Tag: Gunner Givens

Texas extends offer to Gunner Givens, No. 2 OT in 2022 recruiting class

Texas remains active on the offensive line recruiting trail and sent an offer to five-star prospect offering Gunner Givens.

Texas continued to be active on the offensive line recruiting trail Monday night as it offered five-star prospect Gunner Givens.

According to 247Sports composite, Givens is listed as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2022 class. The only recruit ranked ahead of him is Zach Rise, who offensive line coach Kyle Flood also offered on Monday.

The Longhorns are getting into Givens’ recruitment late, as the offensive tackle released his top six schools in October. However, there could be some hope since Alabama was listed. The Crimson Tide is still the most attractive program in the country, but with Flood in Austin, he puts Texas in a better position with a few top prospects.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 17 2 2
Rivals 4 52 3 7
ESPN 4 48 2 3
247 Composite 5 26 3 2

Vitals

Hometown Daleville, Virginia
Projected Position Offensive tackle
Height 6-6
Weight 275

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan. 18, 2021
  • No visit yet

Current top six

  • Alabama
  • Clemson
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio State
  • Penn State
  • Virginia Tech

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

Ohio State makes top six for 5-star 2022 Offensive Tackle

Five-star 2022 offensive tackle Gunner Givens released his top six on Twitter Friday and Ohio State made the cut.

Ohio State football continues to assemble its 2022 recruiting class that currently sits at No. 1 in the country. Ryan Day and company just got a big commitment from four-star tight end Benji Gosnell on Wednesday, and while the latest isn’t another commitment, it’s still good news on the way to that journey.

That’s because five-star 2022 offensive tackle Gunner Givens dropped his top six schools on Thursday and Ohio State has made the cut. At 6-foot, 6-inches, and 275 pounds, Givens is rated as the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 20 overall prospect in the class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

The Virginia native would be a huge commitment for any program, and he’s of course being chased by almost everyone. He’s an athletic tackle that still has plenty of room to add to his frame and would fill a big need for OSU in the upcoming 2022 class. His top six also consists of Clemson, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Penn State.

It’s still too early in the cycle for a decision to be imminent, but Givens did take some time out to breakdown his view of the Ohio State program to 247Sports’ Brian Dohn.

“Ohio State getting a bunch of commits in the 2022 class,” Givens told 247Sports. “They are playing for national championships. The coaching staff has been amazing to me. I have family up in Ohio, which is another huge deal to me.”

This would be a huge get for Ohio State obviously and as any further news comes out, we’ll be sure to be on top of it.

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Five-star offensive lineman includes Ohio State in final 12

Ohio State appeared in the trimmed down list of twelve teams for 2022 5-star offensive tackle Gunner Givens.

There’s obviously nothing to get too excited about here, but you have to be in the running in the first place to even have a shot at the class of 2022’s top offensive tackle. So it is for Ohio State who appeared in a trimmed down list of twelve shared by Virginia product Gunner Givens.

At 6-foot, six-inches, and 275 pounds, Givens is rated as the No. 21 overall prospect in the class by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. With recent recruiting losses at the position, getting in on one of the country’s top talents could be huge for OSU.

There’s plenty of competition though. Also included in the list is a who’s who of college football including Clemson, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Penn State, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

So which way is Givens leaning? Though it’s early, he did provide some insight into his favorites in a piece by 247Sports Brian Dohn. It appears as though Ohio State is in a good spot but not necessarily among the favorites.

Givens comments about Ohio State to Dohn:

“That speaks for itself, also. They have one of the best teams in the country every year as well. Their coaches have done a lot on video, showing me technique and stuff. They play for national championships all the time as well. I have (relatives) right next to Ohio State.”

You would presume having family in the area would be a pretty good nugget for the Buckeyes, but there’s so much more that goes into signing the best of the best.

We’ll keep an eye on his recruitment as it progresses. For now, put it in your back pocket until things heat up a little more.

Ohio State not letting dead period stop it on recruiting trail

Ohio State isn’t letting the NCAA’s recruiting dead period stop it from working hard to land top prospects.

Even though the NCAA extended the dead period of coaches not being allowed to visit with recruits face-to-face, that doesn’t stop players from visiting campus on their own. With news that tight end Bennett Christian visited Ohio State and the pursuit of five-star 2022 offensive tackle Gunner Givens, it’s apparent the Ohio State football program isn’t letting up in its pursuit of elite prospects.

While coaches may not meet with players face-to-face nor visit their schools to watch games, they are still allowed to speak with players via phone and email. Face-to-face does matter to some players and parents, so it still should impact the overall recruiting throughout the NCAA. Video will be important this year, probably more so than in the past.

There are a slew of players for the 2022 recruiting class that will need to make decisions coming up, and having a dead period for a lot of programs means that the campus, legacy, and scheme will have to make more of an impact than the coach to player connection. This bodes well in a time of uncertainty, like 2020 is, for larger programs such as Ohio State.

Without knowing when the NCAA will end the dead period, and with some high school programs still uncertain about their seasons, this recruiting class could be very top-heavy for the elite schools. The Buckeyes have had top recruiting classes for years, and even without playing, there is no reason to think that will change.

Players can still talk to players, and there is nothing to stop recruits from asking questions. Players seem to really like Ryan Day and his staff, which lends to the credibility of the program even if players can’t directly talk to him or his staff. I expect as the fall and winter approaches we will all get a much clearer picture of where things stand with recruiting.

But don’t be surprised if Ohio State is right in the thick of things for one of the top classes in the country yet again.

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Quick Recruiting Update on the NFL’s Draft Night

A few notes on Irish recruiting prior to a few of their stars getting selected in tonight’s NFL Draft.

Notre Dame tight end commit Cane Berrong was honored by the Georgia Sports Writer Associate as they put a bow on the 2019 high school season. Berrong was named to the class AAA first-team, an honor he shares with many talented players from Georgia.

Brian Kelly and his staff also sent out an offer to Gunner Givens of Virginia. The rising junior tackle is 6’6” and weights 275-pounds also received an offer from Purdue today while he already held offers from Penn State, Florida State, Virginia and others. The 2022 class is a ways away, but by the looks of the offers Givens has, he should be a nationally recruited prospect.

With a fast start to the 2021 class, Kelly would love to get ahead of the ball in the ’22 class as well. The Irish currently do not have any commitments for that recruiting cycle.