The writing was on the wall.
After being committed to the 2020 Ohio State recruiting class, four-star DB Clark Phillips III took an official visit to Utah just before the first day of the early signing period to put things up in the air. He then postponed his decision a day and decided to reveal his commitment today at 2PM.
In the end, he has chosen to go with the Utah Utes over Ohio State, completing what can be considered as the only real drama in the signing period for the Buckeyes to date. Four-star Michigan athlete and OSU commit Cameron Martinez is also still out there, but he won’t decide until likely February.
I sincerely appreciate everyone who recruited me throughout this process. It has been a blessing. Go Utes! pic.twitter.com/jIINUd1p5e
— Clark Phillips III (@ClarkPhillips28) December 19, 2019
Phillips is the No. 4 rated cornerback in the country, and No. 47 overall recruit in the entire class according to 247Sports. There’s no doubt this is a big miss for Ohio State, but there are still some very talented DBs on the roster and on the way to take the sting out a bit.
So what precipitated this move? It’s most likely collateral from Jeff Hafley accepting the head coaching position at Boston College. Hafley had been instrumental in developing a relationship and recruiting Phillips, and his departure seems to have at least somewhat fractured the relationship and intentions of the 5-10, 178 pounder out of La Habra, California.
We wish nothing but good things for Phillips and we’ll keep tabs on how he does in Utah.