While many of the region's top players were in Atlanta taking part in the Rivals Five-Star Challenge, Ohio State's coaching staff – as well as dozens of other college staffs – were welcoming 500-plus 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 prospects to the Buckeyes' first one-day camp of 2016.
Urban Meyer's entire staff was present and accounted for in Columbus and while the first one-day camp of the year didn't have a lot of big names in attendance, there were a number of interesting prospects that emerged.
Let's breakdown some of the day's best prospects, starting with one of the two players in attendance who entered the camp with an Ohio State offer.
2018 • DARRELL SIMPSON • JUSTIN, TEXAS • OFFENSIVE LINE
The headliner of the event was the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Darrell Simpson. The country's 58th-ranked 2018 prospect, Simpson entered the camp with a lot of accolades and by the time it was over he'd shown anyone in attendance they were well-deserved.
Simpson is young and there's no doubt that physically he can get a lot stronger, which is saying something because he was by no means lacking. A college weight program is going to turn this big-time prospect into a big-time player. He was a top priority for Greg Studrawa throughout the afternoon and could become one of the Buckeyes' top offensive line targets in the 2018 class. Oh yeah, his entire family was with him, including multiple family members who live in Columbus.
2018 • ANTHONY TORRES • SOUTH BEND, INDIANA • TIGHT END
If there's one player that came out of Saturday's camp as a true "new name to watch" it's Penn High (Mishawaka, Indiana) tight end Anthony Torres. A 6-foot-5, 230-pounder, Torres had the eyes of Mark Pantoni, Ed Warinner, Urban Meyer and others and spent nearly a full half-hour at the camp's conclusion getting to meet Meyer face-to-face behind closed doors.
Torres has, to this point, no scholarship offers but that will absolutely change and likely soon. He's a powerful blocker at tight end and caught the ball naturally as well. He's just coming into his own as a prospect but there will a couple of big stops coming up (he'll be at Michigan and Michigan State in the next week) and it'd not be a surprise to see him emerge from those trips with offers. If the Buckeyes hadn't spent so much time with him on Saturday some of the smaller schools in attendance may have pulled the trigger but backed off when they saw Ohio State's interest.
2018 • XAVIER HENDERSON • PICKERINGTON, OHIO • ATHLETE
Xavier Henderson is a pretty special athlete and his early offer list (Michigan State, Ole Miss, Boston College and others) is a good indicator of that. The 6-foot defensive back weighed in at 186-pounds and ripped of a solid 4.64 in the 40-yard-dash. He was one of the event's premier defensive backs and spent a lot of time working with Kerry Coombs before the camp began and again later in the day as the best of the best were brought into Ohio State's indoor facilities for personal instruction.
Following the camp, Henderson was welcomed into the football offices and watched film of his afternoon with the Buckeyes' staff and then had some one-on-one time with first Luke Fickell and then Urban Meyer. Ohio State did not offer, but there's some positive momentum for the Pickerington star.
2018 • L'CHRISTIAN “BLUE” SMITH • HUBER HEIGHTS, OHIO • WIDE RECEIVER
There may not be an athlete in Ohio that's smoother on the football field than Blue Smith and yesterday afternoon – his third camp in four days – he looked at home and was the best overall pass-catcher in attendance. He's a solid 6-foot-5 and 200-pounds and physically is a major mismatch for high school defensive backs or linebackers.
Watching Smith, it's easy to see why he's got double-digit offers, including one from Ohio State, already. There's few players in Ohio who have the ceiling he does as an athlete but there's an interesting possibility that seems more and more realistic whenever you see him: is he going to be a college tight end? He says he's all wide receiver, but as only a junior-to-be, it will really be a matter of how his body develops in the next two years.
2018 • ALEX HOWIE • CANTON, MICHIGAN • OFFENSIVE LINE
One of the day's best offensive line showings came from Salem High School in Canton, Michigan. Howie was very well put together, checking in at just under 6-foot-4 and 304-pounds and was good enough on the afternoon to be asked back for Friday Night Lights in late July.
As of now, Howie is pretty much an unknown name – he doesn't have a recruiting profile on any of the major networks – but he's an aggressive, mauler-type of offensive lineman and has a chance this summer to make a name for himself. He'll need to work on his pass-protection technique but he's got excellent upside.
2018 • BRENDEN BATES • CINCINNATI, OHIO • TIGHT END
Whatever they're putting in the water at Archbishop Moeller is paying off. The latest in a series of big-time tight ends to don the Crusaders' uniform, Brenden Bates picked up his first two offers earlier this week (Kentucky and CIncinnati) and on Saturday was showing off his skills for the Buckeyes and other. Bates almost looks small at 6-foot-5 and 216-pounds so it'll be interesting to see how his frame fills out. He could hold another 20-25 pounds easily it would seem without compromising too much of his skill set.
I had a great time at The Ohio State one-day camp! pic.twitter.com/1CEboMd7KA
— Brenden Bates (@BatesBrenden) June 11, 2016
Bates isn't as big as Jake Hausmann and he's not as fast as Matt Dotson, but the pieces are in place to become the next key cog at tight end in Moeller's offense.
2018 • TYREKE SMITH • CLEVELAND, OHIO • ATHLETE
If you want to talk about a truly interesting prospect, you don't need to look much further than Cleveland Heights' Tyreke Smith. A California transplant living in Cleveland, Smith has not played high school football but has seven scholarship offers – he added one from Rutgers yesterday at the camp – based solely on his frame, potential and athletic ability.
He started the camp at tight end and spent the afternoon session working with Larry Johnson, Sr. and the defensive linemen, lining up at defensive end. He measured in at 6-foot-4 and 241-pounds and impressed with a very good 4.74 in the 40-yard-dash. Smith's versatility will make him very intriguing as he actually takes that talent to the football field this fall. I see Smith as a player who will eventually get an Ohio State offer.
2017 • ISAIAH ROBINSON • BETHESDA, MARYLAND • QUARTERBACK
It was a fairly average group of quarterbacks at the Buckeyes' camp yesterday but from the minute the day's events began it was Maryland's Isaiah Robinson who stood out. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder – who threw for almost 2600 yards as a junior – was firing the football around all morning and afternoon and was quick to pick up new techniques that were given him by the coaches on hand.
Robinson is certainly not going end up being recruited by Ohio State – he's a 2017 quarterback and that's a spot the Buckeyes have a well-established pecking order – but he's going to find his recruitment picking up after yesterday. He stopped by Ohio University on his way to the University of Delaware, where he'll camp today. This is a Division One prospect and he's working his butt off to prove it: the Blue Hens' camp will be his sixth camp this week.
2017 • AXEL NYEMBWE • BETHESDA, MARYLAND • DEFENSIVE TACKLE
A teammate of Isaiah Robinson at The Avalon School, Axel Nyembwe had perhaps the most lucrative day of anyone in attendance yesterday. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle added three offers after his performance, picking up scholarships from Rutgers, Toledo and Kent State. He was stout at the point of attack and exhibited quick feet and hands.
Someone is going to get a steal.
2018 • DASHON BUSSELL • FORT WAYNE, INDIANA • ATHLETE
The last time Ohio State went to Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne they reeled in one of the country's top-ranked wide receivers – Austin Mack – and now it's Mack's good friend and former teammate Dashon Bussell trying to draw college attention. He did just that on Saturday.
Bussell excels at wide receiver and defensive back for the Knights, but yesterday's camp kept him on offense and he was among the camp's best performers. He runs well, catches the ball with his hands and was able to work himself open against most of the defensive backs in attendance. Bussell's ceiling may be higher at defensive back, and that's something he'll work out this year at Bishop Luers but the talent is definitely in place to become a high Division One prospect. He currently has offers from Toledo, Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio).
