Ohio State makes shortlist for 5-star 2021 cornerback

The Ohio State Buckeyes had themselves an eventful weekend. Not only did they have a football game to play inside Ohio Stadium, but Ryan Day and company had some recruiting to do, too. With another game day meaning recruiting visits, the Buckeyes were hard at work trying to impress their potential new members of the Scarlet and Gray.

Even before game day Saturday came and went, OSU found themselves on the receiving end of some good news. Let’s take a look at what happened over the weekend in Buckeye recruiting.

One Step Closer

Five-star cornerback Tony Grimes (Virginia Beach, VA / Princess Anne) is one of the best prospect in the 2021 class. Graded by the 247Sports composite as the top CB and prospect in the state of Virginia, Grimes has over 30 programs knocking on his door. Powerhouses across the country want the 6-foot defender on their team, and on Friday night, Grimes narrowed his top schools list down to 13.

Unveiling the list on Twitter, Ohio State made the cut, in addition to 12 other Power 5 programs. Texas, Texas A&M, Clemson, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Maryland, LSU and North Carolina join OSU, signifying that another five-star will more than likely end with the No. 10 overall prospect in the ‘21 recruiting cycle.

Who will be the ones to ultimately land Grimes when all said and done? Right now, that’s up in the air. 247Sports crystal ball picks are spread out across Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, but over the weekend, Anna Hickey reported that the Virginia native would be headed for a visit to see Clemson battle the Aggies.

There’s a long way left in this recruiting battle, and expect this one to be an all-out fight between the remaining programs on his list. At the next level, Grimes has the potential to be a prolific defensive back.

A Columbus visit

While the Buckeyes didn’t host Grimes over the weekend, they did get to host one of their in-state stars during an in-state battle. Taking in the 42-0 blowout win over Cincinnati was three-star safety Jaylen Johnson.

Johnson, a native of Cincinnati, is graded by the 247Sports composite as the 17th best safety and 11th best Ohio prospect for 2021.

His recent trip north for a visit comes just a couple days after receiving an offer from Penn State—adding to his growing list of top schools. While he doesn’t hold a lot of offers, a trio of Ohio schools (Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron) accompany the Buckeye opportunity.

Early predictions lean in favor of the Scarlet and Gray, and we’ll keep you posted on any news surrounding Johnson’s recruitment. In the meantime, take a look at his highlight reel that was posted to Hudl.