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Just two days before the Basketball Buckeyes start their season, Ohio State big man Micah Potter surprised Buckeye Nation when he announced he would be transferring from the program.
Following the announcement, those who follow Ohio State football recruiting started connecting dots, and questions about Potter’s brother and four-star defensive end commit Noah Potter (Mentor, OH / Mentor) began to arise.
The younger brother had always made it known that he chose Ohio State for its product on the field and the coaching staff, and that going to school with his brother was just an added bonus. However, this is recruiting and until a kid signs his letter of intent, nothing is certain.
Fortunately for Ohio State, Potter quickly took to Twitter and calmed the nerves of all members of Buckeye Nation that were hoping to avoid more negative news regarding the program when he reaffirmed his commitment to the Buckeyes.
For anyone wondering I am still 1000% committed to Ohio State.
— Noah Potter (@noah_potter10) November 5, 2018
Potter is one of 15 recruits verbally committed to Ohio State’s 2019 recruiting class. The class currently isn’t living up to the wildly high expectations Buckeye Nation has become accustomed to, but it is still viewed as the No. 12 class in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Class Rankings.
The blue-chip prospect is also Ohio State’s only defensive lineman in the class, meaning keeping his commitment is of the utmost importance.
Potter is ranked as the No. 327 overall recruit in the country as well as the No. 26 SDE and is the No. 7 recruit from the state of Ohio.
Zach Harrison trending towards Michigan
In the last few months, one-time Ohio State lean and five-star defensive end Zach Harrison (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy) has been feeling as less of a certainty and Ohio State’s arch-rival Michigan seems to have become the new favorite.
Land-Grant Holy Land’s own Charles Doss touched on the fact that the five-star prospect made the trip to Ohio State’s campus last weekend when the Buckeyes hosted Nebraska. The unofficial visit was the elite prospects first visit to the program since his official visit from June 22-24, despite
And while Ohio State won the Saturday game, it did so in an unimpressive fashion. Coupled with a dominant Michigan victory over Penn State, and that team up north has rapidly gained ground on Ohio State in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, including six in the last 48 hours.
The Michigan Wolverines are trending for a five-star 2019 prospect.https://t.co/GHLcReCR92
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 5, 2018
Harrison is the No. 2 prospect in the country and is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Ohio in this year’s recruiting cycle. If Ohio State were to miss in his recruitment, it would result in a huge blow and would make for two years in a row that Ohio State has whiffed on the top recruit from the state. A commitment to Michigan would just be salt to the wound.
Unfortunately, it appears as if this is the most likely scenario, but this doesn’t mean that Buckeye Nation should panic. Yes, Ohio State looks to be having a down year in recruiting this year. But there have been plenty of reasons for this, including the drama surrounding head coach Urban Meyer and the fact the team doesn’t have as many scholarships to offer as the program isn’t expected to lose as much talent to the NFL Draft as it has in the past.
On top of this, Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class has the possibility to be the top class in the country, especially considering the recent commitment of four-star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ohio State will certainly need to work on capitalizing on home-state talent, but this is far from panic-inducing update.
Ohio State commits release season highlight reels
Multiple Ohio State basketball and football commits released their season highlight tapes Monday in their sports of choice. If you want to see what the Buckeyes will be getting, be sure to check them out below.
5-star PG commit DJ Carton
Class: 2019
Town: Bettendorf, IA / Bettendorf
Size: 6’1/190
Told the dogs I’d bring it back, it was a seal of fate⭐️ #seniorszn pic.twitter.com/5ZJtHvgHSS
— DJ Carton (@DJCarton) November 5, 2018
4-star OG commit Doug Nester
Class: 2019
Town: Huntington, WV / Spring Valley
Size: 6’6.5/314
The Last Ride https://t.co/1cOBoE9VxB
— Doug Nester (@Freshie74) November 5, 2018
5-star OT commit Paris Johnson Jr.
Class: 2020
Town: Cincinnati, OH / St. Xavier
Size: 6’7/285
Junior Season https://t.co/2pWQKCaR6r pic.twitter.com/b6cBkDSskZ
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) November 5, 2018
Quick Hit:
- Ohio State offered 2021 pro-style quarterback prospect Drake Maye (Cornelius, NC / Myers Park) over the weekend. Maye currently does not hold a 247Sports ranking but he has received offers from West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Thankful to receive an offer from Ohio State University! Go Bucks❗️ pic.twitter.com/4d5zb7XKh6
— Drake Maye (@DrakeMaye2) November 5, 2018