Before Tim Walton joined Ryan Day’s staff as cornerbacks coach in January, he hadn’t recruited players at the collegiate level in 14 years.
Since his last collegiate gig as Memphis’ defensive coordinator in 2008, Walton spent 14 seasons coaching in the NFL, employed by the Lions, Rams, Giants and Jaguars. In his first eight months on the recruiting trail, the former Buckeye has gotten off to a strong start on the recruiting trail, landing commitments from three four-star cornerbacks in the 2023 class: Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Kayin Lee and Jermaine Mathews. He had also landed Florida prospect Dijon Johnson until Johnson decommitted July 30.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Walton went into detail about what attributes he’ll search for when scouting cornerbacks.
“Mentality,” Walton said of the top attribute he looks for when recruiting a cornerback. “You look for certain competitive nature. Guys that love to compete, guys that love to play the game. Passion to play. Toughness, you know those things, and the technical part and all those things, you can refine that, but they gotta love to compete and (have) good toughness. You can mold guys. And a passion for the game.”
Walton said he doesn’t have to wait too long to find out if a potential target possesses the attributes Ohio State requires.
“Yeah, you can find out early,” Walton said. “That jumps out at guys. You know, they don't take long to find out who loves to play the game of football.”
18 OSU targets crack 247Sports 2025 top 100
On Wednesday, 247Sports unveiled its first prospect rankings for the 2025 recruiting class by releasing an early ranking of the top 100 prospects in the cycle. There were plenty of Ohio State targets represented, as 18 of the players on the list already have an offer from the Buckeyes:
- Elijah Griffin, defensive lineman, No. 2
- Armondo Blount, defensive lineman, No. 3
- Dakorien Moore, wide receiver, No. 8
- D.J. Pickett, safety, No. 10
- Zayden Walker, linebacker, No. 11
- Gideon Davidson, running back, No. 19
- Harlem Berry, running back, No. 21
- Jordan Davison, running back, No. 22
- Winston Watkins Jr., wide receiver, No. 27
- Davon Mitchell, tight end, No. 29
- Jadon Perlotte, linebacker, No. 33
- Mason Short, offensive tackle, No. 38
- Jaime Ffrench, wide receiver, No. 41
- Colin Hurley, quarterback, No. 61
- Donovan Johnson, running back, No. 72
- Bo Jackson, running back, No. 81
- Jaelyne Matthews, offensive tackle, No. 87
- Weston Port, linebacker, No. 98
Glenn will attend Notre Dame game
Count Ohio State’s 2023 quarterback commit among the many recruits who will attend the Buckeyes’ season opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. Brock Glenn confirmed to Eleven Warriors Wednesday he’ll be in attendance for opening weekend.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound signal caller committed to the Buckeyes on July 30, citing the track record of Ryan Day and Corey Dennis as one of the primary reasons he chose to play for the Buckeyes.
“What they really sold to me was their development,” Glenn said in August. “How they’re going to bring players in and develop them and set them up for the next level. A lot of programs can say that, but they don’t have the proof to back it up. Coach Day has the proof to back it up. I can 100% say I believe they can develop me and get me to where I want to go.”
In Lausanne Collegiate School’s (Memphis, Tennessee) opening 44-15 win against Southwind Friday, Glenn completed nine of 15 passing attempts for 195 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. One of his touchdown passes came while throwing on the run, showing the playmaking ability of the four-star signal caller.
Big 10 Brock Glenn to Wyatt Locastro
— The Zone (@sportszonetv1) August 20, 2022
Connect 6 pic.twitter.com/oHOd9AC6AK
