2022 five-star linebacker talks Ohio State

The Ohio State football team, led by Ryan Day, will soon be led onto the field of Ohio Stadium for the first game in what has already been a stressful 2020 football season. With under two weeks until the highly anticipated kickoff, the Buckeyes have a lot to do in a little amount of time.

However, with preparation for the upcoming season at an all-time high, the Ohio State coaching staff has not stopped recruiting the best high school talent to join the team in the future. That being said, recruiting news has slowed down a bit as of recent.

The people of Buckeye Nation are not the only ones waiting for the kickoff against Nebraska, as a lot of elite recruits will have their eyes on the Buckeyes. In fact, opening weekend is shaping up to be an unofficial “Buckeye Bash” and multiple Ohio State commitments and targets are planning a trip to Columbus for the weekend.

Unfortunately, the number of recruits attending the weekend event will be much lower than if the event was officially hosted by the football program, but the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing them from doing so.

Because of this, many possible future Buckeyes will have their eyes on their television sets come Oct. 24 — one of those likely being five-star inside linebacker Shawn Murphy (Manassas, VA/Unity Reed).

The elite 2022 prospect has long been affiliated with Ohio State and recently spoke with Adam Friedman of Rivals. The two discussed Murphy’s top schools, and when talking about Ohio State, Murphy had the following to say:

“Tyleik (Williams, my teammate that is committed to Ohio State) is recruiting me hard,” Murphy said. “I feel like they’re building something real nice at Ohio State. I like what they’re doing. They’re doing a great job.

“I’ve been talking to coach Al and coach Day,” he said. “Coach Al goes over film, talks about the school, and tries to fill me in as much as he can so I’m not lost. He also helps me in my recruitment so I can figure out what school is what and what school is not. He’s been helping me out. If we (CJ Hicks, Dasan McCullough, and Gabe Powers) combined it would be really good but I’m still weighing on my options.”

Murphy has kept his recruitment rather close to the vest, however Ohio State has long been viewed as the leader in landing his commitment, and Friedman believes that to still be the case.

Murphy also spoke on the incredibly impressive linebacker haul that Ohio State would earn if he were to join its 2022 class. The Buckeyes already hold commitments from three of the top LB’s in the country in four-stars CJ Hicks and Dasan McCullough as well as five-star Gabe Powers.

Murphy will likely wait until he is able to take official visits to programs he is interested in before making a final decision, granted that becomes possible. He is the No. 1 ILB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and the No. 16 overall prospect in the class.

Quick Hits:

• 2021 Ohio State four-star safety target Derrick Davis Jr. is reportedly set to make his announcement on Nov. 14. He has also reportedly narrowed his decision down to five teams: Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, LSU and Georgia. The Nittany Lions have long been the favorite to land Davis Jr., and any decision other than Penn State would come as a large shock. However, Ryan Day has not been one to shy away from stealing recruits from other Big Ten schools — especially in the state of Pennsylvania.

• Ohio State 2021 four-star WR commit Jayden Ballard will be receiving his All-American jersey virtually on Wednesday.