Archives for July 2014

Urban Meyer has brought many great things with him from Florida and this may be his best.  Friday Night Lights is a camp for the best of the best who hope to play for, or be recruited by Ohio State.  The past two Friday Night Lights have been a huge success, as some of the best talents travel from all around to be there.  This year is not going to be any different.  The lineup for this years event is stacked with some of the top talent from Florida, Ohio, Texas, and anywhere else around the country.  I am going to get you ready with three recruits I think you should follow closely at the event, from the 2015 class.  One of them has an offer and I think the other two are going to earn an offer today.

Is Torrance Gibson and Ohio State actually going to work out?

Torrance Gibson- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Torrance Gibson is actually on the Ohio State campus right now.  This is huge for both Gibson and Ohio State.  Gibson has told people that he has not talked with Ohio State in a while, but that all seemed to change now with his visit taking place for FNL.  He has tried to make it to Ohio State before but had issues getting there and was not able to make it.  Gibson was very excited when I spoke with him the other day, about the visit to Columbus.  He told me that if the visit goes well, they would move up into the top three along with Auburn and UT.  I think that Ohio State has a really good shot with Gibson and I think this is going to help a lot.  If Gibson is blown away on his visit, I wouldn’t be surprised if we became the favorites again.  He is very adamant about playing quarterback at the next level, but even with Joe Burrow in the fold already, I think Gibson brings a whole different aspect to the offense.  His recruitment is going to be exciting to follow.

C.J. Conrad- Lagrange, Ohio (Kentucky Commit)

Here we are again with C.J. Conrad.  News broke that he was going to be camping at Ohio State today, and it may or may not come as a surprise to many.  He has made it no secret that Ohio State was his love growing up in Ohio.  He did not earn an offer from Ohio State after multiple camps, etc, and then committed to Kentucky.  Ohio State really wanted him to camp and he was reluctant to do so, because of his Kentucky spot.  He has thus decided to camp today and I think he is going to earn an offer.  I think if/when he earns an offer, he is going to flip his committment not much after.  I think he is going to earn it today at camp and could be an Ohio State commit by the beginning of next week.  This just shows how much he really wants to be a Buckeye.  I think he gets offered and commits soon after.

Lawrence Cager- Towson, Maryland

Lawrence Cager is one of my favorite WR targets in this class.  He has recently received offers from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, and Alabama.  I think today he is going to earn an offer from Ohio State at the Friday Night Lights camp.  He is the type of receiver that Urban Meyer wants for the vertical passing game, as he stands 6-5.  He has been showing out at recent camps and even The Opening.  He is very open about how much he loves Ohio State and they are his favorite.  This is an offer he wants more than any other.  He has told me before that he wouldn’t commit on the spot, but might commit soon after the offer.  I think Cager is going to get an offer today, then commit soon after.  If he does not get an offer tonight, I think he could get one shortly and commit soon after that.

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

Earlier this week, I did an article on Gulliver Prep runningback Robert Burns.  His teammate and class of 2016 star also has a strong interest in Ohio State.  Cedrick Wright, a 5-9 safety, has garnered attention from everyone across the country.  He has received offers from some of the top programs nationally, including the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Miami (FL), Call, and USF.  Wright has a strong interest in Ohio State because of a former player he has a strong relationship with, Ryan Shazier.  Him and Shazier have become good friends after playing on the same 7 on 7 team in Florida.  That is not the only reason that Wright is interested in Ohio State, but says that is one of the biggest.

Cedrick Wright Loves Coach Meyer

“One of the biggest reasons that I am so strongly considering Ohio State is because of my good friend Ryan Shazier,” Wright said of his interest in Ohio State.  “”Me and him played for the same seven on seven team down here in Florida and we have become good friends.  He is always telling me about the tradition Ohio State has.  I also am a huge fan of Urban Meyer.  Being from Florida, I would follow the Gators and Meyer, and he always had good teams there.  Then he took a year off, came back to coaching, and Ohio State went undefeated.  He has great success everywhere he goes.”

Urban Meyer has made it a point to recruit the top players in Florida, as he as many connections from his coaching days down there.  He hopes that this can continue with Cedrick Wright.  Wright does not have a favorite or any type of list, but told me that Ohio State is going to be there until the end.  Him and his two teammates, Robert Burns and Joseph Jackson, are hoping to be a package deal to a school.  The plan is for them to all pick the same school, but Wright told me that,” We do need to make the decisions what is best for us.”  He is hoping to make a decision at Nike’s “The Opening,” next summer, which he is going to work for to earn an invite.  When he is not on the football field, you can expect to find Wright on the basketball court.  He enjoys playing basketball for fun, but does not play it as serious as football.  I asked Wright what he would like to say to Buckeyenation, and he said, “Ohio State is really in my mind.  There is a GREAT chance I could come here.  Go Bucks!”  Wright is one of the best safeties in the nation for the class of 2016 and I think Ohio State is in a good position with him.

Follow: @_CedTooLive 

It is never too early to start recruiting as we all know nowadays.  Meet Cincinnati’s very own Mi’Quan Grace.  Mi’Quan has not graduated middle school, but that has not stopped college coaches from noticing the potential this prospect has.  The 7th grader, yes, 7th grader, is already getting strong interest from in state Ohio University.  This is not all that uncommon now.  David Sills, who recently just committed to West Virginia, committed to USC when he was in the 7th grade.  The recruiting process has evolved so much over the time that pretty soon kids in diapers might be getting offers.  Okay not that hardcore, but when that happens, you read it here first.  Some of the coaches at Ohio have told him that he has great feet work for his grade and his overall work ethic is amazing.   He has attended many camps already such as the NUC camp, Ohio University Camp, University of Cincinatti camp, and the FBU Camp. I talked briefly with his youth coach and he told me that he was one of the most coachable kids he has ever dealt with.  Mi’Quan told me of the many connections he has to Ohio State and they are some of the reasons he loves Ohio State.

“I love the coaches at Ohio State, especially Coach Coombs,” he said why he loves Ohio State.  “Coach Coombs and I have a good relationship and he has seen me perform at multiple camps including the Colerain camps and the UC camp.  I love coach Coombs and he gives me good advice to get better.  I also have met Adolphus Washington multiple times.  He is really cool.”

Grace’s trainer is also Ohio State great, Vinnie Clark.  Clark also played in the NFL and helps Grace get ready for the rigorous training needed to get to the next level. Grace’s  favorite player growing up was Terrelle Pryor.  He told me that he loves the way Terrelle Pryor played the game.  Not a bad athlete to model your game after as he was one of the most athletic players in Ohio State history.  When Mi’Quan is not working on getting better at football, he enjoys reading books and playing other sports.  He runs track and might go to the nationals for track in the 100m and 200m.  I asked him what he would like to say to Buckeyenation and he told me; “You can get ready for the next great Ohio State running back!”   He is attending an Ohio State high school camp next summer.  As a seventh grader he is already gaining interest from schools so that is very impressive.  He is a very talented prospect.

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

Virginia has been very good to Ohio State in recent recruiting classes.  Curtis Grant hails from that state and most recently Jayln Holmes came to Ohio State from Virginia.  Ohio State hopes to keep that pipeline coming with class of 2016 defensive end Kyree Campbell.  Campbell, from Woodbridge, Virginia, has offers from some of the top programs across the country.  He has offers from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, UVA, Florida State, Maryland, and South Carolina.  He also has interest coming from Alabama and is hoping to land an offer from them during the season.  He has a very strong interest in Ohio State and one of the biggest reasons is Coach Larry Johnson.  Coach Johnson has yet to coach a down of football for Ohio State, but his presence can be felt on the recruiting trail, especially with Campbell.

Can Ohio State keep the Virgina-OhioState pipeline going with Kyree Campbell?

“Coach Johnson is one of the best defensive line coaches in the country,” Campbell said of why he loves coach Johnson and Ohio State.  “I have a great connection with him already.  He coached my father in football, so my dad has told me a lot of football stories about him.  I have always known of Coach Johnson through my father, but now I am starting to build a personal relationship with him.  I like him a lot and he is one of the biggest reasons why I love Ohio State.”

Campbell has not had the chance to go to Ohio State, but is visiting for Friday Night Lights, where he is going to visit and also compete at the camp.  He is very excited to get up to Columbus and be around such a rich program.  “I cannot wait to get up there and visit the campus,” Campbell said of his upcoming visit.  “I want to visit a couple of academic buildings and be around the tradition of THE Ohio State University.”  He is very excited to camp at Ohio State and is hoping to improve his technique with the coaching staff.  He is a student of the game his coach tells me, as he spends countless hours reading plays, studying film, and going over game situations.  He has already been voted a team captain by the coaching staff, something that shows you the kind of person, and player he is.

Campbell has no timetable for his decision and is enjoying the process.  He does not even have a list of any schools, as more offers are pouring in.  But, with Larry Johnson leading his recruitment, you can be sure Ohio State is going to on his list until the end.  Outside of football, you can find Kyree around his teammates.  He enjoys spending time with them and also loves oldies music, such as Tupac, Ice Cube, and French Montana.  I asked Kyree what he would like to say to Ohio State fans, and he responded, “I am excited to visit Ohio State!”  Kyree Campbell is a very talented prospect and is an even better person.  The captain role shows what kind of person he is because it was voted on by the staff, so it was not a popularity contest.  He is humble about the process and is enjoying every part of it.

Highlights

Follow: @CampbellKyree13