Ohio State working on late flip in 2021

The Early Signing Period was very kind to Ohio State. The Buckeyes were able to earn signatures from all 21 of their commits before noon on the first day. The 2021 class now sits at No. 2 in the country, but they are still in play for the top spot.

The chances of overtaking Alabama in the 2021 class rankings earned a bump Monday when outside linebacker Raesjon Davis decommitted from LSU.

Ohio State never stopped their efforts in recruiting Davis, despite his commitment to LSU almost a year ago. There had been talks in the last month that Davis was still interested in what Ohio State had to offer but a flip seemed more than unlikely. Davis had long been viewed as one of the top recruiters for LSU’s class, and it is extremely difficult to flip a commitment from an elite program like the Tigers, let alone a class leader.

However, on Monday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s magic appeared to pay off.

Davis had always been one of Ohio State’s top targets in this recruiting cycle. With his recruitment open again, he immediately jumps back into the fold of remaining key Ohio State targets.

While the news is certainly good for Ohio State, it cannot be assumed the Buckeyes are in the driver’s seat moving forward in his recruitment. Before committing to LSU, USC was also a major contender along with the Buckeyes, and don’t expect for that interest to have gone anywhere. In fact, coach Day and Ohio State may have to increase their recruiting efforts even more following the news.

Davis spoke with Greg Biggins of 247Sports Monday and had the following to say regarding the Trojans.

“I grew up a USC fan and location is big for me,” Davis said. “I want my family to come see me play and at a school like USC, I know they can.”

While the above certainly paints a picture that USC is now the leader in his recruitment, do not expect the distance between the two schools to be that big. Ohio State is still in this and in large part it is due to assistant coaches Al Washington and Kerry Coombs. When speaking with Biggins, Davis had a lot of positives regarding Ohio State as well.

“I like Ohio State a lot,” Davis said. “I visited once with my Premium 7v7 team a while ago and would love to get back there with my parents. We were supposed to visit for the Michigan game but it got canceled.

“I talk with coach Washington, coach Coombs and coach Day just reached out yesterday as well. They do a great job of developing players and I love the defense. I’m not sure I could play as early there as other schools because they’re deep but they’re telling me I can so we’ll see.”

Look for Ohio State to increase their efforts in securing a commitment from Davis. He is the No. 4 OLB and the No. 45 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. Davis would also make for an excellent addition alongside Ohio State ILB commit Reid Carrico.

Quick Hits

• Key 2022 cornerback prospect Jaheim Singletary will be announcing his commitment on Jan. 2, and the smoke looks to be colored Scarlet and Grey. In the last few days, 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have been made favoring Singletary to the Buckeyes. While these predictions are no guarantee, when 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong and the “Dean of Ohio State Recruiting” Bill Kurelic agree on something, it is likely correct. Buckeye Nation may have their own fireworks to celebrate to open up the new year.
• Ohio State 2022 basketball four-star shooting guard commit Roddy Gayle Jr. announced on Monday that he will be transferring to Wasatch Academy for the remainder of his high school career.