs—but heading into the next few weeks the positioning seems to have shifted quite a bit. Ohio State is now being chased in this battle and we'll see how that changes the dynamic of everything else over the next couple weeks. Hill has had a July 3 commitment date planned and that's still the plan.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Two of the country's top receivers and two of Brian Hartline's top targets—Dakorien Moore and Vernell Brown—were each back in Columbus over the weekend, the third visit since the spring for each player and, ostensibly, the final swing for Hartline at each of these star wideouts.
The noise around Brown, a four-star from Orlando, has been all over the place since he took a pair of trips at the end of March but from an Ohio State perspective nothing has changed even as the rumblings of Florida, Florida State and Miami taking control of the recruitment have persisted.
From talking to people around the program there's as much confidence in Brown's decision now as there was two months ago. But ... there are still other visits to come before any announcement will be made. That's a recurring theme during official visit season—especially for the guys that visit this early—and that means no matter how good the vibe is, there's still room for concern. This trip was key for Ohio State with Brown though because unlike his previous visits, his mother was finally able to see Columbus.
"It was the first time my entire family got to see [Ohio State,]" Brown said. "We definitely left the visit with all of our questions and concerns—my mom didn’t know much about it just because she hadn’t been there before—that was the biggest thing.
"They really did a good job of showing why they’re different then everyone else."
Dakorien Moore was a long-time commitment of LSU and he'll head back to Baton Rouge this coming weekend before trips to Texas and Oregon wrap up his month. Despite three trips to Ohio State in eight weeks the national media types want to dismiss the Buckeyes chances in this fight but one of the old recruiting rules—watch what they do and not what they say—feels like the right approach here. There's no doubt that Texas and Oregon folks have their own reasons to feel optimistic but ... Brian Hartline must not be aware he's supposed to lose battles like this.
LINEBACKER
It's not a surprise really but this weekend seemed to underscore what was already widely known: it's a very close two-team race for Texas linebacker Riley Pettijohn.
Pettijohn spent a lot of time with current Ohio State commitment TJ Alford, the aforementioned Justin Hill and Eli Lee, who came to hang out, and sources in Columbus feel like it's a toss-up between the Buckeyes and the Longhorns right now but an official visit to Texas looms large. USC and Texas A&M are still "in it" for Pettijohn but it'd be a major surprise if he ended up anywhere other than Austin or Columbus.
There are a number of reasons that players choose to stay close to home for college but at this point the family seems fully on-board with the country's No.1-ranked linebacker picking Ohio State if that's what he desires to do.
This may come down to whether or not the 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete wants something new or not. There are far more similarities between Ohio State and Texas than there are differences.
