At the 2014 version of Friday Night Lights, there was one particular pass-catcher that had fans in attendance asking "who is he?" Binjimen Victor had already been offered by the Buckeyes, but it was that Friday night performance that really introduced him to the Ohio State recruiting scene. Today, the Sunshine State four star has committed to Zach Smith and the Buckeyes.
Blessed pic.twitter.com/BMg0tK9gJY
— BVIC :nine::part_alternation_mark: (@BinjimenVictor) January 18, 2016
Victor, like many of his Florida peers, was initially expected to stay within the comfy confines of his home state. Then the Volunteers came calling and their name was tossed around for a while, but the general feeling was that Gainesville would be the likely destination.
The four-star took a series of unofficial visits this past summer, including trips to Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, and Michigan State. The 6-foot-4, 177-pounder had set a commitment date for this past June, and all signs were pointing to the Gators.
The Victor File
- Class: 2016
- Size: 6-4/177
- Pos: WR
- School: Coconut Creek (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 12 (WR)
A mid-June visit to Ohio State led to those plans being scratched and a new announcement date was tentatively scheduled for January at the Army All-American Bowl. However, and it came as no surprise to anyone who follows this stuff, the plan changed once again as obviously no announcement took place in San Antonio as Victor planned official visits to Tennessee and Florida.
While very little attention should be paid to what a recruit is wearing, Buckeye fans were pleased to see one of their top targets flashing some Ohio State gloves in the Coconut Creek opener. Victor took his first official visit to Morgantown in September and made the trip to Columbus for the Penn State state game. This past weekend he was in Knoxville meeting with Butch Jones and checking out the Volunteers.
Binjimen Victor, Ohio State's top 2016 wide receiver target, rocks Buckeye gloves in prep season opener. http://t.co/88VsGV15XG
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 29, 2015
While in San Antonio for the Army Bowl, there were some rumblings that West Virginia may have emerged as a real contender. However, with the Gators expected to receive the final official visit, most continued to view Jim McElwain as the biggest threat.
A post-dead period visit with Zach Smith seemed to have sealed the deal for the good guys, and the Buckeyes' wide receiver coach deserves a ton of credit for pulling this one off. Coming off this past weekend's official visit to Tennessee, the nation's No. 12 wide receiver tweeted that an announcement would be coming at noon. Urban Meyer is expected to visit with the Army All-American later this week.
With the early departures of both Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall, the Buckeyes will be looking for someone to step up at wideout. Victor joins Austin Mack as the two make up quite an impressive wide receiver haul for Ohio State. Mack is already on campus as an early enrollee, and the opportunity for early playing time should be there for both of the talented wideouts.
Victor is commitment No. 19 for the Buckeyes' 2016 class. He chose Ohio State over Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, and a number of other top programs.
Eleven Warriors will have more on Binjimen Victor's commitment soon.
