Ohio State included in class of 2021’s No. 1 corner Tony Grimes’ final four

The No. 1 corner in the class of 2021, Tony Grimes, has announced his final four schools and Ohio State is included.

It’s been a rather unknown throughout the recruiting process of the nation’s No. 1 cornerback for the 2021 class. How interested is Tony Grimes in Ohio State — really? Grimes is the type of talent any college program would want. At 6-foot, 180-pounds, he has the potential to be a lock-down corner from the time he steps on campus. He is rated as the No. 1 cornerback and seventh overall prospect in the class according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings.

But up until now, he’s seemed to only have fringe interest in Ohio State. Yet, every time he culls his list of schools down, the Buckeyes are still there. Recently, he did show a little love to OSU on Twitter, and that got the pot all stirred up.

And now this.

Grimes announced his final four schools today, and once again, the Buckeyes are still standing. In addition to Ohio State, he also has North Carolina, Texas A&M, and Georgia. You can watch his announcement below.

It might be a little surprising to some recruiting circles, but with the DBs Ohio State has churned out lately, almost every prospect on the back end of the defense is likely to give OSU a look. It’s also a bit of an audible because Grimes was supposed to announce a final three.

That adds to the mystery — and clearly — the jury is still out what the gap is between No. 1 and No. 4. Still though, Kerry Coombs and company appear to be making an impression.

 

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Best corner in class of 2021, Tony Grimes, shares Ohio State graphic, sets announcement on final three

The top cornerback in the 2021 class, Tony Grimes, shared a graphic that seems to confirm his serious interest in Ohio State.

It’s no secret that Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class is on absolute fire. It’s easily the No. 1 ranked class according to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, and it’s still in line for some other highly touted prospects.

One of those is the class’ top cornerback, Tony Grimes. At 6-foot, 180-pounds, and out of Virginia Beach, VA, he’s a talent almost every blue-blood program is after. His relationship with Ohio State has been a curious one, but he recently included the Buckeyes in his top eight.

Since then, there’s been a couple of other developments. Just this past week, Grimes announced his intention of trimming his list down to a final three on May 31. At that point, we’ll find out if OSU is really in the running, or if it was just a flirtatious affair that began to warm up a bit.

The other interesting nugget is that Grimes shared a graphic on Friday that shows a lot of love to Ohio State. It tags defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and seems to send a message to the college football world that his interest in the Buckeyes is a legitimate one.

Now, we’re not entirely sure what the mountains and lakes are all about in the background, but this is a clearly a nod in the direction of OSU. It might be a good sign that things are heating to a boil when it comes to the relationship between Grimes and the Ohio State coaching staff.

At this point, things seem to be trending well for the Buckeyes to be included in his final three scheduled for release at the end of May, but you just never know in the game of big-time college football recruiting.

Needless to say, we’ll have more on this when the end of the month rolls around.

 

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A look at some of Georgia’s top recruiting targets for 2021 class

We list our top-10 Georgia Football targets for the 2021 recruiting class.

Georgia currently holds the No. 12 ranked recruiting class overall and the 3rd best class in the SEC behind Florida and Tennessee. (link to sec class story here)

The Bulldogs hold seven commitments for their 2021 class which is led by 5-star QB Brock Vandagriff, 4-star OT Micah Morris and 4-star ATH David Daniel.

With much of the recruiting cycle still remaining, there are still plenty of great young prospects the Bulldogs will be pursuing over the next year or so.

Here is our list of some of Georgia’s top recruiting targets for the class of 2021. Just because a player is not listed does not mean Georgia is not targeting him.

All rankings via 247Sports:

  1. 5-star OT Amarius Mims (Cochran, GA)
  2. 5-star DB Tony Grimes (Virginia Beach, VA)
  3. 5-star S James Williams (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
  4. 5-star DT Leonard Taylor (Miami, FL)
  5. 5-star DT Mason Smith (Houma, LA)
  6. 5-star OLB Smael Mondon (Dallas, GA)
  7. 4-star DB Isaiah Johnson (Bluefield, WV)
  8. 4-star RB Donovan Edwards (West Bloomfield, MI)
  9. 4-star LB Barrett Carter (Suwanee, GA)
  10. 4-star DE Quintin Somerville (Scottsdale, AZ)
  11. 4-star WR Mario Williams (Plant City, FL)
  12. 4-star OLB Xavien Sorey (Graceville, FL)
  13. 4-star WR Chris Hilton (Zachary, LA)
  14. 4-star CB Nyland Green (Covington, GA)
  15. 4-star TE Brock Bowers (Napa, CA)

Top cornerback in 2021 class includes Ohio State in top eight

Tony Grimes, the top corner in the 2021 class released his top eight schools Wednesday and Ohio State is included.

We continue to keep an eye on Ohio State football recruiting during these trying times. After all, the Buckeyes have landed some big, big fish during the last month or so, and continue to be in on some of the top prospects still out there for 2021. Heck, they’ve even gotten a jump on moving things along for the 2022 class.

One prospect that OSU has been extremely active with in the past, but that seems to have cooled off a bit is five-star defensive back Tony Grimes out of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. If you’ve followed Buckeye football recruiting at all, you know at this point that everyone wants in on this kid.  According to 247Sports, the 6-foot, 180 pounder is the No. 1 rated cornerback and No. 7 overall recruit in the entire class.

It’s been an up and down type of recruitment when it comes to the relationship between Grimes and Ohio State, and there seems to be a lean towards the southern schools for him at the moment, but he did include Ohio State in an announcement of his top eight schools Wednesday.

The other schools included are Clemson, Virginia, Texas A&M, Penn State, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

The Buckeyes have filled some needs as of late on the back-end with recruiting, but you can bet they’d take Grimes if he continues to listen. With so many top-end schools in the mix, and with the on-again, off-again relationship that seems to be in play here, we’ll have to keep an eye on where this all heads.

But hey, Ohio State seems to still be right there at the moment.

 

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Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs make top-eight for nation’s top CB

Georgia football made the cut for 5-star CB Tony Grimes on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday night, Georgia received a commitment from 4-star offensive tackle Micah Morris in the class of 2021.

But the good news did not stop there. Shortly after, the Bulldogs made the cut for 5-star cornerback Tony Grimes, who celebrated his 18th birthday by releasing his top-eight schools on Twitter.

Grimes’ top-eight is as follows:

Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, Virginia, Ohio State, Penn State, UNC and Tennessee.

Grimes, out Virginia Beach, ranks as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback in the 2021 class. He is also America’s No. 7 overall player and the top player in the state of Virginia.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback plans on announcing his final decision on December 1st.

Grimes spoke with 247Sports about Georgia:

“(Defensive backs) coach (Charlton) Warren, with that visit I took down there, he shot me some game and I love what he has planned for his players to get better. I sat in a meeting with coach (Kirby) Smart, and coach Smart is running a good program. They play big-time ball. They’re SEC.”

Georgia originally offered Grimes on May 16, 2019.

Grimes also got a birthday shoutout from none other than THE Champ Bailey, a Georgia Bulldog legend.

 

Will Georgia football land three of 2021’s top-ten recruits?

Georgia football is predicted to land three of the nation’s top-ten recruits in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Right now, Georgia has the nation’s 17th ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle.

Headlining Georgia’s class is 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff out of Bogart, Georgia. Vandagriff ranks as the No. 12 overall player in the country.

Aside from Vandagriff, Kirby Smart has secured commitments from 4-star athlete David Daniel and 3-star defensive tackle Marlin Dean.

For the time being, recruiting is suspended nationwide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes both on and off campus recruiting.

As far as recruiting goes, it’s not time to hit the panic button based on Georgia’s No. 17 ranking. Smart has secured the nation’s No. 1 class three years in a row and is on a quest to make it four. This year, though, it’ll just take a bit longer to climb up the rankings than in years past.

Related: Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021 – can UGA land three 5-star DBs?

Related: Georgia’s top offensive recruiting targets for the class of 2021

When recruiting picks back up, Georgia will find itself in prime position for three of America’s top-ten recruits.

According to 247Sport’s Crystal Ball predictions, the Bulldogs are seen as the favorites to land the nation’s No. 6, 7 and 8 ranked recruits. Additionally, outside of the top-ten, Georgia is viewed as the leader for the No. 23 recruit.

Let’s start from the top.


No. 6 overall: James Williams

The No. 6 overall recruit, James Williams, is a safety out of Opa Locka, Florida. In February, Williams released a top-three of Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson.

The five-star junior is the state of Florida’s top prospect both at the safety position and overall as per 247Sports, which currently projects him as a 100% Bulldog lean according to seven recruiting analysts.

At six-foot-five and nearly 220 pounds, Williams’ size (particularly his length) is rare for a defensive back. Head coach Kirby Smart, a former safety, and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren would have big plans for a player with the speed and vision necessary to play both strong and free safety combined with the size and physicality to play STAR.

That speed and vision give the out-of-state standout the ability to quickly diagnose plays and react accordingly. Whether he joins the Dawgs, Tide, or Tigers, three programs which have dominated the past three years’ recruiting cycles, he is capable of making an immediate impact on a playoff-caliber team as a true freshman.

Georgia football is trending for 2021’s top CB Tony Grimes

After a fourth prediction of the nation’s top safety prospect choosing Georgia, the first-ranked cornerback is trending toward the Bulldogs.

It would appear that fellow five-stars Tony Grimes and James Williams want to play their college ball together.

Following a fourth prediction of the nation’s top safety prospect choosing Georgia by the recruiting analysts at 247.com, the first-ranked cornerback recruit is trending toward the Bulldogs as well.

Both out-of-state standouts, Grimes hails from Virginia Beach and was long expected to lean toward in-state Virginia Tech while the Floridian Williams has been predicted to be all Dawg since early August of 2019.

Each player is the highest-ranked at their respective positions and in their respective states. Though Williams has yet to set a commitment date, Grimes has scheduled his for the first morning of December.

If head coach Kirby Smart and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren can land the pair, it will make Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class the second in as many years to include the country’s top cornerback, assuming the enrollment of electrifying 2020 signee Kelee Ringo. Williams would be the highest-ranked safety to pledge to the Dawgs since beloved rising senior Richard LeCounte signed with Georgia in 2017.

And if the two are a package deal, Athens, Georgia wants a delivery.

Georgia football top recruiting targets for class of 2021

Here’s a look at the top Georgia football recruiting targets for 2021

Georgia football wrapped up a 2020 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in America.

Right now for the class of 2021, the Bulldogs have two commitments for a class that currently ranks No. 24.

Those two commitments are pretty big, however. The headliner for this class is, and will continue to be, 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff (Bogart, Ga.), the No. 1 ranked quarterback and No. 8 player overall.

Accompanying Vandagriff as the only other commit in this class is 4-star defensive back David Daniel (Woodstock, Ga.). Daniel, who is recruited as a safety, is considered an athlete on 247Sports and ranks as the nation’s 45th player.

Until both Vandagriff and Daniel officially sign with Georgia roughly a year from now, Kirby Smart and staff will continue to recruit both of them heavily. But there’s still 20+ others guys that Smart will need to land a commitment from for the 2021 class, and we are taking a look at a few players that should be Georgia’s biggest targets.

Here are Georgia’s top targets for 2021:

OFFENSE

5-star OT Amarius Mims

Amarius Mims is 2021’s Broderick Jones, who was Georgia’s 5-star offensive tackle in the 2020 class.

At nearly six-foot-eight and 320 pounds, the junior out of Cochran, GA is already considered to be a Georgia lean. As per 247Sports, 100 percent of recruiting experts predict he will enroll at the University of Georgia.

Mims recently released a top-12 that included Georgia and a plethora of other SEC powerhouses.

He is the ranked as the No. 13 player in the country.

5-star RB Will Shipley

5-star running back Will Shipley is a priority recruit for just about every major program in the country.

Ranking as the nation’s No. 21 overall player and No. 1 all-purpose back, Shipley could join Tim Worley, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall and Zamir White as the next great Georgia running back out of North Carolina.

Shipley comes from Weddington High School in a town about 5 minutes south of Charlotte where he has a 4.375 grade-point average.

He clocked a 4.46 40 time, rushed for 2,066 rushing yards last season and averaged 11 yards per carry.

Georgia coaches have been in contact with Shipley, with Kirby Smart and Dell McGee both visiting separately.

4-star OT Micah Morris

Another offensive lineman, Micah Morris is a 4-star out of Kingsland, Georgia.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 44 overall player and No. 7 ranked tackle. It looks like right now it’s mainly between Georgia and South Carolina.

Morris, 6-4, 316 pounds, visited Georgia on February 1st.

4-star WR Jaquez Smith

Right now, Georgia is the favorite to land 4-star wide receiver Jaquez Smith out of Westlake High School in Atlanta.

Smith, who ranks as the No. 136 overall player in the 2021 class, is being recruited by a lot of the usual suspects. He visited Georgia for last season’s Notre Dame game

Smith could compliment freshman George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock in future seasons.

4-star RB Evan Pryor

I think Georgia could bring in two running backs for the 2021 class and Evan Pryor would be a player to keep an eye on regardless of what happens with Shipley.

Pryor ranks as the nation’s No. 86 overall player and 6th ranked running back. He, like Shipley, also hails from North Carolina, in a town called Cornelius. Much like Shipley’s hometown of Weddington, Cornelius is a city that is on the outskirts of Charlotte, so it’s an ok bet to assume the two high profile backs have crossed paths multiple times.

The last time Georgia brought in two running backs from North Carolina we saw Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall takeover the SEC and put up wild numbers. Pryor recently visited Georgia, and the Dawgs will do their best to land the speedy ball carrier.

NEXT: DEFENSE

Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021; can UGA land three 5-star DBs?

Can Georgia football land three 5-star defensive backs for this recruiting cycle? Here are UGA’s top targets.

Georgia football wrapped up a 2020 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in America.

Right now for the class of 2021, the Bulldogs have two commitments for a class that currently ranks No. 24.

Those two commitments are pretty big, however. The headliner for this class is, and will continue to be, 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff (Bogart, Ga.), the No. 1 ranked quarterback and No. 8 player overall.

Accompanying Vandagriff as the only other commit in this class is 4-star defensive back David Daniel (Woodstock, Ga.). Daniel, who is recruited as a safety, is considered an athlete on 247Sports and ranks as the nation’s 45th player.

Until both Vandagriff and Daniel officially sign with Georgia roughly a year from now, Kirby Smart and staff will continue to recruit both of them heavily. But there’s still 20+ others guys that Smart will need to land a commitment from for the 2021 class, and we are taking a look at a few players that should be Georgia’s biggest targets.

These are defensive players only – we will have an offensive one as well.

Here are some of Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021:

1. DB James Williams

Williams is a 5-star safety out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an area that Georgia traditionally recruits very well.

Ranked as the No. 1 safety and No. 5 player in the entire class, Williams holds offers from just about everywhere, but Georgia is considered the favorite as of now according to 247Sports. Williams is a freak of nature at 6-5, 218 pounds. He’s projected to be a safety at the moment, but this guy is not done forming. He could very well end up as a linebacker.

2. DB Tony Grimes

Another 5-star defensive back, Tony Grimes (Virginia Beach, Va.) is the No. 1 cornerback in the country and the No. 10 overall player.

Grimes visited Georgia recently for junior day and it was supposedly a great visit. Georgia is very much in it for Grimes and right now the other two leaders appear to be Virginia Tech and Texas A&M.

Bleacher Report’s Top 25 2021 Recruits: Texas Targets

Bleacher Report has come out with their top 25 recruits of the 2021 class. The Texas Longhorns have six targets among the list.

Bleacher Report college football writer Tyler Brooke has come out with his list of the top 25 recruits in the 2021 class. There are more than a few names on the list that have offers from Texas.

24. Atiye Hall, Wide Receiver, IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)

MG Academy produces elite athletes across a number of different sports, and Agiye Hall is no different. At 6’3″ and 190 pounds, Hall is listed as the No. 1 receiver in the country with 43 FBS offers already on the table. His commitment is scheduled for March 14. Alabama, Arizona State, Clemson and LSU are among those in on him.

Hall has an offer from the University of Texas but teams listed in the post have the inside track on his commitment in 2021.

21. Troy Franklin, Wide Receiver, Menlo-Atherton (Menlo Park, CA)

An explosive playmaker that plays in all three phases of the game, Troy Franklin will be a big-time wide receiver in college. His wiry 6’2″, 170-pound frame still has plenty of room left to grow into, and his potential is through the roof. Alabama’s Jeff Banks and Oregon’s Jim Mastro are already hard at work trying to lure Franklin to their respective programs.

While Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah are among his top offers, the Texas Longhorns are right there in the mix for the five-star wide receiver who is ranked the number one receiver of the class. Composite rankings have him as number two receiver in the country and 23rd overall.

13. Landon Jackson, Weakside Defensive End, Pleasant Grove (TX)

At 6’6″ and 240 pounds, it’s not surprising to anyone that Landon Jackson already has 27 FBS offers. The Texas native is such a prized recruit that even Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has been personally involved in his recruitment. Jackson is putting up video-game numbers in high school, and there’s a whole season left for him to generate even more buzz

The Texas product has a wealth of offers on the table including from the Longhorns. 247 has him at 67 percent to the Aggies. It would be a great get for Texas if they can flip him to Austin. Jackson has yet to commit to a program early on in the cycle, but his 36.5 sacks in three seasons shows the level of disruption that he can create. He is rated the number one WDE in the nation.

10. Savion Byrd, Offensive Tackle, Duncanville (TX)

As 6’5″ and 265 pounds, Texas’ Savion Byrd has plenty of room to grow and already looks like one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country. He hasn’t committed anywhere yet, but in-state schools like Texas and SMU have a strong chance to bring him in.

The defending National Champions in LSU are among the top teams in pursuit of the state’s second-best offensive tackle recruit. Byrd was tasked with protecting Texas’ signee Ja’Quinden Jackson and he could be doing that in the future. He is projected to sign with the Longhorns in 2021.

8. Tony Grimes, Cornerback, Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, VA)

Is there a chance an in-state school can snag the No. 1 recruit in Virginia? Top-ranked cornerback Tony Grimes is already drawing interest from the likes of Alabama, Clemson and Georgia thanks to his lengthy frame and smooth play at cornerback. It’ll be tough for Virginia or Virginia Tech to pull it off, but it would be a huge win for either program.

Grimes has received an offer from the Texas Longhorns but it seems like the number one rated cornerback in the country might be out of reach. He is likely to sign with Virginia Tech with the Aggies also in the running.

2. Tommy Brockermeyer, Offensive Tackle, All Saints Episcopal (Ft Worth, TX)

Being the top offensive tackle in the country is a huge honor for any recruit. For Brockermeyer, that’s the expectation given his family. Tommy’s father, Blake Brockermeyer, was an offensive tackle in the NFL and for the Texas Longhorns. His brother Luke is a linebacker with the Longhorns. It’s no guarantee that Brockermeyer follows his family’s footsteps because he’ll have a lot of top-tier schools heavily recruiting him over the coming year.

While the Longhorns do have the inside track on Brockermeyer, it doesn’t feel like it is a foregone conclusion. However with his broker Luke already in Austin, that could bode well. Another note is that Tommy’s twin brother James is the third-rated center in the country and is likely to join Luke in Austin.