BUCKEYES TO BROWNS
Mike Hall Jr. is selected 54th overall in the second round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
When Myles Graham reflects on his recruitment one day in the future, it won’t be hard to identify when he officially “blew up,” as the kids say today.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound 2024 Georgia linebacker’s recruitment officially took off on Jan. 20, as he received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Coastal Carolina and Ohio State all on the same day. Those five scholarship opportunities gave him 13 total Division I offers at that point in time. Almost a month later, his offer sheet now stands at 25 schools.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” Graham told Eleven Warriors about Jan. 20. “It was a dream come true. I’ve wanted all those offers for a while. It all sunk in at the end and tears came to my eyes.”
Ryan Day personally visited Graham in Georgia and extended him the offer.
“Ohio State is a great program obviously, it’s a winning program and one of the best in the nation,” Graham said. “The offer came from coach Ryan Day himself, so it felt personal and it felt real. It felt like they really wanted me and needed me.”
When making the offer, Day’s conversation with Graham was brief. The head coach didn’t break down what linebacker position the Buckeyes see Graham playing or get into any technical football details, but he essentially wanted to make a quick introduction and let the 2024 prospect know he was important to Ohio State.
“He just told me he wanted to get the recruiting process started early with me,” Graham said. “He wanted to just pretty much offer me because he loved my film.”
As a sophomore, Graham attended Evangelical Christian High School (Fort Myers, Florida), where he played virtually every position under the sun and recorded 130 tackles with eight pass deflections, an interception and two forced fumbles. He recently transferred to Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.
“It’s been great, I love it up here,” Graham said of his transition. “I love my teammates and the school I’m going to. It’s definitely been an upgrade and a better fit for me.”
Graham is now high school teammates with 2023 Ohio State defensive end target AJ Hoffler.
“That’s my guy,” Graham said. “We’ve talked (about Ohio State). Nothing too personal yet, it’s obviously his dream school. We may take a visit together here in the future. But he loves it. He’s trying to get me to maybe play with him one day. Nothing really too crazy right now, though.”
While Graham doesn’t have any set visit dates, he told Eleven Warriors he plans to visit Columbus in either the spring or summer.
“I will definitely be visiting,” Graham said. “I see a great supportive fan base and a supportive coaching staff. I see a winning culture and academics. I see a really great fit for anybody, you can’t really go wrong with it.”
Hawkins to make trip to Columbus for spring game
One of Ohio State’s four commitments in the class of 2023 has locked in a visit to Columbus for the OSU spring game. Four-star Florida safety Cedrick Hawkins told 247Sports this week he plans to be at Ohio State from April 15-17, with the Buckeyes playing their spring game on April 16. He will make the trip with his mother and two siblings.
Hawkins committed to Ohio State during the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. His primary recruiters are running backs coach Tony Alford, who is in charge of OSU’s Florida recruiting, and Ryan Day. It will be the 6-foot, 165-pound safety’s first visit to Columbus since committing and his first trip to OSU since last summer.
Lee, Umeozulu visiting OSU March 5
A pair of Maryland high school teammates with Ohio State offers have confirmed their scheduled visits to Columbus on social media. Four-star 2023 defensive end Desmond Umeozulu and 2024 cornerback Braydon Lee have both set unofficial visits to Columbus for March 5.
Best defensive duo in the NATION https://t.co/EQHDrZq7HP
— Braydon Lee (@_brayofficial) February 15, 2022
Umeozulu, ranked as the 235th-best player and the 21st-best edge prospect in the 2023 class, was offered by Ohio State on Jan. 19. Lee received his offer a week later on Jan. 26. The pair are very close friends and will be doing multiple recruiting trips together to various schools.
“Ohio State has always been one of my top schools growing up,” Lee told Eleven Warriors in February. “Wearing those colors in front of that type of fan base, that’s just ridiculous. That Michigan vs. Ohio State game, that’s something a kid always dreams of. That’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of, no matter what the weather is, you’re always going to put your best foot forward. OSU has a ton of tradition and a winning culture, and they’re always going to have some of the best coaching staff.”
