While bowl season has begun and is in full swing, the top high school players in the nation prepare to showcase their talents in their respective All American games. In this post I’ll cover the Buckeye recruits and remaining targets participating in the Under Armour All American Game on January 2nd at 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Buckeye Commits
Jamarco Jones,OT, De La Salle Institute- Jones is a promising tackle prospect out of Chicago. He already has a good size frame at 6-5, 290 pounds and should be able to add even more mass once Coach Marotti gets his hands on him. Jones is currently better suited as a run blocking tackle in his young progression. He has good lower body strength which helps him drive defenders back, and has that nasty streak to finish off defenders. Jones is not a primary candidate to play early, but he should develop nicely in a couple years.
Jones will to need to improve his pass pro technique in order to deal with faster defenders at the next level. He has nice feet, however he struggles at times to have them in the right place. Once Jones gets in with Ed Warinner, Jones will be able to clean things up in his footwork and punch. That should lead to the Buckeye developing a solid starting tackle by his second or third year.
Raekwon McMillan, MLB, Liberty County High School- I really like McMillan’s game. He is a very fundamentally sound linebacker. He does not necessarily jump out at you on tape, but he is consistently around the football and in proper position. McMillan excels in shedding blockers and closing gaps in run support. He is a strong, consistent tackler who can punish opposing backs in the hole. He already has great size at 6’2, 250 pounds, which make coaches think he can be a day one starter.
In order for McMillan to become a complete three down linebacker he must improve his hip fluidity in space. McMillan functions well in zone schemes, understanding depth and closing on receivers, however he can get too stiff when going one on one with running backs. McMillan should battle Curtis Grant for a starting job at the middle linebacker spot when he gets to campus. He has the makings of another Buckeye great at linebacker. I believe the consistencies in his fundamentals and football IQ will set him apart from
Targets
Tony Brown, CB, Ozen High School- Tony Brown is a game changing corner. He has a ball-hawk mentality that encourages coaches to leave him on an island and shut down the oppositions best receiver. He has an incredible mixture of size, speed, and length, three attributes that every program needs in a shutdown corner. With a little more size, and some polishing to his press technique, Brown will become a Richard Sherman type corner.
Ohio State seems to be a bit of a long shot with Brown as LSU seems to be the favorite. However, some rumors out of Texas this week, according to our guy Jeremiah Sharpe, have said Brown has changed his mind to the Buckeyes. I would not count out Meyer until Brown puts on the hat, but again LSU seems to be the leader. If Brown does decide to go with the Buckeyes, expect Brown to play safety at Ohio State. Brown’s size, speed, and ball hawk ability would make him a great fit playing the star or strong safety. If Brown dons the scarlet and grey, expect him to be an early contributor.
The rumor floating around is 5 star DB from Texas Tony Brown will pick OSU at the UA game next weekend…. Would be astronomic if true.
— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) December 29, 2013
John “JuJu” Smith, Safety/Wide Receiver, Long Beach Poly High School- John Smith is one of the best athletes in the country. In my opinion he will be better suited at the next level as a safety. While his vision and deceptiveness running after the catch are some of the best in the country, his natural instincts seem to shine through on the defensive side of the ball at safety. Smith does not shy away from tackling, he can even at times be somewhat of a head hunter. He also is extremely fluid in coverage and will be a tremendous asset to whichever team lands him. Again, he is projected as a long shot to the Buckeyes as Notre Dame and USC seem to be the top two favorites. But with about a month left of recruiting Meyer and company could pull anything off.
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