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2020 tOSU Recruiting Discussion

I am closing this thread for a while, because the discussion has got way off tangent. I moved the Michigan discussion to the Michigan thread in the College Football Forum. You may continue your discussion of Michigan over there.

The point of the Recruiting Forum is to discuss the recruits, not to discuss other teams, rivalries, etc. Please remember that.

And one more thing: Not even Urban Meyer is allowed to swear in the Recruiting Forum. If you quote an article, please make sure to delete any swear words.
 
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There wasn’t a bigger debating coming in to the event then Julian Fleming vs Demond Demas and who would take the title as the No. 1 receiver prospect in the country. Fleming came in as the No. 1 receiver prospect by 247Sports and No. 5 overall. Demas, headed to Texas A&M was a few spots behind as the No. 11 prospect nationally.

Watching the two side by side all weekend, which was made easier by the fact they were on the same 7v7 team, I would give Fleming the edge with the understanding this is still a shirt and short environment and both are no brainers as high end five-star prospects.

Demas is the biggest athletic freak in this year’s class and his highlight real dunks on the hardwood and flips at this event have gone viral. There’s no doubting his athleticism but the athletic gap between the two is much closer then people think and Fleming has the edge in a few other areas.

At 6-2, 191 pounds, Fleming is about 10 pounds heavier then Demas and a much more physical receiver. The Ohio State commit was able to create separation with his his strength and his route running and is much more comfortable catching the football through contact.

Fleming is simply more natural as a pass catcher, you barely hear the ball hitting his hands while Demas fights the ball a bit, had a few drops and didn’t look as comfortable catching the football on crossing routes or outs. He’s most comfortable on deep balls where he can run underneath the ball rather than catch it away from his body.

While Demas might be a hair faster in terms of straight line speed, Fleming showed more explosion and burst in and out of his routes and also seemed a lot more engaged with his teammates all week and more competitive overall as well.
Two other players who had dominant performances from start to finish were Jermaine Burton and Gee Scott.

Scott has dominated every event we’ve seen him at this off-season so it was no surprise to see him do it again on this stage. The Ohio State commit was second in the event in catches with 25 and tied for 2nd with five touchdowns, all the while playing alongside the aforementioned Fleming and Demas on Team Savage.

Scott is a big receiver at 6-3, 207 pounds and along with that size, was probably the best route runner in the event and that was backed up by a few of the top corners we talked to who covered him. Only Fleming looks more ready to play in a college game right now. Off the field, his work ethic is unmatched and he has worked tirelessly over the last year to improve his overall speed, burst and athleticism and it’s very noticeable in his play.

He clocked a 4.60-40, 4.14 shuttle and jumped 35” in the vertical. He may not be as dynamic an athlete as Fleming or Burton but in terms of his size, hands and route running, he takes a back seat to no one and is built to excel at the college level right now. He reminds me of former Buckeye and current New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas but is much further along at the same stage. Now Thomas obviously made a HUGE jump in college from a player who had to go the JUCO route out of high school but the playing styles are similar.
 
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Per 247Sports...
The 2020 recruiting cycle is heating up as some of the top high school football prospects around the country are announcing where they will play in college.

During the past week – beginning June 29 and ending July 5 – there were 54 players from the class of 2020 who committed to a Power Five college football program, including 12 four-star prospects according to the 247Sports Composite.

The list of Power Five schools that secured at least one commitment this week includes (in alphabetical order): Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn (2), California, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State (2), Kansas State, Kentucky (2), Miami (3), Michigan (2), Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska (2), Notre Dame (2), Ohio State (6), Oklahoma (2), Ole Miss, Penn State (4), Purdue (2), South Carolina, Stanford (2), Syracuse, Texas A&M (2), Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech (2) and Washington (2).

https://247sports.com/college/ohio-...ents-in-the-2020-class-133326181/#133326181_1
 
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https://247sports.com/Article/Colle...ma-Ohio-State-Georgia-Clemson-LSU--133490848/

...

Of the presently committed 18 five-star prospects, 13 of those players are pledged to just five teams: Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and LSU. Expand those numbers out, and 21 of the 34 top-50 prospects who are committed and 35 of the 70 committed players in the top 100 of the 247Sports Composite are committed to those programs.

“There definitely is an arms race between Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, those type of schools,” Georgia quarterback commit Carson Beck told 247Sports. “All the top talent is going to get truly split between those schools unless one school comes together and form that No. 1 class that’s just unreal.”

For those unfamiliar, Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State have combined for every national championship in the College Football Playoff era. Georgia, under Kirby Smart’s direction, played for a national championship in 2017 and has pulled in three straight top 3 classes. LSU, the fifth team in this perceived group, is among the steadiest producers of NFL talent. Or, as the parents of five-star corner Elias Ricks quickly put it when asked, is "DBU.”

This is not to say other programs aren’t landing five-star prospects or recruiting well. It's that this quintet is dominating the race for the top class in 2020 to the point it’s almost inconceivable another team could crack the upper crust.

“There is a growing interest from high-profile prospects, from coast to coast, to play in the SEC,” 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong said. “From the College Football Playoff to the NFL draft to the big stadiums and huge fan bases, these kids are very excited about playing there. Clemson and Ohio State are SEC programs in a different league. The perception is the same as the others with the way they churn it out in the draft year in and year out."

...
 
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