The start of the new year means that it is once again time for the high school all-star events to take center stage. This year has a bit of a different feel now that the first annual early signing period has come and gone, but February's traditional national signing day is a month away (Feb. 7) and several of the country's top prospects have yet to make their intentions known.
The Under Armour All-America Game will get things kicked off on Thursday, and the Buckeyes have four signees who are set to take part in the festivities. With a pair of top defensive ends scheduled to make their announcements, there's a lot for Ohio State fans to be on the lookout for.
- UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICA GAME
- THURSDAY, JAN. 4 @ 6:00PM ET
- ORLANDO, FL
- ESPN2
- FULL ROSTER
Signees in Action
Teradja Mitchell, Brian Snead, Matthew Jones, and Sevyn Banks all have signed with Ohio State, and the four Buckeye pledges will be suiting up for Team Highlight Thursday evening in Orlando.
Mitchell is the country's No. 2 inside linebacker, and his size is reminiscent of that of a young Raekwon McMillan. He's 6-foot-2 and his weight has fluctuated in the 230-250-pound range, giving the Virginia native more of the prototypical middle linebacker measurables. Mitchell is not the kind of player who's going to run a 4.4, but he's a thumper in the middle and that should be on display later this week. He selected the Buckeyes over Florida State and has been an active recruiter since making his pledge.
Brian Snead had one of the quietest recruitments in recent memory, which is especially admirable for a kid playing in the heart of SEC country. The nation's No. 4 tailback completely shut things down after committing to Ohio State back in July of 2016, and this will be the first real opportunity for Buckeye fans to get a glimpse of their future tailback.
Best of luck to our guys @BanksNiko @GrindTime55 @WhosThatNumber7 @snead655 in the Under Armour All-American Game! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/g7891hB8ii
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 31, 2017
Sevyn Banks will help to man the secondary for Team Highlight as the Orlando native makes the short trip to Camping World Stadium—the home of the Citrus Bowl. The four-star has recovered nicely from a torn ACL that was suffered during his junior season, and as of now he is the only pure cornerback in Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class.
Brooklyn's Matthew Jones is expected to play center for the Buckeyes, and he's already putting in reps at the position thus far at the Under Armour practices. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, he's the country's No. 1 player at the position, though he should bring plenty of versatility to trenches. Jones hails from Erasmus Hall High School, which has been plenty good to Ohio State of late with Curtis Samuel and Jahsen Wint both having made the trek to Columbus.
Decisions, Decisions
We've beaten this point to death, but Ohio State needs defensive ends in its 2018 recruiting class. Fortunately for Larry Johnson and Urban Meyer, there are still plenty of talented prospects left on the board, and two of them are set to announce on Thursday.
Tyreke Smith and Jayson Oweh have been at the top of the board for some time now, and as their recruitments are winding down, the Buckeyes appear likely to land one of the coveted pass rushers. After leaning toward Penn State for a while, Ohio State is back in the driver's seat for the Cleveland (Heights) star, and at this point it would be a surprise if Smith didn't side with the Buckeyes this week. He's the No. 3 prospect in the state and holds offers from virtually all of the national powers.
Oweh's status is much tougher to get a read on, but after going back and forth a bit, things are looking pretty good for James Franklin and Co. There's no doubt that the 6-foot-5, 236-pounder is intrigued by Johnson's history of developing his players, but Penn State has been involved a bit longer and that relationship seems to be working in Franklin's favor.
Smith will be suiting up for Team Highlight. Oweh is on the Team Spotlight squad.
On the Lookout
Jackson Carman's decision to sign with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers means that the Buckeyes are still in need of another offensive tackle. Several targets remain, but it's tough to argue that Ohio State is the leader in the clubhouse for any of them at the moment.
Rasheed Walker and Nicholas Petit-Frere are at the top of the board, and the latter will be taking part in Thursday evening's event. Watching an offensive lineman during an event such as this may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but I suppose it's good to know that a few other Buckeye signees will have the chance to put in some work this week.
The Tampa native is the country's No. 3 tackle, and right now his recruitment still looks to be up in the air. I think an argument can be made that four or five teams remain very much in the hunt, and the 6-foot-6, 272-pounder is still trying to finalize his official visits for this month. Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Alabama all are in play here, and he's already taken an official to South Bend.
Petit-Frere took an unofficial to Columbus this past summer, but the Buckeyes will certainly need to get him back on campus this month if they want to have any shot at all. He's expected to trim his list shortly after the Under Armour Game, and we should then have a better idea of which schools he'll check out before signing day.
Sometimes all it takes is getting a player and his family on campus, which we saw with the Max Wray recruitment. If the five-star makes it back to Ohio State, then anything is possible.
What Could Have Been
The game also will feature several other familiar faces who won't be spending their college days in Columbus – for one reason or another – so you may also be intrigued to see what Ohio State missed out on; whether it be by the staff's choice or for other reasons.
Longtime Buckeye commit and Florida Gator signee Emory Jones will be on display. By now everyone is surely familiar with his recruitment and Ohio State's decision to refrain from being a pawn in the weird game that the Peach State four-star was playing. Fellow Georgia native and one-time Ohio State commitment Brenton Cox will also be on hand. The Cox decommit is one that still stings.
Houston Griffith, Xavier Peters, Adrian Jackson, and Adrian Martinez are a few others who may be worth watching. Ohio State offered Griffith but never really pushed for the IMG cornerback. The Buckeyes were viewed as the team to beat at one point, but the Chicago native ultimately signed with Notre Dame. Peters hails from Lakota West High School in West Chester, and there was some interest there early on, but Ohio State never extended an offer. He is committed to Kentucky but has yet to sign. The four-star linebacker is planning an official visit to Gainesville this month.
Denver, Colorado's Adrian Jackson had some major interest early on, but he and Ohio State ended up drifting apart. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he is a bit of a hybrid linebacker/safety. He sided with the Oregon Ducks during the early signing period. Adrian Martinez traveled to Columbus for a late official visit after the turmoil in Tennessee. The Buckeyes never extended an offer as they felt comfortable with the pledge from Matthew Baldwin. The one-time Volunteer commit ultimately signed with Nebraska.
If you are like me and still prefer the more storied Army All-American Bowl, then fear not, for Andrew Lind will have a full preview coming your way on Friday. That one will kick off on Saturday, Jan. 6, and while there aren't expected to be any new commitments taking place for the good guys, the Buckeyes will once again be featured heavily. Nine Ohio State signees accepted invites to San Antonio and several other targets will be featured as well.
