Ryan Day has wasted little time on the recruiting trail following the end of Ohio State’s football season. As the 2020 class looks to be more or less set in stone, the staff has really hit the ground running as they work towards putting together another top group in 2021.
Tuesday saw the commitment of 2021 three-star safety Jaylen Johnson. The No. 18 safety in the class and No. 11 player in Ohio had originally planned to make his decision this upcoming summer, but the Cincinnati La Salle product’s strong relationship with both Day and Al Washington led him to ultimately make his commitment earlier than anticipated. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound DB earned his Ohio State offer this past June, impressing at a one-day camp with the Buckeyes in Columbus.
The addition of Johnson expanded OSU’s lead over Notre Dame as the No. 1 recruiting class in 2021. Now holding a total of eight commitments, Johnson is the fifth in the group from the state of Ohio. Day has continued to show a focus on in-state recruiting, and it is paying dividends thus far as the Buckeyes have the early lead over the rest of the nation in the upcoming class.
Johnson joins fellow Ohioans in five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer — the No. 1 player in the state and No. 2 recruit in the country — as well as four-star offensive tackle Ben Christman, four-star wide receiver Jayden Ballard and four-star linebacker Reid Carrico. According to 247Sports Composite rankings, the group includes four of the top six players from the Buckeye state, and with a long way to go on the 2021 recruiting trail there is certainly more to come.
Buckeye commits make Junior All-American Team
2019 MaxPreps High School Junior All-American Football Team.
— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) January 7, 2020
✍️https://t.co/9BdwzffZBp pic.twitter.com/obGUmqejKY
In our recruiting piece on Tuesday morning, we talked a little about the Ohio State commits that made MaxPreps 2019 high school football All-American Team. Well, the site has since released its Junior All-American Team, and a couple of Buckeye commits and targets once again made the cut.
Among the group of 2021 commits on the list, quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made the First-Team Offense, while Jack Sawyer made the First-Team Defense. Other players of note receiving honors include five-star defensive end and OSU target Tunmise Adeleye (Second-Team Defense), who has the Buckeyes in his top six, and four-star offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (First-Team Offense), who will be making his commitment on Wednesday which many believe will be to Ohio State.
Quick Hits
- Ohio State posted a fun MTV Cribs-style video showcasing some of the personalities of its early enrollees on Tuesday afternoon. Players in the short clip include Julian Fleming, CJ Stroud, Kourt Williams and Lejond Cavazos.
The #XXclusive crib tour ft. @julian_040 @kourt22williams @lejondaryy @CJ7STROUD#GoBucks #ToughLove pic.twitter.com/W686skT3e2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 7, 2020
- Buckeye commit Ben Christman is doing some work of his own on the recruiting trail, attempting to lure in one of the nation’s top running backs. Evan Pryor, the No. 6 RB in the 2021 class, announced via Twitter that he has narrowed his search down to five schools, and Christman gave him his own suggestion of where he thinks the North Carolina product should choose.
Buckeyes.
— Ben Christman (@BenChristman70) January 6, 2020
- Four-star OLB/WDE Demeioun Robinson released his top 13 on Twitter on Tuesday night, with Ohio State making the cut for the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Maryland native.
“Prayers go up... Blessings come down”...TOP 13 #ALL4AROD pic.twitter.com/ERDiWdqyjl
— Demeioun Robinson (@chopyoungbull) January 7, 2020