Welcome back for another edition of “A-Deck” at BuckeyeGrove.com, where I’ll bring you thoughts, what I’m hearing, inside scoop, tidbits, and more for Ohio State recruiting and team coverage, every Wednesday.
Last week’s “A-Deck” provided some updates on the team in fall camp, as well as how the new coaching staff has been meshing. This week we provide a few post-camp updates as the team heads into game one prep, give the latest on a key Ohio State commit, take a look at a few 2021 targets, and empty the notebook on some other items.
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA
Marc touched on this in his Skull Session on Sunday, but I wanted to provide some more insight and analysis on my end as well.
There have been some rumors swirling that Ohio State 2020 wide receiver commit Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being heavily pursued by Texas, and that the outstanding pass-catcher isn’t exactly shutting down Tom Herman and the Longhorns.
While I’ll caution that you should “never say never” in recruiting, especially when talking about Texas with a Texas kid, right now there is nothing to worry about. We’ll let you know if that changes, but in talking to people at both Ohio State and the JSN camp, this is a “nothing” and not a “something” right now.
Providing some more context, when I asked a few people at OSU if there was any concern whatsoever, all three sources provided definitive “no” answers. I then spoke with Jaxon himself (in addition to some people around him), and he called the rumors “crazy”. He told me he understands how something like this catches fire and people run with it, but reiterated he is solid to Ohio State right now and is not planning visits to any other school, nor has he even thought about doing so.
Again, this is something to monitor, as I’m told Texas will not stop their pursuit of Jaxon until he signs a LOI with another school, but right now it’s not anything to give attention to.
2021 WIDE RECEIVERS
Ohio State’s 2020 receiver class is loaded with Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., and Mookie Cooper, with the possibility of Cameron Martinez playing offense as well. Safe to stay Brian Hartline hit it out of the park this cycle.
Early on, it’s looking like Hartline may go “back-to-back” when it comes to serving up another incredible class in 2021. The Buckeyes already have a commitment from four-star Jayden Ballard and are also firmly in the mix for a number of other big-time targets.
In talking to a few sources close to the situation, there is no doubt that OSU leads for Marvin Harrison Jr., who is a teammate of QB commit Kyle McCord. Harrison is, to nobody’s surprise, taking his time with his recruitment, which means there’s definitely time for some unforeseen things to unfold, but if everything stays the course, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him commit to the Scarlet and Gray sometime next spring. Harrison is ranked as the No. 76 overall player, No. 14 receiver and a 4-star by Rivals for 2021.
I recently spoke to Bellflower (C.A.) St. John Bosco 2021 WR Beaux Collins, who holds offers from almost every major power in America. There is a long way to go in this one, so I don’t want to get anyone too excited, but Collins told me he is speaking with Hartline frequently and that he’s a big fan of the receivers coach and Ryan Day. Back in March, after a visit to OSU, Collins told me the Bucks were his leader. I asked again if that was the case and he said “Yeah, most definitely”, which is obviously a great sign. He did say “Still got time to think about it though”, so as I said before, don’t get too excited just yet. Ohio State is in the position they need to be right now for the No. 3 receiver and No. 21 overall talent per Rivals in 2021.
Finally, Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a player in Ohio State’s backyard at Pickerington Central. While it looked like Notre Dame would be the destination earlier on, OSU has seized control of this one, and they look really hard to beat right now. There are some (including myself) that feel the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Styles has more potential as a defensive back at the next level, but the 4-star prospect is set on being a receiver, and, smartly, Hartline and Day are recruiting him that way. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Styles commit sometime during the season on a visit, or on one of those late-January/February big visit days the staff puts together. Styles is Rivals’ No. 5 receiver and No. 28 overall talent in 2021.
A few other players at the position in the class who the Buckeyes are doing all the right things for right now are Latrell Neville (Texas), Dekel Crowdus (Kentucky), and Emeka Egbuka (ranked as an ATH; Washington). We’ll see how things develop with those guys, as well as a few others, but it looks like Ohio State will once again have a really strong haul in 2021 at wide receiver.
END OF CAMP TIDBITS/EMPTYING THE NOTEBOOK
-Some scoop from a source who has provided the “goods” in the first few A-Deck editions:
-On the downside at QB, the source above feels the depth behind Fields is the weakest part of the team this year. Expect OSU to hold Fields back from running as much as he could/should because of this. They need to see more from Gunnar Hoak and/or Chris Chugunov.
-In speaking with a separate source, I asked him to give me one player on offense and one player on defense that stood out to him in camp. The answers? “Steele Chambers and Josh Proctor”. The same source also added (without me asking) that he thinks fans will be pretty pleased with the defense this year---there will still be an adjustment to a new system, but he thinks “the Silver Bullets will be back”.
-I’m told Justin Hilliard expects to return to action for the Indiana game in week three. Not that anyone is expecting Hilliard to seize a starting job at any point this season, but having a veteran, who is well-respected and does a great job on special teams and in game prep, back can only help the defense and special units.
Last week’s “A-Deck” provided some updates on the team in fall camp, as well as how the new coaching staff has been meshing. This week we provide a few post-camp updates as the team heads into game one prep, give the latest on a key Ohio State commit, take a look at a few 2021 targets, and empty the notebook on some other items.
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA
Marc touched on this in his Skull Session on Sunday, but I wanted to provide some more insight and analysis on my end as well.
There have been some rumors swirling that Ohio State 2020 wide receiver commit Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being heavily pursued by Texas, and that the outstanding pass-catcher isn’t exactly shutting down Tom Herman and the Longhorns.
While I’ll caution that you should “never say never” in recruiting, especially when talking about Texas with a Texas kid, right now there is nothing to worry about. We’ll let you know if that changes, but in talking to people at both Ohio State and the JSN camp, this is a “nothing” and not a “something” right now.
Providing some more context, when I asked a few people at OSU if there was any concern whatsoever, all three sources provided definitive “no” answers. I then spoke with Jaxon himself (in addition to some people around him), and he called the rumors “crazy”. He told me he understands how something like this catches fire and people run with it, but reiterated he is solid to Ohio State right now and is not planning visits to any other school, nor has he even thought about doing so.
Again, this is something to monitor, as I’m told Texas will not stop their pursuit of Jaxon until he signs a LOI with another school, but right now it’s not anything to give attention to.
2021 WIDE RECEIVERS
Ohio State’s 2020 receiver class is loaded with Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., and Mookie Cooper, with the possibility of Cameron Martinez playing offense as well. Safe to stay Brian Hartline hit it out of the park this cycle.
Early on, it’s looking like Hartline may go “back-to-back” when it comes to serving up another incredible class in 2021. The Buckeyes already have a commitment from four-star Jayden Ballard and are also firmly in the mix for a number of other big-time targets.
In talking to a few sources close to the situation, there is no doubt that OSU leads for Marvin Harrison Jr., who is a teammate of QB commit Kyle McCord. Harrison is, to nobody’s surprise, taking his time with his recruitment, which means there’s definitely time for some unforeseen things to unfold, but if everything stays the course, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him commit to the Scarlet and Gray sometime next spring. Harrison is ranked as the No. 76 overall player, No. 14 receiver and a 4-star by Rivals for 2021.
I recently spoke to Bellflower (C.A.) St. John Bosco 2021 WR Beaux Collins, who holds offers from almost every major power in America. There is a long way to go in this one, so I don’t want to get anyone too excited, but Collins told me he is speaking with Hartline frequently and that he’s a big fan of the receivers coach and Ryan Day. Back in March, after a visit to OSU, Collins told me the Bucks were his leader. I asked again if that was the case and he said “Yeah, most definitely”, which is obviously a great sign. He did say “Still got time to think about it though”, so as I said before, don’t get too excited just yet. Ohio State is in the position they need to be right now for the No. 3 receiver and No. 21 overall talent per Rivals in 2021.
Finally, Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a player in Ohio State’s backyard at Pickerington Central. While it looked like Notre Dame would be the destination earlier on, OSU has seized control of this one, and they look really hard to beat right now. There are some (including myself) that feel the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Styles has more potential as a defensive back at the next level, but the 4-star prospect is set on being a receiver, and, smartly, Hartline and Day are recruiting him that way. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Styles commit sometime during the season on a visit, or on one of those late-January/February big visit days the staff puts together. Styles is Rivals’ No. 5 receiver and No. 28 overall talent in 2021.
A few other players at the position in the class who the Buckeyes are doing all the right things for right now are Latrell Neville (Texas), Dekel Crowdus (Kentucky), and Emeka Egbuka (ranked as an ATH; Washington). We’ll see how things develop with those guys, as well as a few others, but it looks like Ohio State will once again have a really strong haul in 2021 at wide receiver.
END OF CAMP TIDBITS/EMPTYING THE NOTEBOOK
-Some scoop from a source who has provided the “goods” in the first few A-Deck editions:
- “Justin Fields is really putting it together and has been balling out. He is throwing with more anticipation and accuracy. He’s also making some better decisions. You can tell he’s finally getting comfortable. Ryan [Day] pulled him aside [before Saturday] and asked him for a list of his most comfortable plays. Day then scripted those into the scrimmage. You could tell Fields was more confident and more decisive. The people I have spoken to think his issues earlier in camp were that he was trying to score every play. The coaches told him to be smart with the ball and that every play doesn’t have to go for six. He’s not forcing the ball downfield as much anymore.”
- “[J.K.] Dobbins didn’t have to carry it that much, as they want to keep him fresh, but when he did, he was very good and elusive. [Marcus] Crowley is likely going to be the number two true back for now (Demario McCall is likely the second guy to get carries), because Master [Teague] was out. Crowley won’t break a lot of runs, but he will punish people. He ran hard in the scrimmage, as he has been since the spring.”
- K.J. [Hill] caught all of his targets in the scrimmage, including a ridiculous one-handed grab over the middle when he knew he was going to get smacked. Luckily, Jordan Fuller is a vet and knew to pull up instead of hitting him. Veteran presence like that is part of the reason why this team has stayed relatively healthy throughout camp.”
- "Chris Olave has made some big plays and is another one who has balled out. [Austin] Mack is still being held out for the most part as a precaution. [Binjimen] Victor had a couple of nice blocks in the scrimmage, which isn’t something reported often from him, but it was good to see.
- “[Luke] Farrell blocked well on Saturday, and that is why he continues to hold the starting tight end job.”
- “[Branden] Bowen is the guy at right tackle. He’s up and down a bit, but that’s expected.”
- [Zach] Harrison didn’t have his best scrimmage, but like always, he had a ridiculous play where he ran right by [Joshua] Alabi and [Matt] Jones on a twisting stunt, where neither guy could really get a hand on him. He went untouched.”
- “The linebackers were so-so. Not great and not bad. Malik [Harrison] was all over the field, doing everything. He rushed A-gap on a delayed blitz, rushed C-gap on a pinch run blitz for a tackle for loss, covered the slot receivers, and spied the QB. There’s nothing the guy can’t do. Tuf [Borland] was consistent and did his job throughout camp. [Pete] Werner has had a really nice camp, but he had a rough scrimmage. [Brendon] White is the starting Bullet. I don’t care what the media is reporting on [Jahsen] Wint (he’s having a good camp FWIW), but White is the guy. Wint may get some spell-reps here and there, but White is the unquestioned starter there at this point and will be the guy.”
- “I didn’t hear much about the DBs on Saturday, but that’s usually a good thing.”
-On the downside at QB, the source above feels the depth behind Fields is the weakest part of the team this year. Expect OSU to hold Fields back from running as much as he could/should because of this. They need to see more from Gunnar Hoak and/or Chris Chugunov.
-In speaking with a separate source, I asked him to give me one player on offense and one player on defense that stood out to him in camp. The answers? “Steele Chambers and Josh Proctor”. The same source also added (without me asking) that he thinks fans will be pretty pleased with the defense this year---there will still be an adjustment to a new system, but he thinks “the Silver Bullets will be back”.
-I’m told Justin Hilliard expects to return to action for the Indiana game in week three. Not that anyone is expecting Hilliard to seize a starting job at any point this season, but having a veteran, who is well-respected and does a great job on special teams and in game prep, back can only help the defense and special units.
