January will be a pivotal month for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.
The next few months are going to be some trying times as we wait for spring practice reports and the annual scrimmage all the while wondering what could have been for 2019. Even with no actual football being played, January is going to be a very important month for the upcoming season and beyond.
The offseason is a time for coaching rumors, and we've already been seeing that with Urban Meyer being "a leading candidate" for approximately 20 different jobs. Ohio State was already hit hard by the coaching carousel, but Ryan Day could be in for some good news in the near future.
February's national signing day, the transfer portal, and a new coaching hire are among the key items on Ohio State's current to-do list.
Replacing Jeff Hafley
The current head coach at Boston College was most recently the man who was instrumental in turning around a defense that ranked No. 71 in the country in 2018. This past year, that defense – with nearly identical personnel – finished No. 1 nationally.
Additionally, Hafley was neck and neck with Brian Hartline as the staff's ace recruiter. Lathan Ransom, Kourt Williams, and Ryan Watts are among the 2020 signees that Hafley led the charge for, and there's no doubt his departure played a role in Clark Phillips' decision to flip to Utah.
Unfortunately, the Tennessee Titans' win over the Patriots (though quite enjoyable) may have put a snag in the timeline for an upcoming hire. Kerry Coombs has been the top target ever since Hafley made his decision, and the Titans' playoff run may just be delaying the inevitable.
Getting the new assistant in place and up in running will be of the utmost importance because.....
Keeping Cameron Martinez in the Fold
The state of Michigan's two-time Player of the Year was set to sign with the Buckeyes in December, but he slowed things down after the Hafley news. A star with the ball in his hands, Martinez can play a number of spots but is expected to line up in the secondary.
We've been calling Martinez a safety for a while now, but Ohio State's scheme now typically includes just one safety on the field. His ultimate role may very well be more along the lines of what we saw from Shaun Wade in 2019. Either way, he's a player that Day needs to keep in the fold for the 2020 class.
Minnesota and Northwestern have been viewed as the top competition, but Notre Dame is trying to make a run at the four-star as well. The best thing Ohio State can do at this point is to get a new assistant in place. A coach like Coombs with a long track record of recruiting the state of Michigan? That certainly wouldn't hurt.
Jahmyr Gibbs and the Running Back Saga
We've touched on it regularly, but it's been a tough cycle at running back. Kendall Milton is already in Athens, Bijan Robinson will arrive at Texas this summer, and the Buckeyes ended up signing three-star Cincinnati native Miyan Williams a few weeks back. Williams can certainly play, but Tony Alford had plenty of heartbreak this go around.
The lone realistic running back target continues to be four-star Georgia Tech commit Jahmyr Gibbs. He's already been to Columbus once and has plans of returning for an official visit here in a few weeks. However, the issue here is two-fold: 1) He's already committed elsewhere and 2) Schools like LSU and Florida are pushing for a flip.
I'm of the belief that it's a three-team race between Georgia Tech, LSU, and Ohio State. It's been rumored that he wants to stay closer to home, so that could be an impossible hurdle to overcome. He also stays with a family whose own child will be attending Georgia Tech as a preferred walk-on.
There's no real reason for optimism here (despite a few social media posts), but getting him back on campus is a pretty big deal if it does come to fruition. Right now it's looking like Gibbs or bust at the position.
Portal Watch: 2020
As Ohio State looks to add to its 2020 recruiting class, the staff will also be scoping out the transfer portal. The additions of Justin Fields and Jonah Jackson paid off in a big way this past season, and adding any sort of impact player at a position of need would again be great news.
Unfortunately, one of the names we'd been on the lookout for was scratched off the board just yesterday when UCLA cornerback Darnay Holmes – who had been contemplating a transfer – made the decision to enter the NFL Draft. The return of Shaun Wade is absolutely huge, but adding another corner remains a pressing need. There's just not a whole lot out there in the portal right now.
The other big-time name is Temple defensive end and pass-rushing specialist Quincy Roche. The Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, Roche recorded 19 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 2019. He's a graduate transfer and will bring immediate eligibility to his program of choice.
Should have decision made by the end of this week
— Q. (@Qr9____) January 6, 2020
Defensive end is far from the team's biggest need, but you really can't have too many talented pass rushers. We're not entirely sure on the level of interest, but he did tweet out that he's closing in on a decision. Just about every school in America seems interested with Miami, North Carolina, and Baylor reportedly pushing hard at the moment.
It's worth noting that Roche is from Maryland and right in the heart of Larry Johnson territory. Even if the Buckeyes make a strong push, would a graduate transfer want to go somewhere with plenty of competition at the position?
Exploring the Local Talent
It's always worth keeping an eye on the in-state prospects, and that could be especially true now considering the lingering positional needs. Ohio State has a few weeks left to figure out if there are any other local products who may be worth offering late in the process.
When looking at Ohio's top prospects, things are fairly sparse since so many of the players finalized their decisions during December's early signing period. In fact, there are only seven recruits in the state's top-60 that have yet to sign, and two of them are already committed to other programs.
Walnut Ridge receiver/cornerback Qian Magwood is a name we've discussed before, but he's someone Ohio State has been watching for months now. At 6-foot and 185 pounds, he's a versatile athlete who also stars on the hardwood. Magwood remains the Ohioan to watch most closely as signing day approaches.
