clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ohio State recruiting: State Secrets, 5/17 - Brandon Harris Top 7, 6 new offers issued

A whopping six scholarship offers were issued Thursday, as the Ohio State staff hit the recruiting trail with a purpose. Get caught up with the new offers, some upcoming visits, and a potential flip commitment for the Buckeyes.

By zrc11
Current Texas commit Jermaine Roberts (right) says his new Buckeye offer "changes things"
Current Texas commit Jermaine Roberts (right) says his new Buckeye offer "changes things"

Of all the prospects issued scholarships yesterday, the Danish sensation Hjalte Froholdt (pronounced "Yelda") may be the least known by recruiting enthusiasts nationwide. The 2015 prospect may be a foreign exchange student and only a sophomore as of now, but he has garnered a small, impressive list of scholarship offers. After visiting Columbus days ago and receiving the news out of Columbus, Froholdt now holds offers from Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State.

State-secrets_medium

The Warren G. Harding (Warren, OH) standout isn't pegged to play a specific position yet in college, yet many project him to end up at the offensive tackle or defensive tackle position at the collegiate level. Considering his young age and limited exposure to recruiting services and scouts, Froholdt seems destined to snag many more offers in the future. I'd love to provide you all a highlight video, but all that has surfaced of Froholdt footage thus far is a picture slide show of football actions shots and some highlights from his years as a 14 year old foreign footballer. There are also some interesting logistical questions involving his needing to finish high school back in Denmark, but he seems adamant he plans to attend college and play football in the United States. We'll keep you posted as his evaluation and recruitment progresses.

Another 2015 prospect issued an early offer from coach Urban Meyer's staff is defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Coach Mike Vrabel made the long trek to Suffield Academy (Suffield, CT) yesterday morning and gave the word to the ecstatic Wilkins. Wilkins spoke with our own Charles Doss and had this to say:
"It feels pretty good to be offered by Ohio State. I know Coach [Urban] Meyer has had a lot of success and that he's a great coach who can help get guys to the next level. I will try to visit OSU this summer."

The Buckeyes' offer allows them to join in the competition for Wilkins' services with Florida State, Stanford, Maryland, Penn State, Virginia, and others. According to 247Sports' statistics, Wilkins recorded 49 tackles and 4 forced fumbles last year along with 12 receptions and 209 receiving yards from the tight end position. Check back with Land-Grant Holy Land for any news regarding the 6-4, 290-pound sophomore standout.

As I alluded to earlier, one prospect offered by the Buckeyes is already committed to another school, yet had some very interesting things to say when I caught up with him. Jermaine Roberts, a 5-9, 175-pound cornerback from St. Augustine High School (New Orleans, LA), is a current member of the Texas Longhorns 2014 recruiting class. According to 247Sports' Composite Rankings, Roberts is rated a 3-star prospect and the 384th best player in the country, yet holds offers from Alabama, Texas, Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska, UCLA, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, many others, and now Ohio State.

Rarely is a committed prospect very open to reporters prodding at him to get a reaction out of a new offer, but as you can see from above, that was not the case with Roberts. In addition to telling me that the Ohio State offer changed things for him, Roberts also told me that the news from coach Everett Withers propelled Ohio State to his top schools and that he plans on visiting Ohio State this summer. The New Orleans product (and teammate of 247Sports' Composite #1 prospect and running back in the country, Leonard Fournette) will be one to watch closely, as he is bound to add to his already uber impressive list of scholarship offers.

The third 2015 prospect to be issued a scholarship yesterday was Devante Peete, out of the powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Pompano Beach, FL), also home to 2013 Buckeye commit Joey Bosa. Reporting the offer himself on twitter, the wide receiver also claimed to be offered by West Virginia. 247Sports lists the Buckeyes and the Mountaineers as the only to offer the 6-5, 180-pound standout thus far, but as these two are big-time offers, more should follow. Educate yourself on the early Buckeye offer's game here:

The Buckeyes also offered 2014 tight end Mavin Saunders Thursday. According to 247Sports' Composite Rankings, Saunders is rated a 3-star prospect and the 16th best tight end in the nation. Like Jermaine Roberts, 247Sports themselves rank these prospects as 4-stars, yet when averaged with other recruiting sites, the composite scores come out to be "3-star worthy." Also like Roberts, Saunders holds an admirable offer list. In addition to the new Ohio State offer, Saunders has full-rides to Oklahoma, Florida State, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and many others. Our Charles Doss caught up with Saunders, and Saunders stated:

"I talked to Coach [Urban] Meyer earlier today and they seemed really excited about the possibility of me playing in the program. I'm really excited about the opportunity to play for a school and a coach of that status. It's a blessing and I look forward to visiting soon."

Last but certainly not least, Ohio State extended an offer to 2014 DT Courtney Garnett. Garnett is a 3-star in the 247Composite rankings with the Texas Longhorns considered his favorites. The Ohio State offer could potentially shake things up as it's thought the Buckeyes might instantly jump towards the top of a list that in addition to Texas includes Oklahoma, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss.

Check out the New Orleans, LA d-lineman in action here:

And then in what may actually be the news of the night (at least to those recruitniks fixated on the Buckeyes adding a signal caller to the 2014 class), '14 QB Brandon Harris announced plans for visits to seven schools this coming summer. Harris has previously announced July 18th as the day by which he'll announce his college decision. From the man himself, here are his summer plans:

Bkcdiibcuaaibui_medium

QUICK HITS:

More From Land-Grant Holy Land