Picked up a few interesting things today that go beyond just the coaches being out on the road.
- I spent my afternoon over at Springfield High School where the Wildcats have a few prospects of note for Ohio State fans and I spoke with two of them today in 2017 wide receiver Danny Davis and 2018 linebacker Antwuan Johnson. Davis is an inch taller and nearly 20-pounds heavier now (6’2 180 right now) than he was this past summer so he has really been hitting the weight room hard. Michigan State is his latest big offer and Penn State was in the school this morning and I think that one is coming soon.
I know the 2017 wide receiver board is ridiculous but Davis might be too good to not make room for him. Unless something really strange happens in the next six weeks or so, he is a virtual lock to be in the top 10 when my initial Ohio rankings list comes out for that class.
As for Johnson, he is going to be one to watch down the line. Kentucky recently gave him his first offer and at 6-foot-1, 210-pounds it is simply a matter of seeing how he develops physically and determining if he is an inside or outside guy. Right now he plays in the middle and that is the build he has but we’re talking about a very young player here so we’ll see what happens.
Both prospects plan to camp with Ohio State in June and Davis told me that Ohio State assistant Tim Hinton has been saying positive things about a potential offer in the near future. I’ll have a story on Davis tomorrow.
Three more prospects worth keeping an eye on at Springfield starting with 2016 offensive tackle Darius Harper who was not at workouts today but is being recruited by Ohio State and being asked to camp. 2016 defensive tackle Kordell Looney is also being asked to camp but is currently committed to Kentucky so it will be interesting to see what he decides on that front. Springfield also has 2018 tight end Leonard Taylor who currently checks in at 6-foot-5, 240-pounds. Taylor has a chance to be a very good one and even more so than Johnson, it’s a matter of letting him develop physically because at that size he could end up at a number of different positions.
- Kicked the tires a little bit today on 2018 Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail dual-threat quarterback Joey Gatewood. It is extremely early but Gatewood’s offer list is staggering. Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and UCLA are just some of the big offers. Gatewood is contemplating an early commitment (before the season starts) and if that happens, Florida State is the odds on favorite. FSU, who currently holds a commitment for five-star Malik Henry in 2016, is telling him they won’t take a quarterback in 2017 and right now that seems to be working.
Wouldn’t get too worked up either way about 2018 QB recruiting at this juncture but it will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can get him up for a visit over the summer. While quarterback commitments are typically more firm than other positions, if a kid this talented commits this early, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be at least a little bit of drama over the next three years as the college football landscape changes.
- I confirmed this evening upon my return from Springfield that three-star cornerback Kareem Felder does intend to make an announcement on Sunday. Still like Ohio State here with Clemson running second.
- As Adam Friedman reported earlier today, Ohio State offered class of 2017 Washington (DC) Archbishop Carroll cornerback Deon Jones, an early Rivals100 member. Jones is a big-time prospect and also the teammate of four-star offensive tackle Jauan Williams in the 2016 class.
- Talked to 2017 Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain DB Amir Riep this evening and will have a story on him this week. Amir landed his first offer from Cincinnati this week and is also hearing from a handful of Big Ten schools including Ohio State. He told me he grew up an Ohio State fan and is building a good relationship with Kerry Coombs.
- Will wrap this up with a quick hitter on four-star DB Marlon Character. Character has picked up new offers from Pittsburgh and Miami (Fla.) the last few days and told me he spoke with Chris Ash yesterday. Character wasn't able to visit in the spring as he was supposed to come up with Nigel Warrior and once Warrior couldn't make it, there went his transportation.
- I spent my afternoon over at Springfield High School where the Wildcats have a few prospects of note for Ohio State fans and I spoke with two of them today in 2017 wide receiver Danny Davis and 2018 linebacker Antwuan Johnson. Davis is an inch taller and nearly 20-pounds heavier now (6’2 180 right now) than he was this past summer so he has really been hitting the weight room hard. Michigan State is his latest big offer and Penn State was in the school this morning and I think that one is coming soon.
I know the 2017 wide receiver board is ridiculous but Davis might be too good to not make room for him. Unless something really strange happens in the next six weeks or so, he is a virtual lock to be in the top 10 when my initial Ohio rankings list comes out for that class.
As for Johnson, he is going to be one to watch down the line. Kentucky recently gave him his first offer and at 6-foot-1, 210-pounds it is simply a matter of seeing how he develops physically and determining if he is an inside or outside guy. Right now he plays in the middle and that is the build he has but we’re talking about a very young player here so we’ll see what happens.
Both prospects plan to camp with Ohio State in June and Davis told me that Ohio State assistant Tim Hinton has been saying positive things about a potential offer in the near future. I’ll have a story on Davis tomorrow.
Three more prospects worth keeping an eye on at Springfield starting with 2016 offensive tackle Darius Harper who was not at workouts today but is being recruited by Ohio State and being asked to camp. 2016 defensive tackle Kordell Looney is also being asked to camp but is currently committed to Kentucky so it will be interesting to see what he decides on that front. Springfield also has 2018 tight end Leonard Taylor who currently checks in at 6-foot-5, 240-pounds. Taylor has a chance to be a very good one and even more so than Johnson, it’s a matter of letting him develop physically because at that size he could end up at a number of different positions.
- Kicked the tires a little bit today on 2018 Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail dual-threat quarterback Joey Gatewood. It is extremely early but Gatewood’s offer list is staggering. Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and UCLA are just some of the big offers. Gatewood is contemplating an early commitment (before the season starts) and if that happens, Florida State is the odds on favorite. FSU, who currently holds a commitment for five-star Malik Henry in 2016, is telling him they won’t take a quarterback in 2017 and right now that seems to be working.
Wouldn’t get too worked up either way about 2018 QB recruiting at this juncture but it will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can get him up for a visit over the summer. While quarterback commitments are typically more firm than other positions, if a kid this talented commits this early, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be at least a little bit of drama over the next three years as the college football landscape changes.
- I confirmed this evening upon my return from Springfield that three-star cornerback Kareem Felder does intend to make an announcement on Sunday. Still like Ohio State here with Clemson running second.
- As Adam Friedman reported earlier today, Ohio State offered class of 2017 Washington (DC) Archbishop Carroll cornerback Deon Jones, an early Rivals100 member. Jones is a big-time prospect and also the teammate of four-star offensive tackle Jauan Williams in the 2016 class.
- Talked to 2017 Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain DB Amir Riep this evening and will have a story on him this week. Amir landed his first offer from Cincinnati this week and is also hearing from a handful of Big Ten schools including Ohio State. He told me he grew up an Ohio State fan and is building a good relationship with Kerry Coombs.
- Will wrap this up with a quick hitter on four-star DB Marlon Character. Character has picked up new offers from Pittsburgh and Miami (Fla.) the last few days and told me he spoke with Chris Ash yesterday. Character wasn't able to visit in the spring as he was supposed to come up with Nigel Warrior and once Warrior couldn't make it, there went his transportation.
