Tag: ohio state recruiting

Ohio State gets pledge from four-star DB out of Nashville

Ohio State picked up another big time commitment Tuesday with the pledge of 4-star DB Andre Turrentine out of Nashville.

If you look up the phrase ‘On Fire’, a huge picture of Kerry Coombs and the Ohio State football program’s recruiting efforts will be the first result.

The Buckeyes picked up their fourth commitment in the last three days, the third one of the defensive side, as four-star defensive back Andre Turrentine pledged his services to the scarlet and gray via Twitter on Tuesday.

Out of Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee, the 6-foot, 175 pounder is ranked as the No. 6 safety in the nation and No. 136 overall according to 247 sports.

He additionally held offers from Georgia, Penn State and Florida as well as LSU, Alabama and Tennessee, who were in his final four before picking Ohio State. Turrentine is now the 14th commit in the Buckeyes’ 2021 class and seventh on the defensive side.

Having worked as a defensive coach for the Tennessee Titans for the past couple years, Coombs didn’t have to go too far to get this talented kid.

Right time, right place, right fit.

Four-star running back Evan Pryor commits to Ohio State for 2021

The recruiting booms just keep coming for Ohio State. Four-star RB Evan Pryor has given his pledge to the Buckeyes.

While the running back questions for this upcoming season aren’t going anywhere soon, the class of 2021 found its answer.

Four-start running back Evan Pryor, from Williams Amos High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, announced via Twitter on Monday that he will become a Buckeye.

Standing at 5-feet-10, 190 pounds, Pryor is currently ranked as the No. 6 back in the county and is Ohio State’s ninth top-100 ranked player for the class of 2021 according to 247Sports.

Last year as a junior, Pryor ran 164 times for 1,130 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He additionally caught the ball 38 times for 646 yards and eight more touchdowns.

Pryor additionally held offers from LSU, Georgia, USC, Penn State among others, including in-state North Carolina who made a late charge at the touted back’s services.

He is now the third player to commit to the Buckeyes in the last 24 hours (J.K. Johnson & Davonta Smith).

The coronavirus has been working hard lately, but Ohio State’s coaches and brand work a little bit harder.

Remember those questions about how/if Ryan Day and staff could recruit? Well, this 2021 class can officially put those questions to shame.

Ohio State lands Ohio native and 3-star DB Davonta Smith for class of 2021

Ohio State has landed another defensive back for the 2021 class, this time in the way of Davonta Smith out of LaSalle High School in Cincy.

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after receiving an offer from Ohio State, 3-star defensive back Davonta Smith has pledged his commitment to the 2021 class — making the third defensive back in what is sizing up to be one whale of a recruiting haul.

Out of LaSalle High School in Cincinnati, the 6-0, 185 pounder is currently rated as the No. 31 rated cornerback in the class and No. 14 rated prospect in the state of Ohio.

He’ll join 4-star Jakailin (J.K.) Johnson and Jaylen Johnson (also out of Cincinnati) as guys Ohio State hopes add depth in the back-end in the upcoming years.

Smith makes the twelfth commitment for Ohio State in the class — one that currently ranks as the No. 1 overall class in the entire country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

 

Ohio State offers Ohio-native Devonta Smith to add cornerback depth

Ryan Day’s Ohio State team will lose two of college football’s best cornerbacks to the draft, and Devonta Smith may help replace them.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State program will lose two of college football’s best cornerbacks to the draft.

Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette are the two entering the draft with Shaun Wade hanging back for another season in Columbus.

Wade will be a top safety during the 2020 season, but he’ll be leaving the team following this coming season. The team will be lacking secondary play for the foreseeable future.

That may be why the Buckeyes offered three-star, Ohio-native Devonta Smith. The long-awaited offer will likely be quickly accepted as the La Salle high school star is thrilled about the offer.

“Blessings On Top Of Blessings. Honored & Ecstatic To Have Received An Offer From THE Ohio State University,” Smith posted on Twitter.

The Buckeyes will be needing Smith’s help too. A top-15 player from the state of Ohio in the Class of 2021 and the No. 1 cornerback from the state, Smith is a well-respected recruit who should only rise in the rankings.

Already with one four-star cornerback committed from the class, Ohio State will look to bolster the team’s secondary in the near future. The Buckeyes only have just one true cornerback commit from the Class of 2020.

Boom! Ohio State football lands 4-star DB for 2021 class

Ohio State got a big pledge from 2021 4-star DB Jakailin Johnson Sunday.

Kerry Coombs, welcome back to Columbus.

Even with the coronavirus taking over the world (temporarily) and stopping all recruiting, Coombs is working his magic.

And his first trick happened on Sunday as four-star defensive back Jakailin (J.K.) Johnson pledges his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes, via Twitter.

Johnson, who attends De Semt High School in St. Louis, Missouri, is currently ranked as the No. 4 DB in the class of 2021 and No. 59 overall in the country according to 247Sports.

He is now the second player to be added in the secondary in the class of 2021 (Cincinnati La Salle’s Jaylen Johnson), and the 10th overall commitment to the class.

Additionally holding offers from other programs like Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon, Florida and Notre Dame, Coombs managed to pick up where former Ohio State secondary coach, now-Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley left off to get his guy.

Let the long hashtags begin. BOOM!

Talented WR Troy Stellato leaves Georgia out of final two

The Georgia Bulldogs miss the top two for 2021 four-star WR Troy Stellato. Stellato plays at Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Georgia Bulldogs made the top twelve schools for 2021 four-star wide receiver Troy Stellato. Stellato plays at Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Recently, Georgia recruiting has been impressive in securing more commitments from the top talent in Florida.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the University of Georgia to make the top two for Troy Stellato. Here’s Stellato’s top schools:

The Clemson Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes will now be battling once again. This time it isn’t in the College Football Playoffs. Instead, it is for the commitment of Troy Stellato.

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Duke, Ohio State, USC, Penn State, Nebraska, Clemson, UNC, Kentucky, and LSU made Stellato’s original top twelve. Georgia currently has three commitments in the 2021 class.

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Ohio State football 2021 QB commit Kyle McCord now a five-star prospect

Ohio State 2021 quarterback commitment Kyle McCord has been bumped up to a five-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

It was big news when Ohio State got a verbal commitment from one of the country’s best pro-style quarterback prospects out of the Philadelphia area. Kyle McCord, out of St. Joseph’s High School was a four-star class of 2021 prospect at the time when he committed to the Buckeyes back on April 30 last year.

You have to wonder if head coach Ryan Day knew he was getting a guy that was undervalued. The news didn’t exactly send ripple effects across the recruiting world, but it was still a solid land.

Now, it appears as though Day and staff knew what they were doing, because McCord has now been bumped up to a five-star prospect according to the composite rankings of 247Sports. Not only that, but he’s now rated as the No. 4 pro-style QB, and No. 24 overall recruit in the class of 2021.

As long as McCord stays with his commitment and heads to Ohio State, the Buckeyes are going to have quite the quarterback competition once Justin Fields moves on. Not only will the Pennsylvania native be coming to campus as a freshman, but another five-star prospect (at least according to some of the recruiting services) C.J. Stroud, as well as a high four-star signee Jack Miller will already be vying for the job after already being in the program for a year.

The quarterback room will have plenty of options down the line, meaning the program seems to be set up for success as we move on.

Ohio State football recruiting: What the experts are saying and where they are ranking the 2020 class

What are all the experts saying about the Ohio State football 2020 recruiting class? Where do they rank the Buckeyes?

Not that it’s a surprise to anyone, but the 2020 recruiting class Ohio State football just signed is a consensus best in the Big Ten. From USA TODAY to 247Sports, to Rivals — you’ll be hard-pressed to find any reputable recruiting website that has any team aside from OSU as the top-rated recruiting class in the Big Ten.

Here’s what the most well-known recruiting service webites say about one of the best recruiting classes in the entire country.

USA TODAY

Overall Rank: No. 5
Big Ten Rank: No. 1

What they’re saying:

The Buckeyes locked down four-star athlete Cameron Martinez after hiring Kerry Coombs as defensive coordinator, putting the finishing touch on yet another top-5 class. Ohio State compiled one of the greatest receiver classes of all time. All four receivers rank in the top-100, with Julian Fleming (No. 2 overall) joining Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 28), Gee Scott Jr. (No. 65) and Mookie Cooper (No. 91). Ohio State also landed the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle (Paris Johnson Jr.) and added four-star quarterback CJ Stroud in December — one of the nation’s top-risers who ended the cycle ranked No. 41 and could take over for Justin Fields in 2021.

Bleacher Report

Overall Rank: No. 4
Big Ten Rank: No. 1

What they’re saying:

There was little drama surrounding the Buckeyes, although they had to replace defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who elected to become Boston College’s new head coach in mid-December.

The one wavering pledge was 4-star athlete Cameron Martinez, who elected to look around. But the Buckeyes got good news when the 5’11”, 183-pound prospect announced on Twitter on Jan. 28 that he would honor his commitment and sign with OSU, giving head coach Ryan Day 25 signees.

247Sports

Overall Rank: No. 5
Big Ten Rank: No. 1

Rivals

Overall Rank: No. 5
Big Ten Rank: No. 1

Scout

Overall Rank: No. 4
Big Ten Rank: No. 1

ESPN

Overall Rank: No. 5
Big Ten Rank: 1

USA TODAY ranks three Ohio State 2020 commitments in its top 25 of the class

USA TODAY has ranked the top 25 high school commitments for the 2020 class, and Ohio State has three players on the list.

By all accounts and measures, the Ohio State football program has signed another recruiting class. According to most recruiting websites, the 2020 recruiting cycle resulted in one of the top five classes in the nation for the Buckeyes.

USA TODAY did their own ranking of the top 25 high school players that signed on the dotted line for this year, and the Buckeyes have three appearing on the list. Wide receiver Julian Fleming checks in at No. 5, offensive lineman Paris Johnson, Jr., is rated No. 10, and quarterback C.J. Stroud appears at No. 19 overall.

That’s a lot of talent at the top, but the Buckeyes can’t boast about having the most players signed on the list. That honor goes to Clemson who has four players among the top 25 according to USA TODAY.

Here’s what Jason Jordan of USA TODAY says about the three top 25 players that signed with Ohio State.

Julian Fleming

Fleming is a matchup nightmare for most corners because of his elite athleticism and speed (4.3). Fleming also boasts a 43-inch vertical leap.

Paris Johnson, Jr.

Johnson has great footwork for his size and anchors down and gets great position on the line. Johnson has great hands and uses his strong upper body to keep defensive linemen at bay.

C.J. Stroud

Rich get richer as Stroud picked Ohio State on Wednesday. Stroud is a skilled passer with the precision to hit tight windows as well deep balls. Stroud’s timing is impeccable, and his reads tend to be the right call.

 

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Four-star athlete Cameron Martinez officially signs with Ohio State

It’s national signing day, and the lone holdout has officially signed. Four-star athlete Cameron Martinez is now officially a Buckeye.

The Ohio State football recruiting class for 2020 is officially complete free of drama. The Buckeyes signed nearly all of their commitments during the early signing period, but had to wait for four-star athlete Cameron Martinez to wait out the replacement hire for his main recruiter and potential position coach Jeff Hafley.

Then, shortly after Ryan Day announced the re-hiring of former Ohio State defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs, it didn’t take too long to convince the 5-11, 185lb. MLive player of the year to re-attest and reaffirm his commitment to the Buckeyes.

But, There was no doubt a little anxiety for some Ohio State fans because of the indecision until the fax machine spit out a signed letter of intent.

Well, consider it official now. Martinez signed on the dotted line mid-morning Wednesday, on this, the traditional signing day. And it’s a big get for the Buckeyes. He is rated as the No. 14 overall athlete and in the class who could factor in at the DB position or as a playmaker on offense.

Right now, with what’s in the cupboard, a role on the back-end of the defense makes the most sense, but we’ll see where his career curve and the needs of the team take him.

That almost assuredly completes this year’s class for Ohio State. One that is a consensus top-five one with a lot of top-end talent. All told, there are 25 total commitments, with three five-star and 13 four-star recruits according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings

It’s another fantastic recruiting class by Ohio State. One led, signed, sealed and delivered by Ryan Day.