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Welcome back for another edition of “A-Deck” at BuckeyeGrove.com, presented by Infinit Nutrition, where I’ll bring you thoughts, what I’m hearing, inside scoop, tidbits, and more for Ohio State recruiting and team coverage, every Wednesday.
Last week’s A-Deck gave the latest on a couple of prime targets for Ohio State, with possibility of them landing in the 2021 class going in two separate directions.
This week, we look at the 2021 running back situation more closely, as well as share some other notes and tidbits from the week that was.
HELP IS ON THE WAY?
When Master Teague went down with an injury last week, many immediately said that Ohio State had to go to the transfer portal to try and find some help at the running back position for the 2020 season.
It certainly isn’t a bad thought, because even if Teague is able to come back in time for the first game (which is what I am hearing is the plan), the Buckeyes still don’t have a ton of depth behind him, with Marcus Crowley (coming off injury himself), Steele Chambers, and Miyan Williams being slated as the only three true backs on scholarship for the fall. All of those players have little to no experience in college football, let alone in high-pressure situations.
Getting a running back from the portal is challenging, though. Anyone who is any good is probably headed to the NFL after three years or is likely going to be starting for their current team, making it unlikely that they would seek opportunity elsewhere. Additionally, as things currently stand with the NCAA rules at this current moment, there is no guarantee that someone would be eligible to play immediately, unless they were a graduate transfer. Finally, adding someone would require being careful as to not tick off the current players in your room, as well as 2021 prospects you are chasing at the position.
It would take the unique circumstance of there being someone that Ohio State felt was talented enough to help them, could be eligible immediately, only had a year or two left, and also having that player want to come to OSU for a reason that could benefit them in some way.
With all that said, I do think adding a back in the portal is not only possible but may be very realistic at this time. I had someone with ties to the program hint that “help is on the way at running back” over the weekend. While said source was not willing to tell me who they were referring to, they made it seem like they were very sure the Buckeyes were looking to add a player to the roster in the very near future and that it would be a name that fans here would be familiar with, and one that would make an impact on the field in 2020.
We’ll see what happens, as I couldn’t get this confirmed anywhere else yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if news on a running back transfer emerges sometime in the next couple months, as spring ball progresses through March and then winds down in April.
2021 RUNNING BACK UPDATE
As you know by now, 2021 running back Donovan Edwards made a trip to campus on Friday with his coach and 2022 teammate Dillon Tatum. Both Edwards and sources close to Ohio State told me that visit went very well, and like many other OSU recruiting analysts, I feel good enough with what I am hearing to flip my prediction from Michigan to Ohio State in this one, as I think the Buckeyes are currently the team to beat.
Echoing Marc from his Skull Session on Sunday, I would ideally like to have “no pick” on Edwards at the moment and wait a bit longer to see how things play out here. Edwards seems to be sticking to his original timeline of deciding later in the summer, which will give both Michigan and Georgia the opportunity to swing this in their favor, especially with another round of visits expected before any decision is made.
Additionally, it could be interesting to see how the domino effect plays into this when it comes to other backs Ohio State is recruiting. I firmly believe that Edwards and Treveyon Henderson are the top two on the Buckeyes’ board right now, both from a talent-standpoint and who they think is most realistic to land right now (i.e. Camar Wheaton is top of board too but less realistic to land than Edwards or Henderson). What would happen if Henderson decided to pledge to the Buckeyes in the next month, following his visit to campus for the spring game? Edwards is saying he’s fine being in a two-back class, but could a Henderson pledge have him rethink that?
Outside of that, there are others right behind those two on the Ohio State board that could be close to deciding. One of those players is Evan Pryor, who is supposed to be in Columbus this month for a visit. A source close to Pryor’s recruitment indicated to me that OSU leads and that there is a solid chance Pryor could try to commit on that trip if it goes well, despite all of the smoke lately that UNC will be the destination. If that happens, would Ohio State take his commitment knowing that it could very well impact Edwards and/or Henderson? That is something the staff probably doesn’t have a firm answer on at this moment and will have to work through and be ready for in the next few weeks.
Why may they not potentially be ready to take Pryor, you ask? On one hand, getting a solid back like that on board at this point in the process would be big, especially since this is such a key position in the current cycle. On the other hand, if Ohio State feels there is a good chance to land Edwards and/or Henderson, would they risk potentially losing one or both by taking Pryor now, who I believe is behind them on their board right now?
Again, I don’t know the answer to these questions (and Ohio State may not either right now), but my best guess at this moment is that they’d love for Pryor to wait things out for a few months while they figure out what is going to happen with Edwards and Henderson. From what I am told, the Bucks are perfectly fine taking just one back in the class if it’s either of those two top targets I mentioned, but I think they’d want Pryor to be the second back in the class next to one of those two in an ideal world, if they couldn’t get both Henderson and Edwards. Could Edwards and/or Henderson be fine with Pryor coming on board first? I suppose that's definitely a possibility, but it's no sure thing and certainly makes pursuit of either elite back a bit more difficult.
With that in mind, I’ve put in a pick for Pryor to UNC for now, as I don’t think he’ll want to wait around and play second fiddle in this scenario. If things play out as I am predicting, Ohio State will be taking a calculated risk in potentially passing on the opportunity to land Pryor, which will show just how good they feel about landing either or both of Henderson and Edwards (or that they are fine with getting someone else, like Corey Kiner, later to pair with Edwards/Henderson if they take do two backs).
I think a big thing to takeaway here that became apparent to me this week is that Ohio State is not resigned to having to take two backs in this class. They absolutely would take just one, per a source close to things, if they could get one of the guys on the very top of their board. Perhaps this is just a sacrifice they're willing to make in getting one of those guys (scaring off other backs) if things shake out that way, or perhaps it's related to the potential transfer portal news mentioned above. We shall see soon enough.
EMPTYING THE NOTEBOOK
- 2022 quarterback Chase Harrison of Centerville (OH) was on campus on Friday for a visit. “Ohio State went good,” Harrison told me after the trip. “It was nice seeing all of the coaches again. Before practice I got to sit in the QB meeting room with all of the quarterbacks and watch some practice film with them. Then we watched practice. It was cool watching them practice and interact with Coach Dennis in the meeting room. I think it would be a good fit for me from a coaching perspective and from an offensive system perspective. I talked with Coach Dennis, Coach Wilson, and Coach Hinton. They told me to come back anytime I’d like. It would mean a lot for me to get an offer from a big program like that.”
- Ohio State has one tight end commit for 2021 in Sam Hart, but I think they’d like to add another if they can by the time the cycle is over. One player they are looking at is Henderson (NV) Liberty’s Moliki Matavao, who just released a top 10 including the Buckeyes, LSU, Tennessee, Penn State, UCLA, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, Michigan, and Washington. The nation’s 81st overall talent and 5th ranked tight end hasn’t been mentioned much when it comes to Ohio State’s recruiting efforts, but that could change soon. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder tells me has been speaking frequently with Kevin Wilson, and will be making a visit to Columbus in April. You can read more about Matavao’s top 10 HERE.
- Another name you may be familiar with, but not necessarily for the tight end position is that of Jahzion Harris from Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus Hall. Primarily looked at as a defensive end, Ohio State likes Harris, but they are in on some elite national talent types, and Harris is currently in a Tier 2 of players they are looking at to join the “Rushmen”. That said, things could change a bit, as Harris is starting to work out a bit this spring as a tight end. At 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, with very good athleticism, and a frame to add good weight on, Harris could definitely be a difference maker on the offensive side of the ball, and you may start to hear his name mentioned there over the next few months. Right now the Harris camp is making a ton of effort to tell anyone and everyone that he is not a lock to Ohio State, despite any Crystal Balls or FutureCasts made by analysts, by any means and that his recruitment is wide open. Programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan, Rutgers, and a few others are being mentioned as possible landing spots right now, but the Buckeyes are very much still in consideration. The biggest question here is how much attention OSU gives Harris over the next few months. If they pick up their efforts here (either as a DE or TE), I think they will have a great shot to land another E-Hall product. If things continue to go as they have where they are not prioritizing him, I’m not sure they’ll be able to recover later on if they need to come back to him for either spot.
- Bowling Green (KY) South Warren ATH Jahntzen Dunn visited Ohio State last week (3/4) and I am hearing very positive things coming out of that trip as well. I believe the Buckeyes view the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder as a defensive back and sources close to him indicate that OSU is the early leader over other offers from over 25 schools including Florida, Florida State, Miami, Louisville, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, Kentucky, and others. Dunn is currently ranked as a 3-star by Rivals, but I see him ending up as a 4-star in the Rivals 250 by the time the cycle is finished.
- The purpose of this is not to make this a point of conversation in the below thread, but it is worth noting--I will be curious to see how the Corona Virus potentially impacts recruiting, not only at Ohio State, but nationwide. It will be interesting to see if visits are cancelled or delayed, etc. as more develops on this front. It’s unknown right now what will happen, but definitely something to watch closely.
