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LGHL Spring Game Film Breakdown: McCord’s day as a passer, the offensive line performance and the run game
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Spring Game Film Breakdown: McCord’s day as a passer, the offensive line performance and the run game
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Ohio State’s offense was far from perfect on Saturday, but the performance showed the potential of an elite offense.
Team Scarlet represented the offense in the Spring Game and did not have a perfect performance, losing to the Gray team 40-31. The inexperience at quarterback and offensive line created a stagnant start to the day, but as the game progressed the ones and twos began to find some rhythm.
There were moments of explosiveness, but those moments could be defined more as individual excellence over offensive team success. Chip Trayanum opened the offensive scoring with a long touchdown run for the Buckeyes, showing his combination of size and speed. Then at the end of the third quarter Ohio State found success with a touchdown throw to freshman receiver Carnell Tate, and continued this with an extraordinary individual effort from fellow freshman receiver Noah Rogers.
These plays were the highlights, but there is a lot more to get into. The offense did not look like what Ohio State fans have grown accustomed to. Part of that was lead back Miyan Williams being down at the touch. The other part of the equation is the inexperience on the offensive line. Looking back at previous Spring Game performances though should remind us that Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins, and C.J. Stroud all didn’t look the sharpest.
There is a long way to go until the regular season, but we can start to decipher the goals of the offseason and what the offensive plan might be in 2023.
Passing Game
Diving into the game without Devin Brown available, Kyle McCord had the spotlight on him with the ones offense for Team Scarlet. McCord was working with a variety of receivers with two starters being out and the first team offensive line being an unfinished product. The offensive line definitely struggled against the starting defensive line, looking overmatched against stunts and on the edge, but they got comfortable giving McCord more time to throw as the game progressed.
In the first play, Ohio State’s is in the second series on offense, and they were making a statement to get the ball out quickly. McCord makes a quick read. The offense runs a spot concept to create a rub between the outside receiver and safety. McCord is able to read this pre-snap due to the two high look from the corners. This means the safety has the out route and if he over commits, McCord would have just taken the spot route.
Later in the drive, McCord was dealing with pressure, after extending a play to keep the drive alive the offensive staff drew up a play-action pass to garner up a chunk play. McCord shows a hard play-action fake to give the receivers time to develop their routes down the field. Fryar is left on the top side one-on-one against Tuimoloau and McCord understands he will have no back side protection. This means his clock has to move, and once Harrison Jr. clears the linebackers McCord releases the ball quickly for a big gain.
McCord was starting to build some confidence with the offensive line holding up well. After the big gain, the offense ran four verticals with a little tempo. Stover takes an inside release with the safety stepped down on him. As he gets up field, the safety shades over and McCord places the throw to the backside shoulder. This is exactly where the ball needs to be and this might have been McCord’s best throw/decision on the day.
Unfortunately for McCord, Stover was unable to haul in the throw and the Buckeyes were forced to settle for a field goal.
The last play to look at was kind of a synopsis for how the rest of the day went for McCord. When he had time he was mostly sharp, when he was under pressure he definitely felt it for the majority of the day. In other cases the coverage was either good or the balls were coming out just a little late.
On this final play, McCord is reading the corner back, the corner gains more depth, so the only option is the out route to Kaleb Brown. McCord releases the ball late, Brown drifts up field, and C.J. Hicks makes a quick break on the ball. This ball needs to be thrown further towards the sideline, and Brown needs to work back to the ball based on the coverage.
Overall, this is the timing stuff that will be worked out with more work, and for McCord the best option here might have been to throw the ball away.
Run Game
As stated previously, evaluating the offensive run game with Williams on the field is unfair due to him being down at touch. Looking back at the game, there were definitely some plays that looked like they were going to be much larger gains then they were given credit for. Trayanum will definitely be vying for an expanded role come this fall if he continues to show the same explosive ability. And overall the takeaway from this is Ohio State has four capable running backs who deserve carries and a fifth talented back who can add to this mix.
The offensive line struggled early from a rhythm stand point, but they created a few big plays as the day progressed. They kept it simple scheme wise keeping in character with a lot of wide zone and split zone actions. Ohio State’s second team offense started the day on the wrong foot with Dallan Hayden getting met in the backfield. Reid Carrico at linebacker on the weak side sees the split action and knows the play is coming his way. Josh Fryar needs to cut off the backer, instead Carrico shoots inside and blows up the play.
The offensive line improved throughout the day though, and really excelled in the stretch and wide zone looks that Ohio State loves to run. In the play below, Ohio State runs stretch to the boundary which was a play that quite a few people do not like. The reason this play fails sometimes is the lack of patience from the running back to let the offensive line get outside and get up to the second level.
The goal of this play is to widen the defense to create vertical seams for the running back to get through. Trayanum stays horizontal long enough to allow one of these seams to open, and when it does, he hits it for a 65-yard touchdown run to get the offense on the board. This play was blocked perfectly and Trayanum read/felt the run lane perfectly.
As the day continued, the offense was able to lean on the defense a little bit especially in the second half. The offensive staff showed a lot of confidence in getting their offensive line out in space which is a point of emphasis.
In this next play, the Buckeyes run their pin-and-pull concept. If the offensive linemen has a player in the gap to the right they will pin them away from the play side. The players who don’t pull across the formation and lead through the edge of the line. Hayden sees the lane immediately and hits the hole for a nice gain.
This is the basis of a solid run game, and the foundation for the Buckeyes from the Spring Game is Ohio State wants to get wide, get their linemen moving, and get their linemen up to the second level. As the day went on they showed that they are able to do that.
The last play might end up being a tease for the fan base, but with a first year quarterback in combination with the inexperienced offensive line, this concept might be a necessity. Ohio State runs a basic zone read on their outside zone look, the defensive end crashes hard making this a pull read. McCord shows enough athleticism to get outside and gain a few yards off the zone read.
This is important because it equates numbers in the box, and if successful, can keep the defensive end out of the play.
The offense felt a lot more stagnant watching the game live, but part of that is the general tempo of the Spring Game. Not included in this were the two long touchdown passes to Carnell Tate and Noah Rogers, but they were examples of the apparent explosiveness Ohio State’s offense still has. Adding those plays to the day Chip Traynum had running the football, and the solid stretches of McCord throwing downfield, gives reason to believe that the Buckeyes can figure this out before the season starts.
We all know Ohio State has talented receivers and running backs, with Day’s history in developing quarterbacks there is little worry there. Where this all starts and stops is the offensive line. If this group can not put it together, and find more consistency, the offense will suffer. We saw stretches on Saturday of McCord being uncomfortable in the pocket, and it took a few series for them to find their footing in the run game.
When the offensive line was able to put it together the offense was pretty explosive. The Buckeyes will be able to mask this through the first three games, and hopefully grow the confidence of the offensive line and quarterback before the Notre Dame game. There are 20 practices in Fall, and there are few questions outside the offensive line.
The offense was sharp at times, but the final result showed there is a long way to go for the Buckeyes as they head into the Summer.
Continue reading...
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Ohio State’s offense was far from perfect on Saturday, but the performance showed the potential of an elite offense.
Team Scarlet represented the offense in the Spring Game and did not have a perfect performance, losing to the Gray team 40-31. The inexperience at quarterback and offensive line created a stagnant start to the day, but as the game progressed the ones and twos began to find some rhythm.
There were moments of explosiveness, but those moments could be defined more as individual excellence over offensive team success. Chip Trayanum opened the offensive scoring with a long touchdown run for the Buckeyes, showing his combination of size and speed. Then at the end of the third quarter Ohio State found success with a touchdown throw to freshman receiver Carnell Tate, and continued this with an extraordinary individual effort from fellow freshman receiver Noah Rogers.
These plays were the highlights, but there is a lot more to get into. The offense did not look like what Ohio State fans have grown accustomed to. Part of that was lead back Miyan Williams being down at the touch. The other part of the equation is the inexperience on the offensive line. Looking back at previous Spring Game performances though should remind us that Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins, and C.J. Stroud all didn’t look the sharpest.
There is a long way to go until the regular season, but we can start to decipher the goals of the offseason and what the offensive plan might be in 2023.
Passing Game
Diving into the game without Devin Brown available, Kyle McCord had the spotlight on him with the ones offense for Team Scarlet. McCord was working with a variety of receivers with two starters being out and the first team offensive line being an unfinished product. The offensive line definitely struggled against the starting defensive line, looking overmatched against stunts and on the edge, but they got comfortable giving McCord more time to throw as the game progressed.
In the first play, Ohio State’s is in the second series on offense, and they were making a statement to get the ball out quickly. McCord makes a quick read. The offense runs a spot concept to create a rub between the outside receiver and safety. McCord is able to read this pre-snap due to the two high look from the corners. This means the safety has the out route and if he over commits, McCord would have just taken the spot route.
Later in the drive, McCord was dealing with pressure, after extending a play to keep the drive alive the offensive staff drew up a play-action pass to garner up a chunk play. McCord shows a hard play-action fake to give the receivers time to develop their routes down the field. Fryar is left on the top side one-on-one against Tuimoloau and McCord understands he will have no back side protection. This means his clock has to move, and once Harrison Jr. clears the linebackers McCord releases the ball quickly for a big gain.
McCord was starting to build some confidence with the offensive line holding up well. After the big gain, the offense ran four verticals with a little tempo. Stover takes an inside release with the safety stepped down on him. As he gets up field, the safety shades over and McCord places the throw to the backside shoulder. This is exactly where the ball needs to be and this might have been McCord’s best throw/decision on the day.
Unfortunately for McCord, Stover was unable to haul in the throw and the Buckeyes were forced to settle for a field goal.
The last play to look at was kind of a synopsis for how the rest of the day went for McCord. When he had time he was mostly sharp, when he was under pressure he definitely felt it for the majority of the day. In other cases the coverage was either good or the balls were coming out just a little late.
On this final play, McCord is reading the corner back, the corner gains more depth, so the only option is the out route to Kaleb Brown. McCord releases the ball late, Brown drifts up field, and C.J. Hicks makes a quick break on the ball. This ball needs to be thrown further towards the sideline, and Brown needs to work back to the ball based on the coverage.
Overall, this is the timing stuff that will be worked out with more work, and for McCord the best option here might have been to throw the ball away.
Run Game
As stated previously, evaluating the offensive run game with Williams on the field is unfair due to him being down at touch. Looking back at the game, there were definitely some plays that looked like they were going to be much larger gains then they were given credit for. Trayanum will definitely be vying for an expanded role come this fall if he continues to show the same explosive ability. And overall the takeaway from this is Ohio State has four capable running backs who deserve carries and a fifth talented back who can add to this mix.
The offensive line struggled early from a rhythm stand point, but they created a few big plays as the day progressed. They kept it simple scheme wise keeping in character with a lot of wide zone and split zone actions. Ohio State’s second team offense started the day on the wrong foot with Dallan Hayden getting met in the backfield. Reid Carrico at linebacker on the weak side sees the split action and knows the play is coming his way. Josh Fryar needs to cut off the backer, instead Carrico shoots inside and blows up the play.
The offensive line improved throughout the day though, and really excelled in the stretch and wide zone looks that Ohio State loves to run. In the play below, Ohio State runs stretch to the boundary which was a play that quite a few people do not like. The reason this play fails sometimes is the lack of patience from the running back to let the offensive line get outside and get up to the second level.
The goal of this play is to widen the defense to create vertical seams for the running back to get through. Trayanum stays horizontal long enough to allow one of these seams to open, and when it does, he hits it for a 65-yard touchdown run to get the offense on the board. This play was blocked perfectly and Trayanum read/felt the run lane perfectly.
As the day continued, the offense was able to lean on the defense a little bit especially in the second half. The offensive staff showed a lot of confidence in getting their offensive line out in space which is a point of emphasis.
In this next play, the Buckeyes run their pin-and-pull concept. If the offensive linemen has a player in the gap to the right they will pin them away from the play side. The players who don’t pull across the formation and lead through the edge of the line. Hayden sees the lane immediately and hits the hole for a nice gain.
This is the basis of a solid run game, and the foundation for the Buckeyes from the Spring Game is Ohio State wants to get wide, get their linemen moving, and get their linemen up to the second level. As the day went on they showed that they are able to do that.
The last play might end up being a tease for the fan base, but with a first year quarterback in combination with the inexperienced offensive line, this concept might be a necessity. Ohio State runs a basic zone read on their outside zone look, the defensive end crashes hard making this a pull read. McCord shows enough athleticism to get outside and gain a few yards off the zone read.
This is important because it equates numbers in the box, and if successful, can keep the defensive end out of the play.
The offense felt a lot more stagnant watching the game live, but part of that is the general tempo of the Spring Game. Not included in this were the two long touchdown passes to Carnell Tate and Noah Rogers, but they were examples of the apparent explosiveness Ohio State’s offense still has. Adding those plays to the day Chip Traynum had running the football, and the solid stretches of McCord throwing downfield, gives reason to believe that the Buckeyes can figure this out before the season starts.
We all know Ohio State has talented receivers and running backs, with Day’s history in developing quarterbacks there is little worry there. Where this all starts and stops is the offensive line. If this group can not put it together, and find more consistency, the offense will suffer. We saw stretches on Saturday of McCord being uncomfortable in the pocket, and it took a few series for them to find their footing in the run game.
When the offensive line was able to put it together the offense was pretty explosive. The Buckeyes will be able to mask this through the first three games, and hopefully grow the confidence of the offensive line and quarterback before the Notre Dame game. There are 20 practices in Fall, and there are few questions outside the offensive line.
The offense was sharp at times, but the final result showed there is a long way to go for the Buckeyes as they head into the Summer.
Continue reading...
LGHL Column: The Ohio State spring game doesn’t move the needle for me
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- 0 Replies
Column: The Ohio State spring game doesn’t move the needle for me
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With the college football season still over four months away, it’s hard to care about a scrimmage.
We live in a time where everybody has to have an opinion or a take on everything immediately. The way we consume information and communicate with others is so much different from even 20 years ago. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms have made it so we can react immediately to everything that happens in the world, and share our opinions on anything.
Not that I’m ridiculously old, but I remember the days where I found out sports information from the newspaper, radio, or ESPN. Much like how you used to have to wait to find out if you had snow days in school by listening to the radio or watching the scroll on the morning news, I remember when I tracked scores by watching the scroll on ESPN and other sports networks. Now you can watch games live on your phone.
While the access to information and a platform to express your thoughts and opinions can be a gift, it can also be a curse. Now it feels like you have to have an instant reaction to everything. I’m certainly guilty of this. I remember when I was tweeting constantly about pretty much anything. I will say though, over the last few years I’ve found myself tweeting less and less. It has nothing to do with Elon Musk buying Twitter or anything like that, I guess I’m just tired of always having to be on edge, which is what it feels like you have to be when logging on.
I guess these days I feel like if I’m going to let something really get to me, it better be pretty important. That’s why I could really care less about what we saw in the spring game on Saturday. I know it was a beautiful day in Columbus on Saturday for families to get down to Ohio Stadium, Archie Griffin scored a touchdown, and some players got some cardio. Other than that, I’m not ready to proclaim Ryan Day is on the hot seat, or the Buckeyes are winning the national title this season based on what we saw in the scrimmage.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24597123/usa_today_20469357.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons why I think the spring game is important. A big reason is because once the spring game arrives, it feels like it is actually spring here in Ohio. Of course I say that, and a couple days later it was 40 degrees and sleeting here in Columbus. Also, the spring game is a great opportunity for families to get to Ohio Stadium for a little football, since the university is making it increasingly difficult for families to go to regular season games with the prices of tickets going up.
Other than those reasons, there isn’t anything else about the spring game that I feel is important. If you want to dissect every throw Kyle McCord made on Saturday, then have at it. I just don’t see the value in doing so. McCord didn’t have a number of skill position players at his disposal that will be available for the season opener at Indiana. Plus, McCord didn’t have to worry about getting hit on Saturday, and it’s not like he had to worry about out-dueling Devin Brown, who missed the spring game due to finger surgery.
Anybody who says they know either side of the football is better or worse than last year is lying. I’m certainly hoping the defense is better than what we saw at times last year, and it likely will be with some of the personnel changes on and off the field. We just won’t know for sure until at least a few weeks into the season. The good news for the defense is they get to practice against one of the best offenses in the country. Iron sharpens iron.
All this to say, I love Ohio State football, but I can’t get worked up about it all year round. Much like how I haven’t cared to watch any XFL or USFL action, I need a break from football after the college football season and the NFL playoffs are over. After going all-in on football from August until February, I need to take some time off or else I’m seriously going to be burnt out on football.
Last month I was at Ledo’s on the Saturday Ohio State beat UConn in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and somebody asked me how I thought the Bills were looking this year since they knew I was a Buffalo fan. I just shook my head and said “I have no idea since it’s March”. Free agency had just started and the NFL Draft was still a month away, so I honestly have no idea, and I’m not ready to dive into what their season might look like.
In a way it’s the same way I think of Ohio State’s spring camp and the spring game. We don’t know how Ohio State is going to look this year, and we aren’t going to know for months. I know it’s fun to speculate, but there’s too much else going on for me to think about it for more than five seconds. Give me the NBA and NHL playoffs, a few golf major tournaments, and other events around the sporting world instead of months of going over the same questions about this year’s Buckeye team.
One thing you can be sure of is when we hit late August, I’ll be ready to run through walls ahead of Ohio State hopefully making another run to the College Football Playoff. Go Bucks!
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With the college football season still over four months away, it’s hard to care about a scrimmage.
We live in a time where everybody has to have an opinion or a take on everything immediately. The way we consume information and communicate with others is so much different from even 20 years ago. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms have made it so we can react immediately to everything that happens in the world, and share our opinions on anything.
Not that I’m ridiculously old, but I remember the days where I found out sports information from the newspaper, radio, or ESPN. Much like how you used to have to wait to find out if you had snow days in school by listening to the radio or watching the scroll on the morning news, I remember when I tracked scores by watching the scroll on ESPN and other sports networks. Now you can watch games live on your phone.
While the access to information and a platform to express your thoughts and opinions can be a gift, it can also be a curse. Now it feels like you have to have an instant reaction to everything. I’m certainly guilty of this. I remember when I was tweeting constantly about pretty much anything. I will say though, over the last few years I’ve found myself tweeting less and less. It has nothing to do with Elon Musk buying Twitter or anything like that, I guess I’m just tired of always having to be on edge, which is what it feels like you have to be when logging on.
I guess these days I feel like if I’m going to let something really get to me, it better be pretty important. That’s why I could really care less about what we saw in the spring game on Saturday. I know it was a beautiful day in Columbus on Saturday for families to get down to Ohio Stadium, Archie Griffin scored a touchdown, and some players got some cardio. Other than that, I’m not ready to proclaim Ryan Day is on the hot seat, or the Buckeyes are winning the national title this season based on what we saw in the scrimmage.
Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons why I think the spring game is important. A big reason is because once the spring game arrives, it feels like it is actually spring here in Ohio. Of course I say that, and a couple days later it was 40 degrees and sleeting here in Columbus. Also, the spring game is a great opportunity for families to get to Ohio Stadium for a little football, since the university is making it increasingly difficult for families to go to regular season games with the prices of tickets going up.
Other than those reasons, there isn’t anything else about the spring game that I feel is important. If you want to dissect every throw Kyle McCord made on Saturday, then have at it. I just don’t see the value in doing so. McCord didn’t have a number of skill position players at his disposal that will be available for the season opener at Indiana. Plus, McCord didn’t have to worry about getting hit on Saturday, and it’s not like he had to worry about out-dueling Devin Brown, who missed the spring game due to finger surgery.
Anybody who says they know either side of the football is better or worse than last year is lying. I’m certainly hoping the defense is better than what we saw at times last year, and it likely will be with some of the personnel changes on and off the field. We just won’t know for sure until at least a few weeks into the season. The good news for the defense is they get to practice against one of the best offenses in the country. Iron sharpens iron.
All this to say, I love Ohio State football, but I can’t get worked up about it all year round. Much like how I haven’t cared to watch any XFL or USFL action, I need a break from football after the college football season and the NFL playoffs are over. After going all-in on football from August until February, I need to take some time off or else I’m seriously going to be burnt out on football.
Last month I was at Ledo’s on the Saturday Ohio State beat UConn in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and somebody asked me how I thought the Bills were looking this year since they knew I was a Buffalo fan. I just shook my head and said “I have no idea since it’s March”. Free agency had just started and the NFL Draft was still a month away, so I honestly have no idea, and I’m not ready to dive into what their season might look like.
In a way it’s the same way I think of Ohio State’s spring camp and the spring game. We don’t know how Ohio State is going to look this year, and we aren’t going to know for months. I know it’s fun to speculate, but there’s too much else going on for me to think about it for more than five seconds. Give me the NBA and NHL playoffs, a few golf major tournaments, and other events around the sporting world instead of months of going over the same questions about this year’s Buckeye team.
One thing you can be sure of is when we hit late August, I’ll be ready to run through walls ahead of Ohio State hopefully making another run to the College Football Playoff. Go Bucks!
Continue reading...
LGHL 2024’s top offensive tackle prospect sets Ohio State official visit, 2025 in-state native sees a rankings boost
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- 0 Replies
2024’s top offensive tackle prospect sets Ohio State official visit, 2025 in-state native sees a rankings boost
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are doing their best to land multiple top targets from Mater Dei in the 2024 class.
It was just yesterday that 2024 cornerback target Zabien Brown was an important topic of discussion, as the Mater Dei product kept Ohio State in the mix with his latest recruiting update. The California prep powerhouse is one of the top schools in the country year in and year out, so it’s not a shock by any means to see the steady amount of talent coming forth each year. Ohio State is doing their best to land Brown for their 2024 class as one of their more important defensive targets, but the Buckeyes are also hoping for more than just one Mater Dei product this cycle to end up in their class.
The top offensive tackle in the country, Brandon Baker is the No. 23 player nationally per the 247Sports rankings and the top player in California as well for this class. At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Baker already has impressive size, but it’s everything else that helps make up his five-star status. Nearly 30 offers to his name shows just how highly regarded he is, and with Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma, and so many more being some of the top suitors, it’s evident why this is one of those crown jewel types of recruitments considering how important his positional value is.
In regard to Ohio State, and like the aforementioned Brown, the Buckeyes are very much in on Baker as they try to really make their way into the Mater Dei program. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday to announce some of the latest recruiting news, Baker has an official visit to Ohio State set for June 9 and staying through June 11. A multi-day stay in Columbus, the interesting feat here is that this visit will take place just a week before teammate Zabien Brown will arrive on campus. It may not be a positive or negative that he will be without his teammate on his official visit, but having Baker on site for one of five officials is a huge deal as position coach Justin Frye tries to finish his 2024 haul off.
As they have the last couple of years, Ohio State has banked on in-state talent to really reload the offensive line.
Still, that elite national tackle prospect to join the Buckeyes has yet to be seen under Frye’s leadership. No knock at all on the Ohio natives, it will still would be great to see the Buckeyes have a national win on the recruiting trail like they do with so many other position groups. It won’t be easy to land Baker’s commitment, but it does certainly look like the interest is there from these Mater Dei studs and that would be a massive win for Ohio State as they look to put their footprint in California once again. These summer visits are so crucial to the 2024 class as a whole.
Until this visit, the Buckeye staff and players alike will continue their recruiting efforts of Baker and others, as his tweet alone saw several of the current commits shooting their shot and peer recruiting and showing their support of him and Ohio State.
Clayton, Ohio native Dorian Brew is a 6-foot-2, 185 pound athlete in the 2025 class who plays receiver, but is listed as a cornerback on his 247Sports profile. The No. 34 player nationally, Brew is the third best corner in the country and the top player in Ohio per the 247Sports Composite. The latest recruiting update by 247Sports yesterday put him into the top 20 players, and while rankings aren’t everything, this is a recruitment Ohio State doesn’t want to get away.
Knowing the need to add corners every year, the Buckeyes will really have to get after this one to keep him home. Per the Crystal Ball, there’s two early submissions for Notre Dame, but with both of those coming from Irish analysts, it’s too early to really say Notre Dame is the clear frontrunner.
Ohio is producing some great talent currently and keeping them home will always be a top priority for Ryan Day and his staff as far as recruiting strategy goes. As mentioned, it’s never a done deal by any means, but the Buckeyes are surely working and this rankings update shows a little inside scoop as to why the work is being done this hard.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are doing their best to land multiple top targets from Mater Dei in the 2024 class.
Top offensive tackle target sets OSU visit plans
It was just yesterday that 2024 cornerback target Zabien Brown was an important topic of discussion, as the Mater Dei product kept Ohio State in the mix with his latest recruiting update. The California prep powerhouse is one of the top schools in the country year in and year out, so it’s not a shock by any means to see the steady amount of talent coming forth each year. Ohio State is doing their best to land Brown for their 2024 class as one of their more important defensive targets, but the Buckeyes are also hoping for more than just one Mater Dei product this cycle to end up in their class.
The top offensive tackle in the country, Brandon Baker is the No. 23 player nationally per the 247Sports rankings and the top player in California as well for this class. At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Baker already has impressive size, but it’s everything else that helps make up his five-star status. Nearly 30 offers to his name shows just how highly regarded he is, and with Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma, and so many more being some of the top suitors, it’s evident why this is one of those crown jewel types of recruitments considering how important his positional value is.
In regard to Ohio State, and like the aforementioned Brown, the Buckeyes are very much in on Baker as they try to really make their way into the Mater Dei program. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday to announce some of the latest recruiting news, Baker has an official visit to Ohio State set for June 9 and staying through June 11. A multi-day stay in Columbus, the interesting feat here is that this visit will take place just a week before teammate Zabien Brown will arrive on campus. It may not be a positive or negative that he will be without his teammate on his official visit, but having Baker on site for one of five officials is a huge deal as position coach Justin Frye tries to finish his 2024 haul off.
As they have the last couple of years, Ohio State has banked on in-state talent to really reload the offensive line.
Still, that elite national tackle prospect to join the Buckeyes has yet to be seen under Frye’s leadership. No knock at all on the Ohio natives, it will still would be great to see the Buckeyes have a national win on the recruiting trail like they do with so many other position groups. It won’t be easy to land Baker’s commitment, but it does certainly look like the interest is there from these Mater Dei studs and that would be a massive win for Ohio State as they look to put their footprint in California once again. These summer visits are so crucial to the 2024 class as a whole.
Until this visit, the Buckeye staff and players alike will continue their recruiting efforts of Baker and others, as his tweet alone saw several of the current commits shooting their shot and peer recruiting and showing their support of him and Ohio State.
Quick Hits
- Not a done deal yet, Ohio State still has some pretty favorable odds at landing two major in-state talents to bolster their defensive secondary of the future. Both Aaron Scott and Bryce West continue to be themes surrounding 2024 recruiting, and it does help that these talented prospects are right within their own border. In the 2025 class, Ohio is once again producing some elite defensive back talent that the Buckeyes will look to keep home.
Clayton, Ohio native Dorian Brew is a 6-foot-2, 185 pound athlete in the 2025 class who plays receiver, but is listed as a cornerback on his 247Sports profile. The No. 34 player nationally, Brew is the third best corner in the country and the top player in Ohio per the 247Sports Composite. The latest recruiting update by 247Sports yesterday put him into the top 20 players, and while rankings aren’t everything, this is a recruitment Ohio State doesn’t want to get away.
Knowing the need to add corners every year, the Buckeyes will really have to get after this one to keep him home. Per the Crystal Ball, there’s two early submissions for Notre Dame, but with both of those coming from Irish analysts, it’s too early to really say Notre Dame is the clear frontrunner.
Ohio is producing some great talent currently and keeping them home will always be a top priority for Ryan Day and his staff as far as recruiting strategy goes. As mentioned, it’s never a done deal by any means, but the Buckeyes are surely working and this rankings update shows a little inside scoop as to why the work is being done this hard.
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