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"We don't rebuild. We reload," Dave Lackford.
Welcome to the first Skull Session of the Hastings/Lackford era here at BuckeyeGrove. Let’s get right into it.
Latest on Latham
Last evening, ‘21 four-star offensive tackle JC Latham tweeted, “It’s time...I need a commitment edit!!!” Subsequently, all interested parties in the industry grabbed their phones to find the scoop and my alerts have been going off non-stop.
I was told by an LSU source that they believe they are behind Alabama, but Ohio State is still in it. My guy down in Tuscaloosa gave me the vibe that it’s Bama but it’s not a done deal. I did speak with a source at IMG and I was told that yes Latham is close, but he thinks Latham is still a week away from his decision. He added that Latham is leaning one way, but he changes his mind like the Florida weather.
If he changed his mind like the weather in the Midwest, that would be one thing; I was stationed in Pensacola back in 2001 and my experience with Florida weather is that it sucks. Anyway, the Ohio State side of things has gone dark. I entered my educated guess FutureCast for Alabama today based on what I’ve heard from my LSU and Bama sources.
Let me emphasize that my pick was an educated guess and not Carl’s Stone Cold Lock of the Century, of the Week. I believe in transparency. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong but at least I’ve displayed my thought process.
- DL
Latham is one of those guys who isn’t going to reveal much in his recruitment, so it’s difficult to get a clear read on where things stand. I spoke with someone who did hint that a commitment is actually coming and that Latham wasn’t lying with this week’s tweet, but like Dave mentioned, there’s no specific time frame for when the Rivals100 OL will pop.
I reached out to a source that knows some of the people close to IMG, and this is what I was told when I asked about Alabama being the school to beat here: “That’s the word I just got.” With recruits at IMG Academy, however, nothing is ever a guarantee. Florida was feeling confident with Tunmise Adeleye before he committed to Ohio State, and Kamar Wilcoxson joined Tennessee’s class a couple of months ago out of left field.
I’m not putting in a FutureCast just yet, but I’ll give the Crimson Tide a very slight edge right now.
- JH
A little more bad news
I’m not trying to be the harbinger of doom here, but I’ve also gotten word from sources close to ’21 four-star TE Hudson Wolfe that his choice will be Tennessee. I put my pick in earlier this week.
I was actually told by this source that it’s been Tennessee for a while. In my interview with him seven days ago, he told me he’s planning to decide on June 15th, or sometime close to that date.
The understanding here at BuckeyeGrove is Ohio State wants two tight ends in this class. One possible replacement for Wolfe is four-star Michael Trigg who just announced a top-ten that included the Buckeyes. Joseph is down in Florida and I expect him to get the goods on Trigg.
- DL
Speaking of Trigg, the four-star prospect included the program in his top 10 today, with all of them being out-of-state schools. Trigg, who hails from Tampa (Fla.), is the ninth-ranked tight end on Rivals.
I exchanged a few messages with Trigg to gauge his interest in the program. The main reason for the Buckeyes making the cut is due to the way they run their program and his relationships with the coaching staff. He views Kevin Wilson as a “very good” tight ends coach, and likes what he’s seen from their development of players at his position.
Trigg says he does not have a leader at the moment, though he did mention that Ohio State will get an official visit from him. When I asked about taking an official to the school, he replied with, “Yes sir. As soon as COVID is over.” If Wolfe commits to Tennessee or elsewhere, look out for Ohio State picking up their pursuit of Trigg.
- JH
Okay, how about some good news
Things are not all pandemics and nation-wide riots in Ohio State football recruiting news, however. I still think that after Troy Stellato chose Clemson, the Buckeyes are in a good spot for Emeka Egbuka.
I spoke to a few national guys and the indication was that nothing new has transpired that makes them think Ohio State isn’t still leading. I was also told that the Buckeyes’ staff is focusing their efforts “out west.” If they get Egbuka, it makes sense that they will still take Christian Leary, the ’21 four-star slot from Orlando who runs a 10.5 in the hundred-meter dash.
That being said, any addition to the receiver room after Egbuka would be extra gravy. One could forcefully argue that any receiver the Buckeyes get in this class is gravy because Ohio State is absolutely stacked at wide receiver. I don’t think Latrell Neville will be pursued going forward.
- DL
To add to what Dave said, keep an eye out for Christian Leary. I heard that Oklahoma is not as high on his list as they once were, and that Ohio State is gaining traction. Alabama and Florida are still big contenders in this one. From what I’ve been told, it’s Alabama and Auburn up front, with UF in third and Ohio State and Oklahoma behind those three.
The Buckeyes aren’t as high on this list due to when they offered him. Leary didn’t receive an offer from the program until late March, so they still have plenty of work left to do here.
As for Neville, he told me yesterday that he hasn’t heard from Ryan Day’s staff “in a bit.” He believes that’s due to his previous commitment to Virginia Tech, so we’ll see if Ohio State kicks the tires with him. If they do, then the four-star wideout will reciprocate interest in the program. Neville admires their winning tradition, the fan base and that the Buckeyes are practically, in his terms, “Wide Receiver University.”
There are other options on the table, but Neville could be someone they circle back around to in the future.
- JH
Odds and Ends
I haven’t spoken with ’21 four-star offensive guard Jager Burton since I interviewed him last weekend, but I still think he doesn’t really know where he’s going and Kentucky is the default if he’s unable to take any official visits.
Tony Grimes has been a hot topic around here and the word around the industry is that OSU and TAMU trail UGA and UNC. Despite my attempt at a persuasive argument in my Lackford’s Law article, I agree with the industry sentiment. That being said, if Ohio State can get him on campus, I wouldn’t bet my hard-hustled cash against coach Kerry Coombs but that Ohio State’s depth chart isn’t exactly the path of least resistance if a kid wants early playing time. I don’t have a timeline for his decision. I would say he has enough leverage to push his timeline all the way to signing day and not be in jeopardy of losing his spot, but after what happened with Justin Flowe and Clemson last season, I don’t think I can say that anymore.
- DL
When I spoke with Grimes’ father, Deon Glover, earlier this week, he was definitely not pleased with the notion that Ohio State has not been viewed as a contender in his son’s recruitment. He doesn’t know how that came to be, but he maintained that Grimes has significant interest in the Buckeyes, and that they have strong relationships with the staff. The two main coaches recruiting him are Kerry Coombs and Al Washington, who they have known since his days at Michigan. Glover referred to Washington as “a dear friend.”
It was interesting that Glover said none of the schools have separated themselves as of yet. I view Georgia and North Carolina as the top schools, with the Bulldogs having the advantage right now, but that was an interesting statement. Grimes is in no rush to make a decision, so I’m not ruling out Ohio State whatsoever.
Dave outlined in his “Lackford’s Laws” piece that the ability to be developed by a program that has proven to put defensive backs in the NFL should be appealing to Grimes, and Glover highlighted that during our conversation. What they do for their student-athletes outside of football is also sticking out to the five-star DB. So long as Grimes doesn’t commit before visiting Columbus again, there is still plenty of time left for the Buckeyes to make a run here.
- JH
Earlier this week, there was some buzz about ‘22 four-star hybrid LB/S Dasan McCullough committing to Ohio State, but that hasn’t materialized yet. Not sure why it didn’t happen, but I put in a FutureCast for him. Plenty of time left in that one, but he’s definitely a prospect who merits a watchful eye.
In my interview with ’22 five-star Julian Armella, I got the vibe that he has the best connections with Florida, FSU, LSU, and Ohio State. He did slip up and tell me that one of the factors for which school he’ll choose is going somewhere his parents can watch him play. I didn’t include that in the article because I wanted to put that behind the paywall for the paying customers.
The thing is, his family lives in Miami, which is the bottom of the map so anywhere besides Florida or Miami is going to be a trek. I don’t think the proximity to home factor is the end all be all for his decision, plus Ohio State is always on television so his parents can still “watch him play” as he said. Ultimately, it comes down to relationship building to start, then Ohio State will have to blow him away on his campus visits to pull him out of the Southeast.
- DL
