Ohio State’s top basketball commit remains committed to program

The Ohio State basketball program is actively searching for a head coach for the first time in 13 years, following Thad Matta’s sudden departure Monday. Recent recruiting woes played a major role in Athletic Director Gene Smith’s decision to move away from the Matta era, along with a decline in on-court success. Both were direct results from Matta’s health problems.

However, despite the surprising departure, Ohio State’s top commit in the 2018 recruiting class has confirmed he is still a Buckeye.

Four-star shooting guard Dane Goodwin (Columbus, OH / Upper Arlington) spoke with Ryan McGlade of BuckeyeSportsBulletinOnline.com and reaffirmed his commitment to the program, saying that despite the big changes, nothing has changed.

The news that Goodwin remains committed to the program is critical as the future of the Buckeyes’ basketball program is mostly up in the air.

Along with Goodwin, the Buckeyes have also been able to secure a commitment from small forward Justin Ahrens (Versailles, OH / Versailles). The three-star SF has yet to publicly reaffirm his commitment, but it would be a surprise if he were to not take the same stance as Goodwin.

Buckeye basketball recruiting will be interesting to follow for the time being, as it will be up to the assistant coaches to lure talent to a recovering program.

Emory Jones missed the Elite 11 cut

This past weekend, the top quarterback prospects in the 2018 recruiting class were in Los Angeles competing in the prestigious Elite 11 camp. The annual event brings together two dozen of the country’s best QBs to partake in skills challenges. The top 12 performers are then selected to participate in Nike’s The Opening camp later this month.

Ohio State five-star QB Emory Jones (Franklin, GA / Heard County) participated in the weekend’s events, but Monday morning we learned he did not make the cut.

Jones has received rave reviews from other summer camps, but he struggled at time this weekend, ultimately leading to the missed opportunity. While it is an obvious disappointment that Jones will not be one of the 12 QBs participating in The Opening Finals in Oregon this year, it doesn’t mean that he is not one of the top QB’s in his draft class.

Ranked as the No. 2 dual-threat QB by the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Jones has impressed the college football landscape throughout his recruitment. He is coveted by seemingly every college football program in the country, and teams like Alabama, Tennessee and Oregon have continued to recruit him, despite his commitment to Ohio State.

Speaking more to Jones’ potential, while participating in Ohio State camps last summer, the Georgia native was seen by some as the top incoming Buckeye QB, outshining the likes of both Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell.

Jones may have had a subpar showing last weekend, but his overall body of work bodes extremely well for Ohio State and Buckeye Nation should be thrilled he is a strong commit to the University.

Key Ohio State target sets USC visit date

One of the Buckeyes’ most important recruiting targets in the 2018 recruiting class is offensive tackle Jackson Carman (Fairfield, OH / Fairfield). The five-star OT is seen as one of the best offensive line prospects across all major college football recruiting databases. The 247Sports Composite rankings has him listed as the No. 1 OT prospect in the country and the No. 12 overall recruit.

Carman’s Ohio roots has had him pegged as an Ohio State favorite for the majority of his recruitment, but he has been making sure to see what the other top college football program’s in the country have to offer. Because of this, the Buckeyes’ hold as Carman’s top school has been slightly fading.

After a recent successful visit to Clemson, many believed the Tigers could now be in the driver’s seat and now we know he will soon be making a trek across the country to visit USC.

It is expected that Carman will leave Los Angeles with the same feeling he had following his Clemson visit. This all means that Ohio State will have to continue to diligently recruit Carman in order to secure a commitment from him.

Quick Hits

• Top safety prospect BJ Foster unsurprisingly, picked Texas over Ohio State, Michigan, LSU and TCU.
• Elite DB prospect Patrick Surtain Jr.’s father said both are impressed with Urban Meyer.
• USC will be hosting a camp this summer, along with seven Big Ten teams.