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Taking Inventory
A lot has happened in just the past two weeks. The Buckeyes' 2020 and even 2021 classes have expanded greatly, we've entered the Dead Period, and we've pretty much made it through camp season with the Rivals Challenge and The Opening events taking place.
It's probably a good time to assess what is left out there for Ohio State in terms of potential movement over the course of the next few weeks. The Buckeyes look far from finished this month on the recruiting front.
Kedrick Bingley-Jones: This is one that I'm just not feeling right now for Ohio State. Bingley-Jones has kept pretty quiet over the past few weeks, but there continues to be questions about whether or not he wants to leave home. There seems to be growing sentiment that he'll end up staying close to home, which will likely be North Carolina if he chooses to do that. KBJ does not have an official final two or anything like that but I've been hearing UNC or OSU the past few weeks and I've put in a pick for UNC. Still a few weeks for things to change as he plans to announce on August 3rd.
Vernon Broughton: This recruitment is just all over the place. I'm still having a hard time buying that Vernon is going to leave the state of Texas. Now it could end up being Texas A&M who seems to have more momentum right now than the Longhorns, but I'm just going to need to see it to believe when it comes to Ohio State and Broughton. I'm expecting a decision this summer but we'll see.
Mookie Cooper: Feel very confident here in my pick of Ohio State. Have spent a lot of time around Mookie over the past two months. I've seen him at two rivals camps, the St. Louis regional and the Five-Star Challenge, as well as The Opening this past week all since the middle of May so I've had several opportunities to speak with him at length in person. From those conversations, I'd be really surprised if this one went against the Buckeyes. An announcement could basically come any day now, but definitely looking like this week or next if things drag out as he gets everything prepared for his announcement.
Jaylan Knighton: Looking like a July 30th announcement. I have not yet pulled the trigger on the Ohio State pick but I think I'm close. Ohio State seems to have a lot of momentum here.
Lathan Ransom: Still feel pretty good about the Ohio State pick. Texas and Notre Dame are still pushing hard for Lathan who is scheduled to announce on July 16th, but it's one of those things where I think as long as he doesn't postpone the announcement, it's looking very good for Ohio State. The Buckeyes nailed the official visit and I think the comparing of notes with Bijan Robinson has been very beneficial for Ohio State with both prospects.
Bijan Robinson: Still expecting a late July announcement here and still expecting Ohio State to win this one. Much like with Ransom, if everything continues to go according to plan, sticking with a decision toward the end of the month should absolutely favor Ohio State. There are no more visits to take here in that scenario and based on where I have things right now, it would take more than a phone conversation to turn this one for Texas or USC, think they'd need to get him back on campus and right now there is nothing else planned, nor can there be until the last week of the month.
Kourt Williams: Love my Ohio State pick here. Had another great visit at the end of June, is extremely close with Jeff Hafley, and the addition of Clark Phillips to the class has only helped the Buckeyes as the two are good friends. Williams could not participate at The Opening this past week due to a minor shoulder injury he suffered playing 7-on-7 for his high school team, but he was still chatting it up with a lot of the future Buckeyes in Texas. After the event was over, Williams and Phillips grabbed lunch together near the stadium, they were hanging out all week and it just seems like a great fit both football wise and culture wise. In theory, this one could end any day now. I tend to think it's going to be the second half of July until an announcement is made, but he's definitely on daily watch at this point.
Takeaways from The Opening
The story of The Opening for me was the play of the three Ohio State wide receiver commits. Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all validated themselves as the Top 100 players in the nation that they are and they were all among the top performers from the event in my opinion. I think what should have most people excited about this trio is how well they complement each other. Scott and Fleming are outside guys but have a little bit different skill sets. Fleming has a little more top end speed and is a little more dangerous after the catch while Scott has incredible hands and the ability to just bully defensive backs in 1-on-1 situations.
Then you have Smith-Njigba who can lineup just about anywhere and has those super quick feet that you need to navigate the middle of the field and create separation while working in some pretty tight areas. There is talk of the "competition" that will arise here, but honestly I don't see it that way, they can all be on the field together at the same time. Cooper as a pure slot would only build upon this idea of all of these guys being able to play together.
Scott is saying all of the right things about being solid to Ohio State after the offer from Washington. It was really odd that the Huskies waited so long to offer, but it appears to be too little too late. Had this offer come anytime in the vicinity of the Ohio State offer, this kid likely stays home, but he looks to be very much at peace with his decision. An all-time odd move by Washington to not stay on this kid early.
I thought Cody Simon had a great week in Texas. He was solid at the Rivals Challenge the previous week but I thought he was better this past week at The Opening. He made quite a few nice plays defensively in a setting that is generally not great for showcasing linebackers. As I said in the impact piece when he committed, I just see him as a very good three-down linebacker that even in today's game can be kept on the field in all situations. Very good speed and instincts and a very smart kid.
Quiet but very solid weeks from the corners in Clark Phillips and Lejond Cavazos. Not a lot of them on my video camera, which is generally a good thing. These guys did a good job locking down their side of the field during 7-on-7. Phillips' best play came on a shallow crossing route where he was able to undercut the receiver and get a hand on the ball to knock it away. That is maybe the most difficult play that a corner can be asked to make and with his quickness and strong build I think he can be an outstanding slot corner.
Cavazos probably fits the mold physically a little bit more in terms of being that 6-foot+ corner and he can really run. He has really improved over the past year and I'm eager to see him on the field this fall at what I believe is his more natural position of corner. He'll get a great early test against Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr. when IMG travels to play St. Joes' Prep in September.
Paris Johnson Jr. did not work out this week, but did tell us that he's set with Ohio State and has no further plans to visit other schools. That lines up with what we've expected and reported here in recent weeks but it was good nonetheless that he's now saying these things on the record and not just off the record. Ryan Day has just impressed Paris and his family so much over these past seven months, they just love that guy. Paris also admitted that he's grown more familiar with the entirety of Ohio State and grown to love the entire school. Before it was pretty much Ohio State equals Urban Meyer and Urban Meyer equals Ohio State, but he has come to feel that there is much more to it than that and that is why he is comfortable sticking with OSU.
Of course five-star cornerback Elias Ricks was the top recruiting target at the event for Cavazos and the rest of these guys. Everyone was in his ear about the Buckeyes. I tend to believe Ricks when he says there would need to be shake up for him to drop his LSU pledge, at least I believe that he believes that today.
Could things change over the next few months? You never know. I continue to expect him to pop up at IMG Academy for this upcoming season, which would mean having Cavazos in his ear every single day, literally. No more texts every day from Cavazos, now it's face-to-face conversations each day.
I do think Ohio State is probably his favorite school among the "rest of the pack". USC and Alabama are also very much involved, but I think Ohio State would be the top dog in that group right now.
That said, I still think it's a bit of a long shot here, but we'll see what these next few months hold. I've baked an IMG move into the cake on Ricks over the past few months as that is what I've been expecting so if that is what he announces on July 18th, I won't be very surprised by it, nor will it drastically impact my thoughts on where this one is going. But it would certainly be better for Ohio State for that to happen than for Ricks to play his senior year elsewhere.
Elias was phenomenal at The Opening. He's not quite the freak athlete that Kelee Ringo is but he is so technically sound and has such good instincts, he's a better pure football player today. He also has a ridiculous wing span and that is why schools covet these big corners. It can look like a receiver has a step on him but he just reaches out and knocks it away, guys that are 5'10 or 5'11 have to always be in perfect position, they have to be pretty much flawless. These bigger guys like Ricks leave a little margin for error. He's a special talent.
