Tag: J.T. Tuimoloau

Ohio State recruiting: Crystal ball sees top players coming to Columbus

Two of the top ten rated players in the country could be headed to Columbus as commitments to Ohio State football’s 2021 class.

The Ohio State football program already has one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the nation. With five-star names like Jack Sawyer, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle McCord, 247Sports has the Buckeyes ranked as the No. 2 class in the nation just behind Alabama for the 2021 class. However, the Buckeyes could leapfrog the Crimson Tide if crystal ball projections hold true.

The 2021 recruiting cycle is winding down with only a few big names left on the board. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day already has commitments from 20 of the nations best but has room for a few more.

Ohio State is going west to Washington once again after picking up one of the top receivers in the country last year in Gee Scott Jr. The Bucks will again head to the Evergreen State and try to land the nation’s No. 2 strong-side defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and No. 1 receiver Emeka Egbuka. According to 247 Sports, OSU is looking good to land the services of both.

J.T. Tuimoloau is not only the second-rated defensive end in the country, but the No. 2 rated player overall. 247Sports says Tuimoloau is an extremely versatile and athletic player who can play the edge or possibly move inside as his body matures. He has been compared to former Ohio State and current Pittsburg Steeler defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, and is projected as a top ten NFL draft talent. Crystal ball projection is 92% in favor of Ohio State.

Emeka Egbuka is another amazing talent at wide receiver and should the Buckeyes get his commitment, it would make the second year in a row that Ohio State has landed the top-rated receiver in the country. Egbuka is a big, physical receiver with top-end speed who can also handle kick-off and punt return duties. 247Sports compares him to JuJu Smith-Schuster of the Pittsburg Steelers and has the Buckeyes at 89% according to their crystal ball prediction. Egbuka is the No. 8 ranked player in the nation.

With the early signing period just weeks away, we should know soon if the crystal ball projections hold up. It certainly looks like Ohio State is trending in the right direction as the 2021 class is shaping up to be one of the best in Ohio State football history.

Also: 2021 recruiting commitment tracker

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Ohio State included in 5-star DE J.T. Tuimoloau’s final seven teams

Five-star 2021 defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau announced his final 7 schools on Twitter Thursday, and as expected, Ohio State is in the mix.

He’s one of the biggest targets left for Ohio State and about every other big-time program out there. Five-star 2021 defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau is rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in the entire class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

And he just included the Buckeyes in his final seven Thursday in a post to Twitter by well-known recruiting graphics editor Hayes Fawcett.

It’s no secret the 6-foot, 4-inch, 277-pounder out of Eastside Catholic in Sammamish, Washington is high on the priority list for defensive line coach Larry Johnson and the rest of the staff. He’s a strong and explosive edge rusher that any program would love to have, and OSU has been courting him hard.

And it appears to be paying off. Ohio State was thought to be the leader for his services early on in the year and through the summer, but the Coronavirus pandemic has thrown things into a bit more uncertainty than before.

Right now most crystal ball predictions on 247Sports have him leaning towards Columbus, but the ability to get him on campus could leave the door open for other programs. Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Alabama, and USC are the other six schools Tuimoloau is considering.

It’s the first update we’ve heard from the supremely talented prospect in quite some time and it might be even longer before we hear anything more. He is reportedly planning on playing his senior year of high school in a state that has pushed its season back to the spring.

Tuimoloau attends the same high school as freshman Ohio State receiver Gee Scott, Jr. so you’d think there might be a little pull there.

We’ll continue to stay on top of his recruitment as it’s the one everyone seemed to be watching and would make a great cherry on top of an already fantastic 2021 recruiting class.

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Michigan makes top group for No. 1 recruit in 2021

The top-rated prospect in the country put the Wolverines in his top group along with six other top programs.

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Many think he could be heading to Michigan’s biggest rival, but there’s no knowing at this juncture what the nation’s No. 1 player in the 2021 class will do.

Right now, Ohio State holds a 4-1 lead for the services of Sammamish (WA) Eastside Catholic five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau in the 247Sports Crystal Ball, but with low confidence levels entered, it’s anybody’s game. Rated No. 1 overall by 247Sports in the company’s proprietary rankings, Tuimoloau has his pick of suitors, with 24 reported offers, all from the top programs in the country.

But on Thursday evening, he finally revealed his top group, naming seven schools in contention to sign him. As expected, Ohio State and Washington made the cut, as did Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama and USC.

Oh, and Michigan, too.

Given the moratorium on school visits, it’ll be a hard pull to get Tuimoloau to Ann Arbor. However, with defensive line coach Shaun Nua working his recruitment, anything can happen.

After Tunmise Adeleye decommits from Ohio State, the replacements

Tunmise Adeleye pulled his commitment to Ohio State, but there are some potential big names to replace him in the recruiting game.

Before final word on the 2020 season for the Big Ten was announced, the Buckeyes received word that defensive end recruit Tunmise Adeleye had pulled his commitment. Adeleye was the sixth rated defensive end coming out of high school for the 2021 class, and the fourth-highest recruit for the Buckeyes. The defensive line is stacked, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to replace the loss.

There are really two top guys the Buckeyes should, and one they have, tried to recruit to replace the loss of Adeleye. There are still plenty of options behind the ranking of Adeleye, but there are two that stand out above him and one has been recruited by Ohio State.

The first name on the list, well everyone’s list, is Korey Foreman. The consensus top recruit for 2021 is on a lot of teams’ recruiting efforts. The top spots that have been reported so far are USC, Oregon, Alabama, LSU, and some others. If I had to guess, it would be hard to pull Foreman from his choice of schools, possible, but it doesn’t seem likely.

That leaves us with the second and most possible name on the list. J.T. Tuimoloau has already, reportedly, been visited by assistant head coach Larry Johnson. While Tuimoloau is listed as a defensive tackle, many see him as a defensive end, and he has played quite a bit there in high school. With a stacked defensive tackle roster, enticing him to defensive end is beneficial to both sides.

If both possibilities fall out, there are still options like Monkell Goodwin, but Foreman and Tuimoloau need to be targeted. Luckily, the Buckeyes have stocked the cupboard on defensive line and have outstanding coaching. Adeleye leaving hurts, but it could be worse. We wish nothing but the best to Adeleye, and look forward to who the Buckeyes bring in to replace him.

 

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