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2024 IL DE Marquise Lightfoot (Miami, FL Verbal)

Perspective from Tony Gerdeman from BuckeyeHuddle:
Thats a great question

IMHO, the earliest one you could make a case for would be 3* WR Braxton Berrios in the 2014 class (6th round draft pick)... but he was a "Plan B" guy for Ohio State that year and I still wouldn't have taken him over Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, or Johnie Dixon, despite Johnnie's injuries

The last big "Plan A" recruitment we legitimately lost to Miami was high 4* WR Jeff Thomas in 2017, but he didn't end up amounting to anything with Miami's coaching (undrafted free agent)

The last "Plan A" guy that amounted to anything was 5* CB Brandon Harris in 2008 back in the Tressel days, who ended up a 2nd round pick. Regardless, point very well taken. It's legitimately been 15 years since Miami took a guy Ohio State legitimately wanted that ended up amounting to anything


With all of that said... good luck to Lightfoot at Miami
 
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Thats a great question

IMHO, the earliest one you could make a case for would be 3* WR Braxton Berrios in the 2014 class (6th round draft pick)... but he was a "Plan B" guy for Ohio State that year and I still wouldn't have taken him over Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, or Johnie Dixon, despite Johnnie's injuries

The last big "Plan A" recruitment we legitimately lost to Miami was high 4* WR Jeff Thomas in 2017, but he didn't end up amounting to anything with Miami's coaching (undrafted free agent)

The last "Plan A" guy that amounted to anything was 5* CB Brandon Harris in 2008 back in the Tressel days, who ended up a 2nd round pick. Regardless, point very well taken. It's legitimately been 15 years since Miami took a guy Ohio State legitimately wanted that ended up amounting to anything


With all of that said... good luck to Lightfoot at Miami

The most recent would probably be RB Jaylan Knighton, who committed to the staff in person and then publicly committed to Miami.

He’s since transferred to SMU.
 
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Just in terms of how the process was apparently handled, where the player was supposedly silently committed for an extended period of time to the Ohio State staff before approaching them with an NIL demand and threat at the last minute—give me this amount or I’m going to Miami—is revealing of character in a way that is helpful to the staff. That’s not an attitude that seems particularly compatible with the one I’m sure they’re looking for in the locker room. Whether it was the kid or someone in the family, I’m pretty confident the coaches are ultimately fairly happy it’s not something they have to deal with long term—not that it isn’t pretty obvious he’d be an early transfer prospect anyways.
 
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Just in terms of how the process was apparently handled, where the player was supposedly silently committed for an extended period of time to the Ohio State staff before approaching them with an NIL demand and threat at the last minute—give me this amount or I’m going to Miami—is revealing of character in a way that is helpful to the staff. That’s not an attitude that seems particularly compatible with the one I’m sure they’re looking for in the locker room. Whether it was the kid or someone in the family, I’m pretty confident the coaches are ultimately fairly happy it’s not something they have to deal with long term—not that it isn’t pretty obvious he’d be an early transfer prospect anyways.
The fact that Day didn't even hesitate to let him go and not try and match Miami's offer, kind of shows you how OSU will deal with kids like this. You're not going to shake them down. If you want more money at the 11th hour, then ADIOS :pimp:

Btw, let's not forget that OSU already has Lightfoot on the roster, just in the '23 class. He's a kid OSU flipped from LSU and is also from the midwest: Joshua Mickens. Essentially the same players in body and play.
 
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GettyImages-1235867378-e1657039236572.jpeg

good luck playing before that rowdy crowd lot of people dressed like empty seats
 
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keith7456's picture
Keith745607/11/23 6:47 PM
https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/article/larry-johnson-talks-aga...
“When I committed to Miami, Larry Johnson told me himself that he wasn't going to stop recruiting me,” Lightfoot said. “He told me he's going to recruit me all the way till I sign with them. I told him I was honored, it made me feel good that he wants me so much.”
As I said in the Jayden Jackson thread, Ohio State currently has to save up a lot of NIL cap room for their remaining targets, who are going to get the biggest offers around—KJ Bolden, Dylan Stewart, Brandon Baker.

If any of those fall through, Ohio State will likely have some extra capacity to revisit their conversation with Lightfoot, which will combine with Miami likely being a bad football team again who’s NIL promises might fall apart as well.

Birm also mentioned in his talking stuff last night that the distance from home might start looking worse and worse as it gets closer to actually putting his name on paper.

Hopefully Ohio State locks up Houston and Stewart in the next month and calls it a day at DE, but even with that, Ohio State might re-emerge at some point in the future in this recruitment, even with the current NIL numbers still on the table.
 
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As I said in the Jayden Jackson thread, Ohio State currently has to save up a lot of NIL cap room for their remaining targets, who are going to get the biggest offers around—KJ Bolden, Dylan Stewart, Brandon Baker.

If any of those fall through, Ohio State will likely have some extra capacity to revisit their conversation with Lightfoot, which will combine with Miami likely being a bad football team again who’s NIL promises might fall apart as well.

Birm also mentioned in his talking stuff last night that the distance from home might start looking worse and worse as it gets closer to actually putting his name on paper.

Hopefully Ohio State locks up Houston and Stewart in the next month and calls it a day at DE, but even with that, Ohio State might re-emerge at some point in the future in this recruitment, even with the current NIL numbers still on the table.
OSU got 1 DE last cycle. They will need at least 3 in '24. Even if they get Houston and Stewart, they need another.
 
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