Ohio State 2020 Commits Begin Senior Seasons

Several Ohio State commits began their seasons this weekend. Not every commit, but some. Clark Phillips got the action started with two interceptions in La Habra’s 21-14 win. Lejond Cavazos also had himself a game, with seven tackles and a forced fumble in IMG Academy’s 46-7 win. 

Perhaps the most anticipated season opener was Chaparral’s game against a strong Hamilton program. Going into the game, Jack Miller’s top two receivers were ruled out, and throughout the contest, it appeared the offensive line will be an issue for the Ohio State commit this season.

This is how the East Valley Tribune broke down the offensive performance by Chaparral.

“The short-handed Firebirds had trouble finding any type of rhythm on offense, as Hamilton’s stout defensive line flushed Miller out of the pocket on multiple occasions throughout the night. Miller was able to use his elusiveness to avoid being sacked several times, but strong coverage from Hamilton cornerbacks Cole Martin and Zachary Lewis provided few windows of opportunity for the Firebirds to move the ball down the field.

“Despite constant pressure from Hamilton’s defense, Miller managed to orchestrate several drives and finish the night 16-for-23 for 220 yards and a touchdown. Two other drives set up scores for Jared Williams, who was limited to just 56 yards on the ground despite 2 touchdowns.”

While Miller actually threw for 269 yards, he was able to show off his accuracy in moments of adversity. He also cleared the 8,000-yard mark in career passing yards. 

Ohio State wide receiver commit Julian Fleming began his season with Southern Columbia on ESPN2 against Hammond and No. 2 overall prospect Jordan Burch.

Hammond did a good job of ensuring the most creative plays Southern Columbia ran in an effort to get Fleming the ball didn’t result in big plays. But passing the ball and having a weapon like Fleming isn’t exactly the bread and butter of Southern Columbia’s offense. It likes to punch the ball through the line with Gaige Garcia, who is committed to Michigan for football and wrestling and recorded more than 2,000 rushing yards in 2017 and 2018. Fleming doesn’t frequently get the ball thrown his way outside the numbers.

His highlight play of the game Sunday was his one-handed catch in the middle of the field. Southern Columbia neutralized Burch and won, 36-0, against a Hammond team that’s won four South Carolina state titles in the last five years. 

Ohio State linebacker commit Kourt Williams was also in action with his St. John Bosco teammates on ESPN2 Saturday evening. The game against DeMatha and South Carolina running back commit MarShawn Lloyd was crucial for Ohio State fans to see why the Buckeye staff thought Williams was a perfect fit for the bullet position. 

He already plays everywhere. He lined up on the line of scrimmage and deep in coverage but typically lined up in space between the linebacker position and safety spots, where he will be expected to line up as a bullet at Ohio State. 

Williams didn’t make too many big plays, but he and his teammates made it difficult for DeMatha to get much going on the offensive end. Lloyd had the only score on a 30-yard catch, but that would be the only score for DeMatha, as St. John Bosco scored 28 consecutive points to win, 35-7.

Ohio State wide receiver target Beaux Collins, the No. 2 wideout in the 2021 class, reeled in a touchdown catch from No. 1 2020 quarterback and Clemson commit D.J. Uiagaleiei. 

While Cavazos forced a fumble on one side of the field for IMG’s opener, cornerback target and LSU commit Elias Ricks returned an interception for a score on the other side. 

To prepare for next week’s season openers, check out the season primers for offensive and defensive commits. 

Lovasea Carroll Receives an Ohio State Offer

Ohio State extended an offer to four-star running back Lovasea Carroll on Sunday, the Georgia native announced via Twitter.

Carroll attends IMG Academy in Florida, after his transfer earlier this summer, making him teammates with Ohio State commit Lejond Cavazos, who was excited to hear the news of his offer.

At Warren County in Georgia, Carroll was the lead back as a sophomore in 2018. He carried the ball 143 times for 1,446 yards – averaging 10.1 yards per carry – and 19 touchdowns. He only caught four passes, but what makes those four catches impressive is that he averaged 29 yards per catch and his longest reception was 45 yards. Carroll was a big-play machine in Georgia.

Carroll hits the hole hard, and if he catches a seam, no one will catch him. 

Transferring to IMG will provide an opportunity for Carroll to run for a top-10 program in the nation, after a handful of running backs graduated from the program after the 2018 season. 

Carroll is committed to South Carolina already, and after MarShawn Lloyd doubled down on his commitment to South Carolina, the Gamecocks are having unprecedented running back recruiting success.

That success can be attributed to not only Will Muschamp but also to new South Carolina running backs coach Thomas Brown. Brown played his college ball at Georgia under Mark Richt, and he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. His first major running backs coaching position came in 2014, when he was hired by Wisconsin and coached Melvin Gordon during his 2,587-yard season. He was then hired by Richt at Georgia, where he coached Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. When Richt moved to Miami, Brown followed him for two seasons. He was hired by South Carolina in January. 

Carroll is the only commitment of South Carolina’s 2021 class, so it will take some work to get him to swing his commitment elsewhere. Ohio State believes it is possible or else it would not have offered.