Despite Ohio State being the heavy favorite, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball, 2016 four-star wide receiver Austin Mack still says he is considering eight schools as his June 7 decision date approaches.
"Michigan, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Alabama," Mack tweeted last Sunday.
June 7 pic.twitter.com/zH4b37sO6Z
— Austin Mack (@Austin_Mack10) May 18, 2015
"Last couple years I had a goal to grow and earn a scholarship so school can be paid for," Mack said in the tweet. "I've reached that goal. I've worked countless numbers of hours to develop my craft. I'm not done yet but I'm steady progressing. I thank God first and foremost for permitting these opportunities. I'm nothing without His permission. I thank my irreplaceable parents for their support. I have embraced the process of development and recruiting and now have a decision to make. I've researched and studied. Thankful for all other schools and wish the staff success. I've finalized a list of eight schools whom all have the criteria I value."
Mack, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound wideout from Fort Wayne, Ind. has had an offer from the Buckeyes for quite some time — he received it in June of 2014. He’s visited Columbus on a handful of occasions.
Grabbing Mack would be huge for the Buckeyes. As it stands right now, Ohio State has only one wide receiver in the 2016 class: four-star Kierre Hawkins from Maple Heights, Ohio. The Buckeyes also added a pair in 2015: K.J. Hill and Alex Stump.
Ohio State lost Devin Smith and Evan Spencer from last year's national championship winning team. Michael Thomas, the No. 1 receiver this year for the Buckeyes, will likely turn pro with a year of eligibility still remaining should he have another successful season.
Ohio State has some young guys who will contribute this season at wide receiver in Noah Brown and, potentially, Johnnie Dixon and Terry McLaurin, but should Thomas opt to turn pro, the Buckeyes, for the most part, will be very inexperienced at the wide receiver position in 2016. It instantly becomes a position of need and it's for that reason landing a commitment from Mack would be so big.
And having the ability to make an impact right away seems to be a big selling point for Mack as his decision day is getting closer.
“Now it’s the part of my recruitment where I don’t need to be sold on their campus and all that," Mack said recently in an interview with 247Sports. "Now, it’s more like how can my brand be promoted or where I’m going to be playing at in their system. Learning some more details as I start to finalize my decision and whatnot. Dig down a little bit deeper into these some of these hard questions when it comes to some of these schools so I can make the right decision.”
