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Trench Warfare:
I spoke with a source who is close to Tywone Malone yesterday. The vibe I got from the conversation was that Malone and his parents have been putting the heavier emphasis on baseball than football.
This could present a major challenge for Ohio State going forward.
They are going to have to find a way to sway him and his parents to recognize that his value is much higher on the gridiron than the diamond. He’s been playing baseball since he was three. I was told that Malone has prioritized taking visits to FSU, TAMU, and USC.
He is still planning on taking all five visits, however, and if that materializes, Ohio State will get one and then Malone plans to commit after seeing all the schools, which will probably be after or near the end of the football season, assuming there is one.
Another defensive tackle option is Damon Payne from Belleville, Michigan. While many think Alabama and Kentucky are at the top of his list, followed by LSU and Arizona State, I was told Payne is a long way from a decision.
He will take all five official visits, and Ohio State is probably fifth and should receive one. I got that from one source within the industry, so I reached out to a high school coach on the Belleville side of things to corroborate that information.
That source said he agrees that Payne has a long time to go and he expects him to take all his visits. He also said that the last time he spoke with Payne, which was March, Ohio State was still recruiting him but that was a while ago. Payne is currently training out of state but when he returns to Belleville, I will get him on the phone and get an update on his recruitment. - DL
Grime Time: Five-star DB to announce decision on June 30
Earlier this month, I had a chance to speak with Deon Glover, father of five-star defensive back Tony Grimes. He made it a point to me over and over again that Ohio State is certainly a contender in his son's recruitment, and there is a lot mutual interest between the two parties.
When Grimes announces in just over a week, however, I’m not expecting for his choice to be the Buckeyes.
Grimes revealed earlier today that he will be committing on June 30 after previously shooting for Dec. 1 as his commitment date. The four finalists for his services are Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
There are a few reasons as to why tOSU is not likely going to be the choice here. For one, Grimes has only taken one visit to the school, with that trip occurring last year, before the arrival of Kerry Coombs. UNC and Texas A&M have each received at least a trio of visits from Grimes and although Georgia also hosted him on campus only one time, there is a strong level of familiarity between his family and the staff.
Also, this quote by Grimes is very interesting. When speaking with Rivals’ Adam Friedman, the No. 13 prospect in the nation said this: "Ohio State has kind of backed off a little, but I'm only hearing from coach Kerry Coombs.” Glover previously told me contact dropped off when Jeff Hafley left the staff, and it appears as if that communication isn’t as frequent as it is with the other programs.
I’m hearing Georgia feels good about their chances with Grimes, but North Carolina is also in the thick of things. Either way, I don’t get the impression that Ohio State will push hard for a flip no matter where he ends up. - JH
Contact slowing down between Benny and Ohio State
Switching back over to prospects in Michigan, I spoke to Rayshuan Benny today. He told me he hasn’t spoken with Ohio State since our last interview, which was eleven days ago. The Buckeyes are recruiting him as a lineman. It appears that Greg Studwara and Kennedy Cook are focusing their attention on other targets.
Benny had a zoom conference with Penn State on Thursday and James Franklin was an included party. Penn State likes him as an offensive lineman.
Kentucky, Michigan, and Michigan State, however, are recruiting him as a defensive tackle, the position Benny prefers to play. I’m not saying that he won’t play offense, but defense is his preference. On that note, he said that communication has been consistent with those three schools that want him as a defensive tackle.
He said he spoke with Kentucky’s defensive backs coach and Michigan area recruiter Steve Clinkscale and defensive line coach Anwar Stewart. I think Kentucky is a major threat for Benny considering his connection to the staff and the fact that two defensive lineman, Justin Rogers and Marquan McCall, are currently enrolled there. Michigan and Michigan State are also right there with them. Benny said he is still far from making a decision. - DL
Not ruling out a Jaylin Davies flip
On Friday, Rivals100 cornerback Jaylin Davies followed through with his commitment plans and joined forces with the Oregon Ducks.
If you told me this would be the result a month ago, I probably would have laughed it off.
As I mentioned in the previous Skull Session, I was told by a source with knowledge of the situation that tOSU was “way out in front” for Davies. The reason why a commitment to the school hadn’t occurred yet, however, was because he needed to step foot on campus first.
I also believe the Buckeyes wanted to get Davies on campus as well before accepting a verbal pledge from him.
Even though Oregon just added Davies to their class, I’m not ruling out the possibility of Ohio State ultimately winding up with the 7th-ranked cornerback on Rivals. All it takes is for one trip out to Columbus to meet the staff, with an official visit to the school down the line being a potential game-changer.
There’s an intriguing scenario that could play out in this one as well. Ohio State feels confident about flipping LSU pledge Raesjon Davis, who plays at Mater Dei alongside Davies. If that was to happen, I was told the Buckeyes believe Davies could follow suit and join him in Columbus.
I thought Ohio State would have won out for Davies if he waited until after the dead period to commit, but he opted to speed things up in his recruiting process. There is still roughly six months to go for the staff to flip him, however, so we’ll be keeping close tabs on this situation. - JH
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