THE HURRY-UP: GABE POWERS STILL AWAITS VISITS BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISIONS, JUSTIN MEDLOCK NOT BEING PUSHED FOR COMMITMENT
MEDLOCK NOT BEING PUSHED TO COMMIT
As an in-state stud less than 30 miles from Ohio State’s campus, Powers is one of the program’s highest-priority recruits in the 2022 class – especially given his talent as a top-50 overall player, status as the state’s top-ranked player and positional versatility.
Another top recruit, who is a bit lower on the board but still a key player to monitor, is Texas linebacker Justin Medlock, a three-star talent who will be rising up the rankings over the next several months from his spot as the No. 8-ranked inside linebacker and No. 43-ranked player in Texas. (He does not yet have an overall ranking.)
As we’ve detailed before, Medlock is growing a progressivly stronger relationship with Al Washington, the Buckeyes’ second-year linebackers coach who has made it clear that he sees Medlock transitioning into the role of weakside linebacker if he joins the Buckeyes.
“Everything’s been good. We’ve been talking at least once or twice a week,” Medlock told Eleven Warriors.
Medlock has told us that his “speed and coverage ability” are the main skills that grabbed Washington’s attention. So that’s the spot to expect Medlock to play if he does wind up at Ohio State down the road.
However, as Washington told the media following a March 4 spring practice, one of the positives in the current linebacker room is the versatility of the veteran group so that the coaches can shuffle them around the field if needed.
“We can utilize our talent better, because now we're not pigeon-holed,” Washington said. “We don't have two Mikes and four Wills. Forget all that. We've got linebackers. Everybody kind of has a chance to identify the basics of that spot, and then we can be creative. We can do a good job of putting them in the right spots. I think it does a lot for the other 10 guys. It makes him more valuable. It makes everybody more valuable.”
Depth and versatility are two of Ohio State’s advantages on defense, so when it comes to recruiting the future of the position, depth and versatility are what the program is gunning for. That’s one reason to target a player like Medlock, who fits Will best but has also been told by Washington and Co. that they could see him playing some Mike linebacker as well.
Medlock says he is not being pushed to make a commitment and that his conversations with Washington have “just been talking football for now.” He says he does not have a set date for when he wants to make a college decision.
“I don’t really know as of right now,” he said. “Whenever it feels right, that’s when I’ll make a decision.”
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...any-decisions-justin-medlock-not-being-pushed
