Ohio State hosted its final one-day camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this afternoon, and it was easily the most star-studded of the three camps this spring. Among those in attendance:
- 2018 Ohio State five-star quarterback commit Emory Jones
- 2018 Ohio State four-star linebacker commit Dallas Gant
- 2018 Cleveland Heights four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith
- 2018 Huber Heights Wayne four-star wide receiver L'Christian “Blue” Smith
- 2018 New York four-star two-way lineman Matthew Jones
- 2018 North Carolina four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge
- 2018 Georgia three-star linebacker Michael Harris
- 2019 Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harison
- 2019 Florida four-star running back Noah Cain
- 2019 Tennessee four-star wide receiver Trey Knox
- 2019 Florida four-star linebacker Mikel Jones
- 2019 California four-star quarterback David Baldwin*
- 2019 Springfield defensive tackle Isaiah Gibson*
- 2019 Mentor defensive end Noah Potter*
- 2019 Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell*
*Haven't been offered yet
The staff, of course, landed a commitment following the camp from Matthew Jones. His pledge pushed the Buckeyes past Miami for the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
Jones did not work out at the camp, and was instead carted around the facility by assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges. The Buckeyes clearly rolled out the red carpet for him and his parents, which put the finishing touches on what was already considered a done deal.
That now means there are two players with the last name Jones in Ohio State's Supreme '18 recruiting class, and I was excited to see quarterback commit Emory Jones work out on campus for the first time since he pledged his services to the Buckeyes last July.
He was inconsistent and overthrew a few receivers at first — which is understandable given he's still trying to find his touch after having season-ending shoulder surgery last October — but found his groove in the session after lunch. Once he got things going, he was hitting receivers in stride and doing so with a zip on each throw.
Gant, who committed to Ohio State just over one month ago, was head and shoulders — both literally and figuratively — above the other linebackers in attendance. He stands out physically, and he's already started to form a great rapport with linebackers coach Bill Davis. Gant was always at the front of the line in drills and seemed eager to learn from the former NFL assistant.
That includes Harris, who viewed Saturday's camp as an audition of sorts. He grew up a fan of Ohio State and has long wanted to commit to the Buckeyes, but it's unclear if there's room for him in the class. Harris is very confident in his abilities and the staff absolutely loves that, but with K'Vaughan Pope's recent emergence, he had to hit it out of the park on Saturday for that to happen.
I'm not sure that was the case, however.
Neither Blue nor Tyreke Smith worked out on Saturday, but they both spent a significant amount of time with their respective position coaches, wide receivers coach Zach Smith and defensive line coach Larry Johnson. The two both know they're among Ohio State's top targets, and each return visit is just another chance for them to further that relationship.
It's hard to believe Harrison, who also had some one-on-one instruction with Johnson, is only 15 years old. Standing 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, I'm not sure you could chisel out a more prototypical defensive end.
Knox, meanwhile, would get my vote for the best player at Saturday's camp. He's big, very crisp in his route running and has all of the tools to be a go-to wideout at the next level. Knox and Jones had quite the connection in one-on-one drills, too. Ohio State is absolutely in the lead for his pledge, and though there was talk of him making the call today, I expect it to happen when he returns for the Oklahoma game this fall.
Stay tuned for more on Saturday's camp, including interviews with Harrison, Knox, Smith and more.
