Trey DePriest is going to Alabama. Anyone that followed the recruitment probably isn’t surprised by the result. Despite some late optimism from Ohio State’s corner, DePriest just didn’t seem to have his heart in Ohio.
Jim Tressel has a certain recruiting style. Whether we like it or not and for good or bad, he isn’t going to change how he approaches recruiting. This means that anytime a kid doesn’t immediately fall in love with what Tressel and Ohio State have to offer, the chances are that the more aggressive and flashier approaches of some other coaches and programs will almost always win out.
We saw it last year with Henderson and we see it this year with DePriest, who really liked all of the attention that Alabama’s staff heaped upon him. I wish him the best of luck at Alabama, and really hope that he doesn’t fall victim to the SECs favorite recruiting practice of oversigning.
The good news is that in recruiting, when one door closes another always opens.
DePriest’s decision to head south may open the door for other linebackers in the class to choose Ohio State. Specifically, I think Ohio State will put the full court press on for Maryland LB Conner Crowell.
Crowell currently has a top three of Ohio State, Penn State, and North Carolina. Being from Maryland, I still think it will be tough to pull him west of State College, but Crowell will be visiting Columbus for the showdown against Miami, so anything could happen.
Ohio State appears to want two linebackers in the class, and right now it looks like Crowell and Ejuan Price are the top targets.
Glenville prospect Andre Sturdivant is also in the mix, but he has been in grade limbo for a long time, and he appears destined to have his hand in the dirt anyways.
Speaking of positions that Ohio State wants to fill, it looks like two more defensive backs are in the works for the class. Doran Grant is a safe bet to be a part of the class. The second is where it gets a little tricky.
Jabari Gorman looks like the top target. He recently listed Ohio State as his favorite followed by Alabama and Miami (FL). Gorman will be another visitor for the Miami game in September.
Gorman isn’t a long shot, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he stayed in the south. Damian Swann is another southern kid in the running, but it is likely that he will stay south.
In the scenario that OSU misses out on their out-of-state targets, Darius Patton is an in-state player that may be the next in line for a late offer in order to get another DB in the class.
Two more linebackers, two more DB’s, and the Glenville duo of Aundrey Walker and Shane Wynn brings the class to 23, which seems just about right to me.
This, of course, is subject to change.
Crowell is far from a sure thing. If he stayed east Ohio State could offer another LB late, they could offer one of the Glenville kids, or they could do something completely unexpected.
Shane Wynn is another player that might do something unexpected. He has listed Miami as his leader for awhile, and claims that he is a package deal with Cardale Jones. While most people think he is putting on a show and is all Ohio State, he may end up elsewhere, opening up scholarship options for additional players.
For right now though, I say the class closes out looking something like this:
LB Ejuan Price
LB Conner Crowell/?
DB Doran Grant
DB Jabari Gorman/Darius Patton
OL Aundrey Walker
WR Shane Wynn
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