Amir Riep is set to announce his college decision at 1PM today at Colerain High School. The four-star was at Friday Night Lights less than 24 hours ago, and most expect him to become the fifth member of the 2017 Buckeye secondary.
The unit already features four of America's best in Shaun Wade, Marcus Williamson, Isaiah Pryor, and Brendon White. We've long been wondering how the group will end up, and as we sit here in late July, it feels like some clarity is on the horizon, even if we are over six months away from 2017's national signing day.
Assuming things go as planned for Amir Riep, the biggest question moving forward will be if Greg Schiano and Co. are looking to add one or two more to the secondary. The remaining targets are the same three or four players we've discussed for months now and we expect a lot of this is going to depend on the vibe the staff gets from Shaun Wade in the coming months. All of that being said, a defensive back class that features 5-7 signees is a pretty large haul, especially for a class that is expected to be a bit smaller than what we've grown accustomed to.
Lamont Wade was back in Columbus last night, but recent crystal ball trends seem to indicate that Penn State may be the frontrunner at the moment. Wade, who is known to be a fierce competitor, has also made it very clear that he wants to see the field early. The Nittany Lions currently have one cornerback in the fold in three-star D.J. Brown. I'm sure Brown is a solid player in his own right, but the nation's 115th-ranked corner isn't exactly as intimidating as the 3rd and 18th-ranked players at the position (Shaun Wade and Williamson, respectively).
Lamont Wade was back in town for Friday Night Lights.
Jeffrey Okudah, the nation's top-rated safety, continues to look like the most likely addition to the secondary. He's made two recent trips to Columbus and Greg Schiano and Tim Beck continue to be all over the five-star. Okudah has mentioned defensive back development and the chance to play for a national championship as two of the more important things in his recruitment. He's also discussed a school's ability to set him up for life after football, specifically mentioning Ohio State's "Real Life Wednesdays."
The Buckeyes continue to lead the way in the crystal ball picks. Two of the schools listed – Baylor and Stanford – weren't even mentioned when he released his top six less than two weeks ago. It would appear that Oklahoma may be the only other school to be on the lookout for.
The other remaining targets all seem way less likely to end up at Ohio State. Richard Lecounte has been committed to Georgia since last December, but the five-star insists he will take an official to Columbus. He has a relationship with former teammate Raekwon McMillan, but the likelihood of him ending up anywhere other than Athens seems quite slim.
Darnay Holmes also made it back to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights. The recruitment of the nation's No. 2 cornerback still seems fairly wide open. Nebraska, UCLA, Stanford, and Ohio State are all in the running, but most think the Calabasa, California star won't end up any further east than Lincoln.
Loganville, Georgia four-star cornerback Jamyest Williams listed Ohio State in his top five a few weeks back, but the Buckeyes are probably running in the five spot right now for his services. As long as Ohio State is being mentioned then I suppose it's worth paying a little bit of attention to, but right now all signs are pointing to South Carolina or Georgia.
Our guess right now is that Riep and Okudah finish out the defensive back class for 2017. A few of the Oklahoma insiders are gaining some confidence thanks in part to the Grand Prairie defender's friendship with a few other Oklahoma commits and players, but it really doesn't appear to be anything to worry about at this point.
A player like Lamont Wade may be in an interesting spot right now. Depth chart concerns and the ability to enroll early have been mentioned before with him, so if something were to go awry with Shaun Wade or Amir Riep, then that could cause a bit of a shakeup in the recruitment of the Clairton, Pennsylvania standout.
Either way, all eyes will be on Cincinnati Colerain this afternoon as another big piece looks to fall into place for Urban Meyer and the Buckeye secondary.
