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Still not ruling out Will Johnson
This one caught me a little off-guard when I was told about it today.
I heard through a couple of sources that five-star cornerback Will Johnson, a Michigan Wolverines commit, should not be ruled out as an option for the Buckeyes. This was not really elaborated upon, but there is some confidence that he isn’t a complete lock for Jim Harbaugh’s program.
The main reason for this is that Michigan co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist recently accepted a job to become Buffalo’s new head coach. This comes just four months after joining the Wolverines’ staff.
From what I was told, Linguist played a major role in Johnson winding up with Michigan in the first place. He was hired by UM back on Jan. 19; on Feb. 28, Johnson committed to the school. Linguist immediately prioritized Johnson when he was hired, and the two formed a great relationship that was crucial in giving Michigan the edge for Johnson’s services.
So, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, this could certainly open up the door for Johnson to join forces with the Buckeyes. I was told that their trio of commitments at cornerback – Jaheim Singletary, Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner – would not affect Johnson’s consideration of Ohio State, and I believe he would be fine being in a class that features three other players at his position.
The Buckeyes were viewed (and Johnson confirmed this himself) as the leader at one point before he made his decision. The appeal of staying home and his father’s desire for him to play at his alma matter are still there, but I would not rule out Johnson after what I heard today.
The latest on Tshabola
It’s been an interesting 24 hours or so when it comes to Rivals250 offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola’s recruitment.
At the Rivals Camp Series event in Indianapolis on Sunday, Tshabola told Rivals.com’s Dave Lackford that he would be officially visiting Kentucky. Not only that, but Tshabola said that he was set to visit the school from June 18-20.
It is important to clarify, however, that Tshabola tweeted out today that the Wildcats will not be receiving a visit from him next month. Whether or not he follows through with this remains to be seen.
While speaking with Kevin Noon yesterday, Tshabola told BuckeyeGrove that he chops it up with Ohio State on a daily basis. He also said on Twitter earlier today that he is 100 percent committed to the program.
This is certainly encouraging, but I’ve been told by a source close to the Wildcats that Mark Stoops’ staff feels they have a shot at flipping Tshabola. One of the reasons why is that Tshabola is very tight with 2022 cornerback Alex Afari, who just committed to Kentucky a few days ago.
In the days following Afari’s decision to join forces with the Wildcats, Kentucky tight ends coach and associate head coach Vince Marrow has been in touch with Tshabola. Marrow has assisted in UK’s recruiting being taken to another level recently, and him running point on their pursuit of Tshabola gives Kentucky confidence that they could land him.
The source I spoke with also believes Kentucky can land Tshabola given their history at Lakota West. Since 2010, the Wildcats have signed four players from the school, with one of them George Asafo-Adjei. As Tshabola told Lackford, Asafo-Adjei is a family member of his, and was a driving force in his decision to commit to Kentucky.
It is admittedly a little bit odd, as well, that Tshabola said yesterday he didn’t tell the coaches about his plans to officially visit Lexington, which we had confirmed through another source yesterday.
The source told me that they don’t think it is a done deal that he flips, but Kentucky is in the mix here.
I think Ohio State’s staff and the fans should be encouraged by his tweets today, and that the only time there should be some real concern is if Tshabola ends up visiting Kentucky. Also, Tshabola has not been speaking with the staff that much, so that is also a plus for the Buckeyes.
Tshabola is a must for the Buckeyes to keep given their recent misses along the o-line and what he brings to the table, so we’ll be keeping you all posted on any new developments. In my opinion, for what it's worth, I believe Tshabola ends up signing with the program when it's all said and done.
Tidbit on Ohio State’s pursuit of key safety targets
Given the recent commitment of Kye Stokes, some have wondered if this will impact Ohio State’s pursuit of their other targets at safety in this cycle. More specifically, people want to know what it means for their chances with Xavier Nwankpa and Zion Branch.
One of the sources I spoke with this weekend told me that they were feeling good about the Buckeyes’ chances with both of these prospects prior to Stokes’ decision. This is not too surprising as most view Nwankpa as a tOSU lean, and I’ve maintained that USC and Ohio State seem like the likeliest landing spots for Branch.
The way it was described to me was that Stokes’ decision “made it weird”; in other words, it made it less likely for them to land Branch and Nwankpa. With Stokes on board, the belief is that adding both is now viewed as an unlikely outcome.
The most important takeaway from this conversation, in my opinion, is the commitment timeline for each of these coveted recruits. I was told that Nwankpa is likely to wait until the Under Armour All-America Game in January to announce, while Branch is likely to commit “sometime soon.” I pressed on how soon this could happen, but no time frame was provided.
That makes this situation very interesting. What if a player, like Jake Pope or Markeith Williams, want in after their officials? Do the Buckeyes say “no” in order to not risk jeopardizing their chances with Branch or Nwankpa? What happens if they wait, the other players on their board commit elsewhere, and they strike out on their top two targets?
There is a lot at play here, but the impression I get is that Ohio State still feels good about their chances with Nwankpa. They’re still very much in the mix for Branch, too, so I believe they ultimately finish with Stokes and Branch or Nwankpa by the time this class is wrapped up.
A couple of other wideout options for Ohio State?
In my “Big Board Breakdown” for 2022 offensive targets, which was released last week, I noted that the Buckeyes’ top two remaining targets at wide receiver in this class are CJ Williams and Kojo Antwi.
Five-star Oklahoma commit Luther Burden had been in touch with Ohio State, but I was told the program has moved on from attempting to flip him from the Sooners.
I had also heard that there were some other wideouts that Brian Hartline was keeping warm at this time. The only problem was that these names were not revealed to me when speaking with my source.
After doing some digging, it is likely that two of the prospects that were being referenced are Kaleb Brown and Kaden Saunders. Kevin and I heard good things about Brown this past weekend, and he is slated to officially visit Ohio State from June 25-27.
I also heard that Saunders, a Penn State pledge, is still on Hartline and company’s radar. Saunders won’t be camping in Columbus next month, but he told me that Ohio State’s staff has “somewhat been in touch” with him.
Brown is the most likely of the two options, though the goal is still to get either Antwi or Williams if they can. The reason for this is that they want a bigger pass catcher to go along with Caleb Burton and Kyion Grayes, and Antwi and Williams present that as they are both at least 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds or heavier.
Meanwhile, Brown and Saunders are hovering around that 5-foot-11, 175 pounds or so range. This does not take away from their skill sets and the speed they bring to the table, and the Buckeyes have obviously identified a fit for Brown in their offense (Saunders does not yet have an offer from the program).
Ohio State has a really good shot at landing Brown if they push hard for him, and I think that could ultimately depend on how they are feeling about their chances with Antwi.
Note on a few prospects with Ohio State offers
I mentioned my “Big Board Breakdown” in the previous section, and I wanted to elaborate on a couple of noteworthy recruits missing from it.
The first one people may have noticed is not present on the list is Rivals250 running back Damari Alston. Alston has been a popular name ever since the Buckeyes offered him back in August, and Tony Alford had heavily prioritized the product out of the Peach State.
According to what I heard, however, Dallan Hayden, Gavin Sawchuk and Omarion Hampton are their priorities, and Alston is on the outside looking in.
It also appears as if Alston is trending away from Ohio State himself as I’ve been told by a couple of people that he hasn’t been as involved with their 2022 class following Dasan McCullough’s decommitment. McCullough and Alston are close, and him leaving to team up with Indiana led to somewhat of a drop in interest in the Buckeyes for Alston.
I like his game and how he can be bowling ball in tOSU’s offense, but both the program and him are unlikely to be paired together at the next level.
Switching over to the trenches, I was told that Rivals250 offensive guard DJ Moore is not being recruited to join Ohio State’s 2022 class at this time.
There definitely appears to be higher options at guard on the staff’s radar, with those being Earnest Greene, Billy Schrauth and Neto Umeozulu. Moore currently has the Buckeyes in his top eight, but it is still unknown how much they are staying in contact with him, if at all.
Moore recently said that Ohio State was trying to get him up on campus, though no date had been locked in yet. Based on what I was told, however, I would be surprised if he ends up taking this visit in June.
Finally, the last player I will mention here is Shawn Murphy. It was confirmed to me last week that – at this time – the five-star linebacker out of Virginia is still a take for the Buckeyes.
According to Kevin and I’s sources, however, Murphy appears to have moved on from Ohio State. We get the feeling that Murphy was not being allowed to progress with the program as fast as he wanted to; in other words, his interest in them seems to be higher than their interest in him.
Murphy’s top eight still features the Buckeyes, so he has yet to officially eliminate them from his recruitment. It’s not trending toward Ohio State right now (I’ll change my FutureCast if another school emerges as the clear leader), but I wouldn’t rule out a late push if they prioritize him more down the line.
He certainly has interest in Ryan Day’s program, and former teammate Tyleik Williams wants him to make the move to Columbus as well. I don’t believe it’s too late for Ohio State to get back into the mix here, and it will be telling if he ends up taking an official to the school.
