clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 4/19 - Garrett Dickerson trims list to five, star DT offered

Garrett Dickerson cut his final list to five schools, Derrick Nnadi was issued a scholarship, one potential recruit received a lot of Buckeye postal attention, and the staff both visited a prospect's school and played host to another recruit.

By zrc11
Recent Buckeye scholarship holder, #65 Derrick Nnadi (bottom right)
Recent Buckeye scholarship holder, #65 Derrick Nnadi (bottom right)

Yesterday evening we brought the goods on '14 tight end/defensive end Garrett Dickerson, as he laid out exactly what he thinks of the Buckeyes. We discovered why he has Ohio State near the top of his list, what coach from the staff he speaks with the most and what they discuss, as well as his idea of a timetable for his commitment. Clearly the most notable item gathered from Dickerson yesterday was his final list of schools. Announced on twitter, he trimmed his list to Stanford, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, and Northwestern. Very diverse list of schools in my opinion, as he has included the academic juggernauts (Stanford/Northwestern), national powerhouse programs (Ohio State/Alabama), and, well, that school up north (Michigan).

State-secrets_medium

As for the newly offered defensive tackle, Virginia Beach native Derrick Nnadi announced via twitter that he had received two new scholarship offers: Ohio State and Maryland. Nnadi is one elite talent, being rated as the 17th best defensive tackle according to 247Sports, the 10th best defensive tackle according to Scout, and the 2nd best defensive tackle according to Rivals. Combined together, 247Sports' Composite Rankings has him as the 7th best defensive tackle in nation. Making logical sense geographically 247Sports also lists him as favoriting Virginia, and Virginia Tech as of now. Let's see if this Buckeye offer shakes up things in the near future. Nnadi brings an impressive physical skill set, being listed at 6-1, 305-pounds. Recently accepting an invitation to the U.S. Army All-American game, he will continue to be exposed on the national scene. I have a feeling that Ohio State will not be anywhere near the last big-time powerhouse to offer him. We'll keep you posted on his recruitment as it progresses.

Jalyn_holmes_mail_medium

That, pictured above you, is the "Buckeye postal attention" I alluded to earlier. And who was the recipient of that persuasive packaging, you may ask? And if you did, I would answer: 2014 6-5, 225-pound defensive end and "manimal" Jalyn Holmes. He tweeted out this picture yesterday, and I'm sure most Buckeye fans hope that "mad love" that Ohio State provided to Holmes pays off in the end. Back in February, I spoke with Holmes, and he updated all Land-Grant Holy Land readers on his recruitment. Being in contact with Holmes somewhat regularly, he does not strike me as the type of prospect to commit to a school early. In that February article, he had mentioned on possibly announcing his decision at the U.S. Army All-American game. It may be a long wait for those following Holmes' recruitment, but as long as that Buckeye mail and constant contact with the staff keeps up, I believe the Buckeyes have a shot for Holmes' impressive talents.

Hot in the pursuit of offensive lineman in the 2014 class, some of the coaching staff took a visit to Garden City, New York, home of Sparta High School and dominating offensive lineman prospect Chad Mavety, as confirmed by Mavety on twitter. One month and one day ago today, we spoke with Mavety, as he updated Buckeye nation on his recruitment and Buckeye visit plans. Needless to say, Ohio State holds Mavety in high regard, and all the big boys are in the race, including Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma, and many others. Per NCAA rules, Ohio State is allowed two visits to Mavety's school in the spring period. I'm confident they used their first visit well, as Mavety was surely excited to see the coaches rolling in early in the school visiting process.

Yesterday, a big-time recruit stepped foot on Buckeye campus, as Mark Andrews, 2014 wide receiver prospect from Scottsdale, Arizona, took in the scenery. Andrews is listed at 6-6, 230-pounds, and many consider him a perfect fit in Urban Meyer's offense. As far as predicting where the Arizona product ends up, analysts at 247Sports are certainly torn. In the new "Crystal Ball" feature at 247Sports, experts give their prediction on where prospects will end up. With conflicting predictions, Andrews is predicted by two experts to choose Arizona and one expert to choose UCLA. It's very early in the process, but Buckeye fans should not be loving all the Pac-12 conjectures so far. All reports from the visit are positive so far, with Andrews confirming that on twitter, here:

Along the Buckeye basketball recruiting front, 5-star small forward Jalen Lindsey was reported to have spoken with Ohio State. Lindsey hails from Nashville, Tennessee and is listed at 6-6, 180 pounds. He is as elite as elite can be, being ranked a 247Sports Composite Ranking 5-star and the 7th best small forward on Scout. The Buckeyes were among many schools to speak with Lindsey, as detailed by Lindsey's coach here:

More From Land-Grant Holy Land