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I figured this would be a great time to refresh where everything stands with this recruiting class in terms of what is left for the Buckeyes to add between and now and February. The last few weeks of August are generally a slow time for recruiting. Decisions are mostly out of the way by now for guys who are looking to decide before their senior seasons. Both college staffs and high school prospects are head first into training camp and recruiting will get put on the backburner a little bit for both sides.
It's also a time when the support staff will be sifting through film and new names. Basically right now the refresh button is being hit and everyone is gearing up for September when things will open back up with visits and new film to evaluate.
Despite a disappointing week on the recruiting trail, June and July were huge months for the Buckeyes and they are now left with just a few needs to fill this fall. Will go by position group here and break down what the needs are and give a general outlook on where things stand.
Defensive Line
The need here is one with the possibility of two. Ohio State would really like to add a pure edge rusher in this class but there aren't many options here as of now so this will be an area where some new names could emerge this fall. Charlotte (NC) Providence Day product Jacolbe Cowan remains a serious target and the Buckeyes definitely have a chance here.
With Cowan, the questions are going to be about whether or not he can stay on the outside or if he's another guy who slides inside at the next level. He has some baby fat that he could shed and then once he does that, it becomes a matter of where he would ideally top out at weight-wise. I tend to think he's more of a three-tech prospect but it's hard to say exactly how his body might respond to Marotti's program and he has the big wingspan you're looking for on the outside.
I tend to think if the Buckeyes could land Cowan, they'd still be in search of an edge rusher. Of course fellow North Carolina star Desmond Evans would be the preference here but that is a long shot right now with the Buckeyes being hopeful to land an official visit this fall. North Carolina and North Carolina State probably leading the pack here over national powers like the Buckeyes, Alabama, and others.
Also as I mentioned recently, Larry Johnson has been in communication with the Jordan Burch camp. I don't expect things to go much further with the nation's No. 3 overall prospect but Ohio State is at least taking its swing.
Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic's Tyler Baron is another guy that Ohio State likes but that I would put in the long shot category. Indiana's Deontae Craig is worth keeping an eye on as well but he has kind of been on the back burner for most of the recruiting process.
Again, this is a spot where I would expect some new names to surface during the season. One more body for sure in this position group with the potential of a second one depending on A. Who they can get and B. if an edge rusher can be found. Don't think they'd take two guys who could both potentially outgrow defensive end.
Cornerback
The Buckeyes need to take another cornerback in 2020 and you don't want to include Elias Ricks in that count. Ricks would be a bonus add at the end and I continue to think the odds are very strong that he sticks with his LSU pledge barring a major coaching staff shake up.
The name that I continue to hear is Ryan Watts, the four-star prospect out of Texas who is currently committed to Oklahoma. There are a few people on the ground in Texas that think Ohio State has a pretty good shot at flipping Watts and I believe that going into the season, Watts is considered the top guy for the Buckeyes when taking out long shots like Ricks and Kelee Ringo. Ricks and Ringo will not factor into the numbers here, they'll take another corner and then if a guy of that caliber wants in later, they'll just take a 4th guy.
Could certainly continue to see new names emerge here but, again, the drum beats are getting pretty loud on Watts. That is defintely a guy to keep an eye on this fall and I expect an official visit to be made.
Quarterback
There is a strong desire to add a second quarterback to this class and I think the Buckeyes will end up doing that. C.J. Stroud out of Rancho Cucamonga (Cali.) is kind of a hot name right now after a strong performance at the Elite 11 and The Opening. Stroud is highly interested in the Buckeyes and would fit in great as the second quarterback. But the word is out on him now and he's going to have plenty of Power Five options and plenty of options at places that will make him their top guy, not the second QB in the class, so there will be some road blocks here.
North Texas commit Kade Renfro is another guy the coaching staff seems to like but has not yet moved on. Renfro is generating a lot of Power Five interest right now and recently visited Florida State.
Locally, Pickerington Central's Demeatric Crenshaw is still being monitored, but I'm just not sure how well he fits into Ryan Day's more pass-heavy spread offense.
Again, this has all been discussed with Jack Miller. He knows the situation, he knows the number of QB's on scholarship in the foreseeable future is not a sustainable situation for the program. He has said all of the right things to this point and has not given any indication that he's wavering. That said, these situations are always delicate so it's important that Ohio State continues to be transparent here.
Certainly there could be a Matt Baldwin type of situation here where a kid emerges with a great senior season and the staff takes notice.
Running Back
I'm not going to spend too much time here because I just did a full break down of where things stand the other day. But the goal is to still come out of this class with two backs and I suspect one will be more of a traditional back and one more of an all-purpose back type of guy.
Again, I would be shocked if there are answers here in August. The board is being completely reset and this will be a thorough process that will lead to you guys reading about more than a dozen names over the next few months. Expect news of new contact, new offers, and some rekindled contact with old names.
But the goal here remains signing two backs, and again, signing two really good players by February is the goal, not seeing how quickly they can fill the two available spots with warm bodies.
Best Available
This is where you categorize the Elias Ricks' and Kelee Ringo's of the world. These are guys that the staff won't turn away in December or February but that they can't factor into the numbers and risk missing their target number. So these are the bonus guys.
Rivals100 linebacker Noah Sewell didn't make an unofficial visit this summer so the odds just got even longer here, but he's another guy who would fall into this category.
If you want to throw total pipe dream types like Jordan Burch into this category, be my guest. But with most of the class full, Ohio State will be able to chase a few guys like this to see if they can't pull off a late surprise.
