Ohio State Recruiting

Every flagship program needs to be the dominant recruiting force in their own state. If your state produces some of the top talents nationally it can be difficult to keep that talent from being poached by other schools. From a recruiting standpoint, Ohio State was able to fend off poachers at a very successful rate under Urban Myer. Ryan Day will look to continue this success. In his first recruiting class, Day was able to land Ohio’s top recruit in five-star defensive end Zach Harrison, and five of the state’s top 10 ranked players.

2020 Ohio State Recruiting

In the 2020 recruiting class, Ohio is not as rich with talent as it has been the last few years. There are only four top 300 recruits, Ohio State is actively recruiting all of them. Compare that to seven in 2019, nine in 2018, and 16 in 2017 and it’s understandable that the Buckeyes will have more out of state recruits in the 2020 class. So far in Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class, they have seven commitments, three of those are in-state recruits. Ohio’s top recruit is Paris Johnson Jr., a five-star tackle rated fourth overall nationally has committed but he hasn’t shut down his recruiting and is still taking visits elsewhere. As we know, commitments in college football mean very little until a recruit is signed. The other two in-state commits are three-star offensive lineman Jakob James and Trey Leroux.

247Sports currently has the class ranked fifth with more high profile commitments expected to come. The class is shaping up nicely.

Oh and @julian_040 will be with me at Ohio State this weekend…??️ — Lej (@lejondaryy) March 17, 2019

The nation’s top wide receiver, Julian Fleming, is taking his second visit this weekend as is Lejond Cavazos, a four-star safety that de-committed from Ohio State when Meyer announced he was stepping down. Additionally, the top-ranked recruit Bryan Bresee also is still very much in play for Ohio State. But, it looks like Clemson has become the heavy favorite in his recruitment. Winning a National Championship tends to do that for you.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is home to three of Ohio’s top four recruits. Not shockingly all three seem to be good friends.

Johnson, Jr. from St. Xavier and the duo of Princeton High stars Darrion Henry and Jaheim Thomas have taken many visits together and seem to all have offers from the same places. Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, LSU, and the list goes on. However, Ohio State has yet to offer Thomas. Why? That’s hard to tell. He is a big-bodied and athletic linebacker. At 6’5″ and 218lbs, that might translate to a weak-side defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid. The Buckeyes could be waiting to see where they stand with the classes second-ranked outside linebacker, Mekhail Sherman. He is a five-star from Washington DC. Could be that Ohio State feels comfortable with where they are in Jaheim’s recruitment and the offer will come. The defensive staff has been largely overhauled, that plays a part in this as well.

Package Deal

The big question is are these guys a package? Henry told Letterman Row that he’s focused on himself and not on package deals. However, he loves the idea of playing with his teammate Thomas and friend Johnson, Jr. at the next level. Henry is one of Ohio State’s top recruiting priorities going forward and if offering Thomas, a top 300 recruit is what you have to do to make that happen seems like a no brainer. Recently the trio of stars visited Georgia; all received offers and based off their twitter feeds really enjoyed the trip.

Beyond Blessed to Receive an Offer from THE University of Georgia! #CommitToTheG ? pic.twitter.com/sxVeWwSDE3 — Jaheim (@JaheimThomas454) March 17, 2019

G O D A W G S . . . #CommitToTheG pic.twitter.com/JmK6Z6iNP2 — Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) March 18, 2019

If these three are a package deal, Ohio State should jump on the opportunity. If other top programs are offering the guy you want and his friends, chances are you should be as well. Ohio State recruiting looks to have one of the country’s best classes. Could an offer to Thomas lock in three of the best players in the class?

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