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We first heard yesterday that Urban Meyer and Ohio State had officially thrown their hat into the ring for '14 WR Drake Harris. Today, the reasons for optimism get a bit louder. Before we get into the specifics of why Buckeye fans should feel especially good about their chances with the Grand Rapids area two-sport star, let's look at what the senior-to-be brings to the table from a logistical standpoint:
- Measures in at a legit 6-4
- Just 180-pounds with room to grow in a college caliber conditioning program
- Caught eight passes for 243 yards and a touchdown to lead Grand Rapid Christian to a Michigan Division 3 state championship this past year
- Finished 2012 with 2013 receiving yards on the season; just an astronomical number
Perhaps craziest of all is that Harris has implied that he hasn't even begun to tap into his full potential as a football player. He's spoke candidly about fully applying himself at basketball, his first love, but approaching football as more of a hobby. He's almost seemed at times talking about it like he's sort of impressed he's been as a prolific of a player as he's been without the full focus and dedication.
Of course with his dreams of playing for Tom Izzo and the home-state Michigan State Spartans, even though he's intent on playing two sports at the next level, it's tough to imagine his love of basketball ever taking a back burner... until now.
Drake took to Twitter late Tuesday evening with some news that should ring true with just about everyone out there reading this and hoping the receiver lands with OSU:
For everyone that is wondering what's going on... I'm still committed to Msu but I'm planning on just playing football in college so
— Drake Harris™ (@drizzygetbusy01) January 16, 2013
I'm opening my recurring back up but I have not Decommited from Msu just starting to look at more schools
— Drake Harris™ (@drizzygetbusy01) January 16, 2013
Sounds like Harris, despite being a 4-star basketball prospect, has made a business decision of sorts, and instead decided to focus exclusively on his future as a football player.
The "I'm still committed...but" certainly can't present much in the area of confidence for Spartans faithful. And if it comes down to just playing one sport at one school, you have to think Ohio State has the edge there.
And speaking of the state of Michigan, we're now approaching three days since Urban Meyer nabbed '14 4-star CB Damon Webb from Cass Tech in Detroit. Isn't it about times the Buckeyes made inroads with another high profile prospect from the Michigan pipeline?
Accordingly, the top sophomore running back in the state of Michigan, '15 RB Michael Weber has Ohio State as his new #1 school ($). Of course with Weber still a semester away from being a junior in high school, there's a ton that could happen between now and National Signing Day 2015.
Sticking in The Mitten, Urban Meyer and Kerry Coombs made an appearance at the high school of '14 DE Lawrence Marshall. Michigan, thought to be the leaders for Marshall, also were in attendance at Southfield High School in South Field, Michigan, but Marshall did speak with Meyer on the phone Monday evening. The Buckeyes definitely remain very much in it, and Marshall is expected to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State February 17th. Looks like another showdown between two hated rivals.
A few parting shots:
- '14 OL Kyle Berger had himself a busy day Tuesday, being offered by both Penn State and Michigan. Ohio State remains the favorite for Berger as of this juncture and it's expected he'll commit in either April or May after making visits to both Columbus and Ann Arbor.
- '14 DT Enoch Smith spoke with the Buckeyes' head coach on Tuesday after he visited Smith's Illinois high school. The 3-star tackle doesn't have an Ohio State offer as of yet, but with defending national runners up Notre Dame and Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati already making their intentions known, it might not be long.
- Late 3-star WR offer Kyrin Priester is going to visit Ohio State the weekend of January 25th. If the Buckeyes don't have the services of Corey Smith or otherwise then, Priester might serve as a class closer.
- '13 Colorado OT Dan Skipper (and Tennessee commit) will be visiting Ohio State this weekend. If the Buckeyes roll out the hard sell, it's not out of the question that Skipper begins to pivot.