Ohio State has successfully flipped one of its top remaining cornerback targets.
Since November, four-star Texas cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt had been committed to Texas Tech and was seemingly firm in his pledge to the Red Raiders. That is, until Ohio State came along.
Committed to THE Ohio State University #BIA pic.twitter.com/w57zl0s0z2
— Calvin Simpson Hunt (@CSimpsonHunt) June 30, 2022
The Buckeyes offered Simpson-Hunt late in the process, extending him a scholarship offer on May 4, and the 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback couldn’t ignore the rich tradition and developmental track record Ohio State offers. Simpson-Hunt only took two official visits this summer, one to Ohio State on June 17-19, and then a final visit to Texas Tech last weekend to hear one final recruiting pitch from the Red Raiders.
The Simpson-Hunt File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-0/175
- Pos: Cornerback
- School: Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas)
- Star Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #173 (#22 CB)
But Simpson-Hunt had heard what he needed to from OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Walton on his official visit and officially decommitted from Texas Tech then flipped to the Buckeyes on Thursday, though the Red Raiders made several last-minute attempts to keep his commitment. To put it simply, Simspon-Hunt is a player OSU felt it needed to have in its 2023 recruiting class.
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Simpson-Hunt is considered the 173rd-best player and the 22nd cornerback in the 2023 cycle. He’s the third cornerback in the current class to give their verbal to Ohio State, joining four-star Florida prospect Dijon Johnson and four-star Georgia talent Kayin Lee. He’s the 15th commit total in the Buckeyes’ 2023 cycle.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | BRANDON INNISS | ★★★★★ | #18 NATL | #2 WR | 6-0 | 190 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) |
| WR | CARNELL TATE | ★★★★★ | #28 NATL | #3 WR | 6-2 | 185 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| OT | LUKE MONTGOMERY | ★★★★ | #42 NATL | #4 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Findlay (Findlay, OH) |
| WR | NOAH ROGERS | ★★★★ | #50 NATL | #9 WR | 6-2 | 180 | Rolesville (Rolesville, NC) |
| CB | DIJON JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #95 NATL | #11 CB | 6-1 | 190 | Wharton (Tampa, FL) |
| TE | TY LOCKWOOD | ★★★★ | #131 NATL | #8 TE | 6-5 | 225 | Independence (Thompson's Station, TN) |
| CB | KAYIN LEE | ★★★★ | #145 NATL | #18 CB | 6-2.5 | 175 | Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, GA) |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | ★★★★ | #149 NATL | #8 S | 6-2.5 | 175 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| CB | CALVIN SIMPSON-HUNT | ★★★★ | #173 NATL | #22 CB | 6-0 | 175 | Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) |
| IOL | JOSHUA PADILLA | ★★★★ | #180 NATL | #8 IOL | 6-4 | 265 | Wayne (Dayton, OH) |
| S | CEDRICK HAWKINS | ★★★★ | #210 NATL | #14 S | 6-0 | 175 | Cocoa (Cocoa, FL) |
| RB | MARK FLETCHER | ★★★★ | #219 NATL | #10 RB | 6-1 | 225 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) |
| OL | AUSTIN SIEREVELD | ★★★★ | #222 NATL | #9 IOL | 6-5 | 320 | Lakota East (Middletown, OH) |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | ★★★★ | #270 NATL | #32 WR | 6-0.5 | 175 | Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, FL) |
| DL | WILL SMITH JR. | ★★★ | #451 NATL | #55 DL | 6-3 | 260 | Dublin Coffman (Dublin, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
With Simpson-Hunt in the fold, the Buckeyes re-take the lead for the No. 1 overall recruiting class ranking in 2023 in the 247Sports national rankings, surpassing Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish had originally surpassed the Buckeyes after landing two commitments this week. Now that Simpson-Hunt has officially given his word to join the Buckeyes, OSU will now try to finish off its 2023 cornerback class by landing one more cornerback, which will likely be either Jermaine Mathews or Daniel Harris.
Both Mathews and Harris have decision dates lined up for Friday, so OSU's cornerback corps in 2023 will likely be full by the end of the weekend. The likeliest outcome is Mathews committing to Ohio State and Harris pledging to Georgia.
Simpson-Hunt joined Ohio State over the likes of Texas Tech, Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Boston College, Florida, Houston, LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC, Utah and Utah State.
