With the season winding down, we at Men of the Scarlet & Gray have been scrambling to find new and innovative ways to last through the College Football offseason. My colleagues have individually brainstormed and my site content will consist of something that has kept my interest, but it has been exhausting, yet exciting.
Once the season concludes or even sooner, I will be churning out weekly content every Tuesday called Tuesday Targets: Hits & Misses. This would cover recruiting battles that have captured the attention of the nation, that specifically affected Buckeye Nation. I have been paying attention to recruiting for a long time and if you haven’t followed it, you should.
The drama and the suspense can become taxing and it could be pure nirvana–you just don’t know until a decision is made. Doors close and some remain cracked. Some remain open and once the choice has been made, it could shock the nation and rattle some cages in the process. The cult-like feel to recruiting has been a staple and it is the lifeblood of all College Football Programs and we have seen how that could play out.
Let’s start with this years recruiting class and work our way back. The advances and the exposure of recruiting websites is key to a recruits success and with multiple showing at camps and all-star games, it makes the pageantry of college football great and it adds another layer to what catches our intrigue. Here is a small sample of what is on the horizon. Enjoy!
Hit: Garrett Wilson, WR
The most obvious hit for the 2019 class is already tearing it up this season. A highly touted recruit out of Texas, Wilson was highly sought after by all teams, especially the home state Texas team that was in need of a playmaker at that position. Wilson has been a stud so far this season, but he has made some mistakes that almost cost the Buckeyes against the Wolverines a week ago, but he was resilient. He finished the game with 3 catches for 118 yards and a highlight score during Justin Fields’ Heisman moment.
So far in 2019, Wilson has 24 catches for 368 yards and 5 TD’s and he is averaging 15.3 yards per catch. He is the playmaker and he has been as good as advertised. The special part about this is he broke out during The Game just like Chris Olave did and if the is any indication of his talent, he will be a beast next year alongside Olave. Factor that, along with the incoming freshmen in Scott, Jaxon-Njigba, Cooper, and Fleming, we can safely say that Coach Hartline’s players will try to outshine Olave and Wilson for next years contest.
Hit: Harry Miller, T
Harry Miller is another key cog on the offensive line and he looks the part so far this season. Although Miller plays during mop-up duty, he makes the best of it and he earned the role of backup Center behind Josh Myers. He is a true freshmen with loads of potential and he is also a talented prospect that nearly backed off of his commitment to Ohio State when the news broke out where Coach Meyer would step away from the game upon completion of the 2018 season.
Georgia came calling and he did visit, but his commitment to the program won out in the end. He has played sparingly, but he has to wait it out. Waiting for your time has been a yearly tradition for the Slobs, but like a fine wine, it’ll take time to develop and it will be worth the wait.
Miss: Jordan Battle, S
To begin, Jordan Battle was one of the biggest names in the nation and at one point, the Buckeyes had him in the bag. Following a drama-filled season where we saw Urban Meyer get suspended for three games after Brett McMurphy dropped a bombshell leveling allegations against a coach on his staff, Zach Smith. This caused friction between the head coach and his leadership, which ultimately resulted in a Buckeye legend him stepping away which directly affected his 2018 class.
A recruit from a well-known pipeline, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was a should have been an addition to the 2019 class, but the news of Meyer Calling it quits caused him to look around. He was on flip watch from what I can recall and he eventually flipped and signed with Alabama. He is a small cog in the Tide defense and he has played in 11 games this season and he has logged 26 tackles (16 solo, 10 assisted) with one fumble recovery, one interception and a sack. He is young but a playmaker and that is what the Buckeyes saw and tried to keep, but it happens in recruiting.
Miss: Dax Hill, S
The recruitment of Dax Hill, an Oklahoma native at powerhouse Booker T. Washington High School. The Buckeyes lost the battle to their bitter rival, but besides losing out, they had starters with eligibility remaining in Jordan Fuller and Brendan White. This is not to discredit his skills and the need because it was evident that they needed to bolster the depth behind those two. Dax Hill was a heavy favorite to become a silver bullet, but it was not meant to be. The momentum swung in Michigan’s favor and with the uncertainty at head coach looming over the program, the best possible move was to sign with them in the end.
A playmaker in the back-end of a defense, he was and he would have been perfect in Hafley’s system. He is aggressive, but he is also young and the Buckeyes picked on him last week for a little bit of fun. Love it or hate it, he made the move for himself and we shouldn’t blame him or his family. It would’ve been amazing to have him, but it will also be fun seeing if he can develop into a stud and we will look forward to seeing him every year.
Positional Substitutions: Ronnie Hickman (S) and Bryson Shaw (S); Craig Young (Ath)
With Battle and Hill out of the 2019 Class, the Buckeyes scrounged what they could and they have some potential gems in the process. Hickman and Young are dynamic prospects. Shaw has hit a growth spurt and could blossom into a Pete Werner type of play with his frame. The class still has time to develop, but the future is still bright.
Miss: Doug Nester, OT
Doug Nester, another longtime Buckeye commit was also in the bag and once Urban Meyer announced his retirement, a few commitments began to unravel and they found themselves looking around. Like Battle, ditto for Nester. Urban’s last class had potential and Nester was another staple to the future, but it was not meant to be and he ended up signing with Virginia Tech, which is close to home and not too far away.
Nester has not played this season and a redshirt may be in effect or it will be in his future. He was most likely behind the eight ball or he suffered an injury, but blessings to him and his future as a Hokie.
Positional Substitutions: Ryan Jacoby (T) and Dawand Jones (T); Enokk Vimahi (OG)
Both Jacoby and Jones have potential as big-bodied shields for the Buckeye signal-callers. After losing out on Nester, they stocked up on Slobs. Jacoby is 6-5, 270 and Jones is 6-8, 360. The Buckeyes came in late and snagged Vimahi to fill the class. Vimahi is 6-4.5, 263 and he could be a key cog in the offensive trenches in the future.
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