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Tywone Malone: Baseball is the deciding factor in my recruitment
By Joseph Hastings
With Zenuae Michalski’s commitment to Ohio State yesterday, there are only a few spots left to fill for the program in the 2021 cycle.
We know the big players they are in the hunt for are Derrick Davis, Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tristan Leigh and Tywone Malone. Unlike the other four players mentioned, however, Malone’s recruitment is not coming down just to football.
In fact, when speaking with Austin Price at VolsQuest, Malone said that the deciding factor for him will be baseball. He said he wants to see a baseball coaching staff really want him for what he can do in the diamond and not just on the football field.
To hear his full quote, go to the 4:40 mark of this VIDEO.
This is essentially what I reported back on Sept. 13 as I was told by a source that Malone was paying attention to who is recruiting him the hardest on the baseball and football front. Now, based off of what he said, it appears as if he is going to weigh baseball considerably more in his recruitment.
Malone also noted that he wants to go to a place where he feels comfortable and safe, so familiarity with a program will be key.
I reached out to an Ohio State baseball source less than two weeks ago, but I was told there was nothing to share about Malone at the moment. When there is, I’ll definitely be sure to make a separate Skull Session about Greg Beals’ staff’s pursuit of him.
This statement definitely drops my confidence level in the Buckeyes landing Malone, though I’m still hoping to hear from the Rivals100 DT specifically about the baseball team’s contact with him. Ohio State remains the favorite here from a FutureCast standpoint, but other programs like Ole Miss and Texas A&M will make this one interesting.
Another noteworthy point about this interview is that Malone says he is not slated to check out any schools soon. This likely means he will not be in attendance for the Buckeye Bash on Oct. 4.
“As of right now, no,” Malone said when asked if he has any plans for visits. “Hopefully, if we make it into the playoffs, me and my family will try to go see more places if we’re allowed to in that period of time when I have downtime from football. If I have open weeks, I can actually go down and take a trip just to see how the place is.”
Malone’s regular season will end Nov. 7, and he is still set to commit at the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 7, 2021. That’s less than eight weeks for him to take his trips, so we’ll see how many he can squeeze in during that time.
The Buckeyes are creeping up on Alabama for the top spot in the Rivals Team Rankings
By Joseph Hastings
For the record, I don’t believe a class should be defined by where they finished in a recruiting service’s rankings. In the end, it’s about the quality of each commit and what they ultimately do at a school.
With that being said, finishing with the top spot in the rankings is a significant achievement for a program and its pledges. As of right now, the Buckeyes are just 14 points behind Alabama for No. 1 in the 2021 Rivals Team Rankings following Michalski’s commitment.
It is important to note, however, that the Crimson Tide have one more pledge than Ohio State does and the average star rating for their commits (3.81) is less than that of Ryan Day’s program (3.85).
Even though Malone’s situation is a lot more iffy than it was a few months ago, the Buckeyes continue to be seen as the ones to beat for Egbuka and Tuimoloau. Unless Alabama pulls off an upset or two for a five-star prospect, I believe Ohio State lands their first-ever top class on Rivals.
Borderline Rivals100 RB set to visit Ohio State this weekend
By Joseph Hastings
For the first time in a few months, I was able to exchange some messages with Pennsylvania-based running back Nicholas Singleton.
Singleton, the sixth-ranked RB in the 2022 cycle, said back in early July that Ohio State was the program out in front for his services. Now, however, he says that he no longer has a clear-cut leader in his recruitment.
For Singleton, two Big Ten programs are leading the way for him at this point.
“It’s Ohio State and Penn State in the lead right now,” Singleton said.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Singleton will potentially get an opportunity to check out Columbus this weekend. Singleton says that he and his family are supposed to make their way to Ohio State on Saturday “just to look around.”
We will certainly be paying attention to whether or not this materializes or not since the Buckeye Bash is going to happen in less than three weeks. Singleton could, instead, opt to visit Ohio State on Oct. 24 to attend the recruiting summit, but I should have an update following his trip this month, whenever that occurs.
Singleton is one of several junior running backs that Tony Alford is doing an excellent job of recruiting. Damari Alston is impressed with their history of developing running backs, Ohio State is one of three schools sticking out to Terrance Gibbs and Colorado-based prospect Gavin Sawchuk is “very interested” in the Buckeyes.
The way Ohio State is recruiting each of these prospects could be a reason why in-state product Gi’Bran Payne has yet to haul in an offer from the program, but he’s still a candidate for an offer from the staff.
Buckeyes building relationship with Toriano Pride
By Andy Anders
A month ago, I reported that Ohio State was the first school to contact four-star class of 2022 cornerback Toriano Pride, and since that time the two sides certainly haven’t lost touch.
Pride told me Sunday he talks to the Buckeyes “a few times every other day.”
Ohio State is still looking to add multiple defensive backs to the class outside Jyaire Brown, and it looks as though Pride is one of its top targets. When asked about what the message has been from defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and the rest of the coaching staff, Pride had this to say:
“Just saying they would love for me to be a Buckeye and to get down there [for a visit].”
Pride certainly has a great deal of interest in Ohio State, but he’s playing his recruitment close to the vest at the moment. He still doesn’t have a list of schools that stand out, he said, but will continue building relationships over the coming months and it appears the Buckeyes have cultivated a strong one thus far.
Scouting report on Tegra Tshabola and Jyaire Brown
By Andy Anders
Justin Rowland, publisher of CatsIllustrated, Kentucky’s Rivals affiliated, attended Friday’s game between Lakota West and Mason and scouted two 2022 Ohio State commits while he was there.
Four-star offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola and four-star cornerback Jyaire Brown helped Lakota West land a 21-0 over Mason, and Rowland was impressed by both Buckeye commits.
He found Brown’s athleticism particularly intriguing, but added that the prospect will need to add weight at the next level before he’s a regular contributor.
“Although Brown is on the small and slight side -- somewhere around 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds -- his impressive speed, agility, burst and leaping ability allow him to close on the football and suffocate receivers,” Rowland wrote.
Rowland referred to Tshabola as a “people-mover,” and an exceptional run blocking force as a junior, but has room to grow in the area of pass blocking. He also foresees a move to guard at the next level, as his shorter length and “uncomfortable” pass sets lend more to that position in college.
“His run-blocking was excellent. Tshabola’s strength, squat frame and mean streak make him one of the most effective run blockers in the country.”
Commits in action:
By Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings
Andre Turrentine: Stats: Eight receptions for 140 yards, which is 17.5 yards per catch.
Team Result: (L) 9-14
Ben Christman: Stats: N/A
Team Result: (L) 0-20
Donovan Jackson: Stats: N/A
Team Result: (L) 10-21
Jayden Ballard: Stats: One catch for two yards
Team Result: (W) 35-7
Jaylen Johnson: Stats: 10 tackles and a pair of pass deflections
Team Result: (W) 27-25
Reid Carrico: Stats: 13 rushes for 222 yards (17.1 yards per carry) and a rushing touchdown
Team Result: (W) 33-11
Michael Hall: Stats: Eight total tackles, with six of those being solo and two of those being for loss
Team Result: (W) 42-0
Zen Michalski: N/A
Team Result: (W) 55-13
Bennett Christian: Stats: N/A
Team Result: Bye Week
CJ Hicks: Stats: Nine tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble
Team Result: (W) 49-21
Dasan McCullough: Stats: N/A
Team Result: Bye Week
Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola: Stats: N/A
Team Result: (W) 21-0
Gabe Powers: Stats: N/A
Team Result: (W) 28-7. *Marysville won the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division title*
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