Henderson “can’t wait to show out” with Pryor

Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class has already surpassed the 2020 class in terms of rankings, and now it’s giving the last cycle a run for its money in terms of All-American Bowl selections.

TreVeyon Henderson, the Buckeyes’ five-star running back commit out of Virginia, announced over the weekend that he accepted an invitation to play in the 21st annual All-American Bowl, becoming the fifth Ohio State commit in the junior class to accept the invite. 

Henderson will join four-star running back commit Evan Pryor in San Antonio, as Ohio State fans will get a sneak peek as to what that one-two punch will be bringing to Columbus. 

“I’m just excited to get to play beside my future teammates early,” Henderson told Eleven Warriors. “Can’t wait to show out!”

As we touched on Friday, cornerback commit Jakailin Johnson has also been invited to play in the All-American Bowl and could be Buckeye No. 6 to head to Texas in January if he so chooses. 

Burton commitment still not imminent

Despite a recent tweet from Kentucky offensive guard Jager Burton, in which the four-star prospect seemed to indicate a decision could be around the corner, a commitment from Burton is still not imminent.

After setting an original commitment date of August 24, Burton pushed that date back, saying that he would not make a decision until after taking all five of his official visits. In theory, this is a five-team race between Ohio State, Kentucky, Clemson, Oregon and Alabama, but we have the strong inclination that it's much more of a two-team battle between Ohio State and Kentucky.

Kentucky feels great about its chances to land Burton, and that was boosted this past weekend when Burton's good friend and high school teammate, receiver Dekel Crowdus, became the third in-state player to commit to the Wildcats in the class after they had failed to land an in-state commit since 2018.

Kentucky has some momentum here, and reports are that Crowdus' commitment is a good helping hand for Mark Stoops and Co. But Burton is still biding his time, and it looks like we will still have to wait until August for his decision.

Burton told Kentucky sportswriter Larry Vaught, “I have been thinking more in terms if official visits are not going to happen before my season starts, then I think I am pretty set with what to do. I am still trying to wait it out and hope I get my visits in by August. But if they announce we will not have (official visits), then my decision will be sooner than people expect. That’s what I meant with the tweet. Nothing going on in the next few days or weeks, though.”

I still believe this recruitment goes the Buckeyes' way, but it's not as much of a slam dunk as I had thought just a couple months ago.

Leigh, Crownover release updates

We won’t spend too much time dissecting a top-15 list, but Virginia offensive tackle Tristan Leigh on Saturday released an updated list of the programs he is still considering on the recruiting trail.

Last summer, Leigh was ranked in the 200s, and he was ranked as low as No. 168 overall in December and January. But Leigh blew up following a star turn at the All-American Bowl’s National Combine in which underclassmen underwent drills with loads of scouts and analysts on hand. 

That helped lead to one of the fastest, biggest rises in the country, as he now sits at No. 13 overall as a five-star prospect ranked as the third-best offensive tackle in the country. 

Signs point to Leigh, who visited Columbus for the Buckeyes’ win over Penn State in November, eventually ending up at Clemson, which offered him during its Junior Day in late January. 

Ohio State, which offered Leigh on Sept. 23 long before his rankings took off, is likely down somewhere around No. 3, 4 or 5 on his list. Leigh will be blocking for both Henderson and Pryor at the All-American Bowl. 

Leigh was not the only player to release an updated list, as Grandview (Texas) four-star tight end Damterious Crownover put out a top-11 list that features Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas and Baylor.

Crownover, the No. 8-ranked tight end and No. 222-ranked overall player in the 2021 class, is not a name we have heard much and is not a name we expect to hear much down the road. Hudson Wolfe remains the primary tight end target for the Buckeyes, and they will be waiting on Wolfe's decision before deciding to heavily pursue other tight ends.

Grimes top list coming

The recruitment of top-ranked cornerback Tony Grimes will see a major update at the end of the month, as the Virginia star announced a top-three list will be coming on May 31.

Grimes released a top eight on April 8 that consisted of Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

When Grimes' final three schools are released, Georgia is the safest bet to be on the list. North Carolina and Penn State have done a phenomenal job of building relationships with Grimes as well, so it wouldn't be surprising to find one or both on the list as well. 

I do believe Ohio State and Kerry Coombs' reputation of putting defensive backs in the league will be enough to put the Buckeyes on that list as well – even though an inability for Grimes and his father to get back to campus for a visit this spring hurts their chances.

My prediction is a list of Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio State. But I think Clemson has a great shot at making up ground, and Penn State should not be counted out either.

TreVeyon Henderson photo courtesy of Andrew Ivins/247Sports; Evan Pryor photo courtesy of Don Callahan/247Sports