California four-star cornerback Clark Phillips announced Friday on cbssports.com that he has committed to Ohio State.
Im home. pic.twitter.com/fWqCFf4ZqE
— Clark Phillips III (@ClarkPhillips28) June 21, 2019
The No. 4 cornerback chose the Buckeyes over UCLA, Cal, Oregon and Notre Dame. He made his decision live on cbssports.com and is headed to Columbus for his official visit this weekend.
The Phillips File
- Class: 2020
- Size: 5-foot-11, 178 lbs.
- Pos: CB
- School: La Habra (La Habra, California)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 4 (CB)
Phillips made his way to Columbus for the first time in March, where he was able to have a face-to-face discussion with Jeff Hafley about what his role might be in Ohio Sate's secondary if he were to commit.
“It’s a combination of coaching, level of ball and possible fit based on what Coach Hafley think about my game,” Phillips told Eleven Warriors. “It has me interested in learning more.”
Apparently Phillips learned what he needed to before taking his official visits. He made his way to Cal on May 31 and now is on his way to Ohio State for that one.
At La Habra, Phillips has nine interceptions in two years, and he will be competing in The Opening Finals at the end of June.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITTMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARIS JOHNSON JR. | OT | No. 8 | No. 1 | JUNE 28, 2018 |
| JACK MILLER | QB | No. 71 | No. 2 (PRO-STYLE) | JULY 1, 2018 |
| LUKE WYPLER | C | No. 61 | No. 1 | JULY 7, 2018 |
| JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA | WR | No. 89 | No. 18 | NOVEMBER 4, 2018 |
| GEE SCOTT JR. | WR | No. 66 | No. 13 | DECEMBER 25, 2018 |
| JAKOB JAMES | OG | No. 789 | No. 71 (OT) | JANUARY 21, 2019 |
| TREY LEROUX | OT | No. 1,069 | No. 99 | MARCH 11, 2019 |
| LEJOND CAVAZOS | CB | No. 253 | No. 20 (S) | APRIL 12, 2019 |
| JULIAN FLEMING | WR | No. 5 | No. 1 | MAY 31, 2019 |
| JAKE SEIBERT | K | N/A | No. 1 | JUNE 4, 2019 |
| GRANT TOUTANT | OT | No. 396 | No. 32 | JUNE 9, 2019 |
| TY HAMILTON | DE | No. 769 | No. 39 (SDE) | JUNE 16, 2019 |
| CLARK PHILLIPS | CB | No. 46 | No. 4 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
Phillips' commitment to Ohio State makes sense, given Hafley's connections to the West Coast and is the first fruit born from those connections on the recruiting trail during Hafley's tenure in Columbus.
Phillips is the No. 13 commitment to Ohio State's 2020 class and is rated as the No. 46 overall prospect, making him the third-highest rated commitment in Ohio State's class. The Buckeyes didn't sign a cornerback in the 2019 class, but they've now got two good ones in the fold with Phillips and Lejond Cavazos.
With a good enough spring and summer, Phillips might be able to put himself in a position to make an immediate impact at Ohio State. He intends on graduating early and enrolling in January.
