Tag: Jermaine Matthews

Ohio State freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. loses black stripe

Highly touted cornerback looking to make an impact in the secondary. #GoBucks

Black stripe alert! Ohio State football officially welcomed another member to the Brotherhood earlier on Tuesday when true freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. lost his black stripe.

Hailing from Cincinnati, Mathews was a top 150 prospect and the No. 14 cornerback in the nation according to the 247Sports rankings. Recruiting analyst Allen Trieu had this to say about Mathews:

“Quick cover corner with the skills and tools to play man-to-man or in zone. Has good change of direction and recovery/closing speed. Shows he can play the ball in the air. … Was not a varsity starter until his junior year so still has learning to do, but has improved rapidly and has the movement skills to be a high-end college corner and have a chance to play on Sundays. Fits as a player who could play both in the slot and outside.”

Mathews will look to help Ohio State get back its reputation of being DBU — or as the Buckeyes like to call it — BIA (Best in America).

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Where each Ohio State signee landed on ESPN’s final 2023 recruiting rank update

What do you think about these rankings? #GoBucks

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that certainly is the case with [autotag]ESPN[/autotag] and the 2023 [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] football recruiting class.

There are certain attributes that prospect evaluators like over others, and that is why you often see significant disparities between the major recruiting services. One might like a prospect much more than the other but it still gives you a good idea of how much potential the player has.

Now that the high school season is over and the all-star games have been played, ESPN made the final update to its class of 2023 rankings. Find out below where each Buckeye signee was ranked in the top 300 and a quick takeaway of the rankings.

ESPN names this 2023 Ohio State verbal as their key commit

Who do you believe is the most important commit in the ‘23 class for Ohio State? #GoBucks

With the early signing period just around the corner and the fact that many players opt to end their recruiting at this time, it is time to look at who will be linchpins for every class. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren looked at the top 25 classes and selected one recruit from each as their key verbal (subscription may be required).

For Ohio State, it was defense end [autotag]Jason Moore[/autotag], ESPN’s 53rd overall ranked player. VanHaaren views Moore as “a player who has room to refine his game, can be important in the pass rush.” He also mentions the possibility of adding [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag] (don’t expect it) and [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag] to the defensive line haul. He fails to mention [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag], who I believe is much more likely to join the class than Keeley.

VanHaaren is correct about depth at the position, as the Buckeyes have three seniors ([autotag]Zach Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Javontae Jean-Baptiste[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Friday[/autotag]) as the position. [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] will have to find some younger players to step up next year to play opposite [autotag]J.T. Tuimoloau[/autotag].

The improvements on the defense do warrant a defender to be selected, but in my eyes it’s a member of the secondary that needs to be highlighted. The defensive back commits of [autotag]Calvin Simpson-Hunt[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Hartford[/autotag], [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag], [autotag]Cedrick Hawkins[/autotag] or [autotag]Jermaine Matthews[/autotag] would be on the list, but they are ranked lower than Moore.

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Penn State among top schools for four-star cornerback deciding soon

Penn State makes top 6 schools for four-star cornerback likely to go to another Big Ten school

The recruiting news continues to be flowing through Happy Valley and the good vibes are continuing with a stellar Class of 2023. That trend continued on Wednesday with a four-star athlete including the Nittany Lions among his list of top schools as he approaches a decision.

[autotag]Jermaine Matthews[/autotag], a four-star athlete projected to play cornerback in college, unveiled his list of top six schools leading up to his decision announcement (scheduled for July 1). Penn State was in the mix with Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Cincinnati, and Jackson State the others on his list of top schools.

The Cincinnati native is largely expected to stay close to home with Ohio State seen as the heavy favorite to secure a commitment from Matthews. Matthews made his most recent official visit to Ohio State’s campus and a visit to Pittsburgh is on tap for this upcoming weekend despite the Panthers not being included in his top six.

Penn State hasn’t been considered a very likely option for Matthews according to the recruiting experts. Ohio State is the overwhelming favorite according to the 247Sports crystal ball predictions and the On3 prediction machine as Matthews closes in on his final decision.

It seems more likely Matthews is going to be lining up and covering some of Penn State’s young wide receivers in the next few years than doing so in practices.

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