As Austin Mack was walking out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon, he was sporting a red Ohio State bookbag on his back.
It’s not uncommon for high-profile recruits to wear gear of the college program they are visiting — Mack was in town for Nike’s The Opening regional camp in Columbus. But for one of the best uncommitted receivers in the class of 2016, this particular moment could have been a bit of foreshadowing.
Mack is set to announce his decision on where he will play college football Sunday and the Buckeyes are considered by many to be the heavy favorite.
“I’m glad for the whole recruiting process to be shortly over,” Mack said. “And it’s going to be next weekend on Sunday.”
Mack is a four-star prospect out of Fort Wayne, Ind. He’s rated by 247Sports as the No. 21 wide receiver in the country and the nation’s 132nd best prospect.
Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 205 pounds, Mack has the prototypical size to be a big-time wideout at the college level. And against some of the region’s top talent Sunday at The Opening’s regional camp in Columbus, Mack showed off a wide range of skills.
It hardly went unnoticed, too, as Mack was one of 10 in attendance who earned an invite to The Opening Finals at the Nike Headquarters in Oregon on July 7-10.
“This is a great opportunity. I’m blessed and give all thanks to God, first off. I’m happy to be in this situation,” Mack said. “I did great. I balled out and did what I had to do to get open.”
Should Mack opt to choose to play his college football at Ohio State — and 247Sports’ Crystal Ball has 90 percent of its predictions for Mack doing just that — he would fill a huge need in the 2016 class. The Buckeyes lost Devin Smith and Evan Spencer from last year’s team and could very well lose Michael Thomas early to the NFL Draft after this year. There will be a lot of unproven talent on Ohio State’s roster at the wide receiver position so Mack could come in right away and compete for early playing time.
The Buckeyes are in competition with Notre Dame, Tennessee and Michigan for Mack’s services. He said he plans to release a list of his top-four schools Monday and those will likely be the four.
Ohio State, however, has been in on Mack from the get-go.
“They’ve been in my recruitment ever since I was a freshman and sophomore so being with them and hearing that from them is huge,” Mack said. “They’re a great coaching staff.”
And with his decision day nearing, Mack is looking forward to finally making his college choice.
“I’m pretty close,” Mack said. “I’ve been through everything and now it’s just a matter of time to find what’s best for me and my family.”
The people of Columbus are hopeful that happens to be playing for the Buckeyes.
