Tag: Ajani Cornelius

Report: Both transfer tackles Ohio State has offered will visit this weekend

Both will be on campus this weekend! #GoBucks

The Buckeyes made quick decisions on who they wanted to target in the transfer portal along the offensive line: Rhode Island’s [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] and UTEP’s [autotag]Jeremiah Byers[/autotag].

Both big men were offered scholarships this weekend and [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] along with offensive line coach [autotag]Justin Frye[/autotag] have made a big enough impression with each that they will visit Columbus this weekend according to a report by 247Sports and by Fox’s [autotag]Bruce Feldman[/autotag].

This development is very interesting. On Friday, I postulated that both current starting tackles, [autotag]Paris Johnson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Dawand Jones[/autotag] could be leaving [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] with eligibility remaining. Day is hedging his bets, which makes a ton of sense as the tackle position is the most important along the offensive line.

This is a nice contrast from what the Buckeyes have done previously with the portal, watching other teams use it to fortify their rosters. Since getting the tackles on campus for a visit is a huge step in their recruitment, expect Ohio State to be contenders for their commitments when each makes his choice.

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Another Ohio State offensive tackle transfer offer goes out

The Bucks are looking for OT help in the portal #GoBucks

It seems like [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] is tipping his hand a bit on what his current offensive tackles intentions are after playing in the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag]. Both [autotag]Paris Johnson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Dawand Jones[/autotag] have eligibility remaining after this year, but the recent action on the transfer trail might signal that Day knows both his starting tackles will be making the jump to the NFL.

Having already offered Rhode Island transfer offensive tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] earlier this week, the offer to UTEP tackle [autotag]Jeremiah Byers[/autotag] flew a bit under the radar. The Buckeyes followed offers from schools like [autotag]Penn State[/autotag], [autotag]Florida State[/autotag], [autotag]Oregon[/autotag] and others.

Byers has already visited FSU and has yet to announce if he will be taking other visits at the time of this post. With Day already offering two tackles from the portal, expect at least a few more offers to come from the position, especially if neither of them ultimately visit Columbus.

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Ohio State offers massive transfer portal offensive tackle

The Buckeyes are looking to the portal to fill potential gaps on their offensive line

Even though I’d like to believe [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] reads my content, I know he doesn’t.

What I do know is we both see a need at offensive tackle, especially considering the potential for both tackles, [autotag]Paris Johnson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Dawand Jones[/autotag], to move to the next level after this season.

At minimum, one of the two will leave early. And with not much experience behind them, Day pulled the trigger on former Rhode Island offensive tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] and offered him a scholarship. The lineman checks in at 6 feet, 4 inches and 320 pounds. He is getting interest from a good number of Power Five programs, including Oregon, Nebraska, Tennessee, Boston College and Illinois.

The next step for the Buckeyes is getting Cornelius on campus, something Oregon did this past weekend. Hopefully Day can get that visit soon to show Cornelius what Ohio State has to offer.

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Florida’s QB situation among biggest remaining questions in transfer portal

With Florida losing a ton of players to the portal and draft, ESPN thinks the Gators will be one of the more active teams during transfer season.

With the transfer portal officially open and players looking for new homes, the University of Florida is one of the most intriguing teams in college football’s “free agency,” according to ESPN.

The worldwide leader in sports asked its staff what the biggest remaining questions are during portal season, and Florida came up a few times. First, Florida is one of about two dozen teams vying for former Rhode Island offensive lineman [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag]. The Gators have to be an attractive landing spot for any lineman looking to prove himself in the Power Five considering the success [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] had after following Billy Napier over from Louisiana. With two years of eligibility left, Cornelius and Florida might be a match made in heaven, but it will take some serious recruiting to make the pairing official.

The other big question asked by ESPN contributors regarding UF is which quarterback the Gators will target in the portal. Florida is pegged as the “SEC contender with the most work to do in the portal,” and a lot of that has to do with the departure of [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. Florida is also losing over a dozen players to the portal itself, so it only makes sense that they predicted the Gators to be one of the more active teams in the portal.

The answer under center isn’t as simple as one might think, though. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is in line for his first career start in the Las Vegas Bowl and that will almost certainly serve as an audition for next year. There’s also [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] who is coming in as a true freshman next year, but there’s always some fear in having a freshman as the lone backup. That means Florida needs to target a quarterback with starting potential but also one that allows those other two to compete for reps.

Enter [autotag]Jeff Sims[/autotag], Georgia Tech’s dual-threat quarterback who “flashed big-play ability and could benefit from a fresh start.” Craig Haubert posited the idea of Sims to the Gators, and it seems like a decent fit. Sims would have “tempered expectations compared to some other transfer quarterbacks,” and would likely allow a good battle at the position to take place over the spring and summer. Alex Scarborough agreed with Haubert that Sims would be a “great fit in Napier’s offense.”

It certainly sounds like adding Sims would provide the perfect stop-gap between Richardson and Rashada, and Florida’s future at the position is already bright with the commitment of five-star 2024 commit [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].

There are a lot of moving pieces to consider when making any sort of transfer portal predictions, but it feels pretty safe to say that Florida will be one of the more active teams this season starting at the highest-profile position on the field.

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Report: Coveted transfer portal OL Ajani Cornelius to take official visit to Oregon

Former Rhode Island OL Ajani Cornelius, one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal, is taking an official visit to Oregon this weekend.

The Oregon Ducks are making in-roads early on when it comes to one of the most highly-coveted players in the transfer portal this year, getting former Rhode Island offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius to come out to Eugene on an official visit this weekend, per a report from 247Sports. 

Cornelius, who stats at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, has received upwards of 24 scholarship offers since entering the transfer portal at the end of November, with teams like Oregon, Auburn, Florida, and Nebraska all after him, among others.

The Ducks also got former Alabama Crimson Tide WR Traeshon Holden on an official visit in Eugene this week as well.

As the early signing period in the 2023 recruiting class draws near, the Oregon coaching staff is going all out in their efforts to add talented players to the roster. You can bet that Cornelius is near the top of the list of guys they want to bring in.

Ajani Cornelius Transfer Portal Profile

Transfer prospect wish list for Ohio State Football

Who do you think the Buckeyes should target in the portal?

The transfer portal is full-on crazy right now, with over 700 FBS players potentially changing schools and growing. It’s an absurd number and honestly a scary one. In the ideal scenario, each one of these student-athletes would get a chance to play for another school, but unfortunately, that won’t be the case.

Every school has different needs, some of them use the portal as a way to jump-start a program and others use it to fill gaps left by players who have either left early for the NFL or themselves have entered the portal.

For [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag], it’s the ability to round out a roster and fill some gaps. The Buckeyes recruit at such a high level, the needs aren’t paramount, and filling the gaps is all that is needed. Find out below which prospects I’d love to see in the Scarlet and Gray next fall.

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Florida football offers this popular transfer portal name

Florida has offered one of the most popular players in the transfer portal as they look to reshape the Gators roster for the 2023 season

With the Gators’ regular season coming to a close last week, players and coaches are looking to make the best decision possible for next season. For some players, that means entering the transfer portal. Over 10 different players have announced their intentions to enter the portal, per Sports Illustrated.

As a result, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is looking to replace the players who will depart, and further craft the Gators roster in his image. It starts with offering one of the most sought-after players in the portal.

Ajani Cornelius, an offensive tackle with played for Rhode Island, was offered by Napier and his staff on Thursday night. According to 247Sports, after just two days of being in the portal, Cornelius has over 20 offers from programs looking to bring in the 6-foot-5-inch, 315-pound tackle.

SEC programs like Auburn, South Carolina, and Missouri join national names like Penn State and Oregon in the list of programs that are interested in the two-year starter and 2022 first-team all-CAA selection.

Cornelius tells 247Sports that he intends to make visits, speak with coaches, and make a decision before the holidays.

The Gators have had recent success with offensive linemen in the transfer portal. Projected NFL draft pick [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] arrived in Gainesville with Napier from Louisiana. He was considered to be the best offensive lineman in the portal last season, and his presence revitalized a Florida offensive line that finished first in the SEC with 5.84 yards per carry.

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Auburn offers Rhode Island OT transfer Ajani Cornelius 

He is the hottest name in the transfer portal and would fill a massive need for Auburn.

Auburn has a massive need along the offensive line and they are going after one of the hottest names in the transfer portal to address that need.

New head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] offered Rhode Island transfer [autotag]Ajani Cornelius [/autotag] Thursday morning.

The  6-foot-5, 315-pounder was a two-year starter at right tackle and was a first-team All-CAA selection this season before entering the portal on Tuesday. He allowed just 1.0 sack this season in 528 snaps according to NextGen Prospects.

The Harlem, New York native has two seasons of eligibility left and has already reported over a dozen offers from Power 5 schools.

Auburn is looking to land multiple offensive linemen in the transfer portal and Cornelius will be a player to watch.

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