Under The Lights: Lejond Cavazos Faces off Against Five-Star Receiver Rakim Jarrett While Jakob James and Joe Royer Battle the Defending State Champions

Fall weekends can be hectic with all the football going on Friday through Sunday. Under the lights is your weekly primer on what is going for Ohio State commitments and recruits that weekend.

Every week, Under the Lights will detail the top-three games featuring Ohio State commitments, the game that Eleven Warriors will attend, and some predictions for how Ohio State's commits will perform. 

Future Buckeyes in Action

IMG Academy (Fla.) vs. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)

• Day: Friday
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Future Buckeyes: Lejond Cavazos (IMG)
• Targets: Taizse Johnson (St. John's), Lovasea Carroll (IMG), Dekel Crowdus (IMG), JC Latham (IMG), Elias Ricks (IMG)

The biggest storyline in this matchup will be Ohio State's four-star 2020 cornerback commitment Lejond Cavazos lining up across from 2020 five-star LSU wide receiver commit Rakim Jarrett.

In the past, it looked like this matchup could be Buckeye vs. Buckeye, as Jarrett was thought an Ohio State lean at points during his recruitment, but Jarrett is now committed to LSU. 

This is Cavazos' first full season at his future position of cornerback, and he is still learning the intricacies. The matchup against Jarrett should provide a glimpse into Cavazos' development as a corner.

Once again, IMG Academy features several top targets for Ohio State in their coming classes. Those top targets are four-star 2021 running back Lovasea Carroll, four-star 2021 receiver Dekel Crowdus, four-star 2021 offensive tackle JC Latham, five-star 2020 cornerback target Elias Ricks, and newly offered 2022 running back Kaytron Allen.

As for the matchup, both teams are coming off games against top-25 high school teams the week prior. IMG Academy defeated 2021 Ohio State quarterback commitment Kyle McCord and St. Joseph's last week by a score of 31-25, while St. John's lost to a talented Duncanville (Texas) team by a score of 35-14.

Both teams are talented all over the field, making this a matchup for Buckeye fans to keep tabs on Friday night.

Elder (Ohio) vs. St. Edward (Ohio)

• Day: Saturday
• Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Future Buckeyes: Jakob James (Elder), Joe Royer (Elder)
• Targets: CJ Hankins (St. Edward)

This matchup does not have the national implications of some games, but it does have major implications in the state of Ohio. St. Edward is the defending Division I state champ for the state of Ohio and Elder – led by a pair of Buckeye commitments – would love nothing more than to hand out a loss. 

Four-star 2020 offensive line commit Jakob James plays left tackle for the Panthers and excels at protecting the quarterback's blindside. This week, James faces a tough matchup as St. Edward features three-star defensive end Jeff Pietrowski. Pietrowski, a Michigan State commit, is a powerful player on the defensive line.

James is joined in the Elder offense by three star 2020 tight end commit Joe Royer. Royer is a great athlete and receiver at his tight end position with 233 yards and four touchdowns through four games this season. He is a mismatch tool for Elder and they will likely throw his way regularly. Look for Royer to have a big game on Saturday.

While Royer and James are the only Buckeye commitments in the game and both play for Elder, St. Edwards features a potential Buckeye target in 2021 three-star linebacker, CJ Hankins. 

St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) vs. Bergen Catholic (N.J.)

• Day: Saturday
• Time: 1 p.m. ET
• Future Buckeyes: Cody Simon (St. Peter's)
• Targets: George Rooks (St. Peter's), Steven Angeli (BC), Tywone Malone (BC)

Four-star 2020 linebacker commit Cody Simon is the lone Ohio State commitment in the matchup between two of the top teams in the state of New Jersey. However, Bergen Catholic does feature former Ohio State target and current four-star Michigan safety commit Jordan Morant. 

Along with Simon, this game also features plenty of Ohio State targets for the next two classes. Saint Peter's has four-star 2021 defensive tackle George Rooks who visited Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson this summer. The Bergen Catholic Crusaders feature four-star 2021 defensive tackle Tywone Malone and 2022 quarterback Steven Angeli.

All signs point to this game being a defensive struggle with Simon leading the way for St. Peters and Morant roaming the Bergen Catholic defensive backfield. Simon has been all over the field this season, racking up double digits tackles in both games he's played. With Bergen Catholic looking to run the ball often, expect Simon to keep this trend going.

Where We'll Be

​Archbishop Alter High School (Ohio) vs. St. Francis DeSales High School (Ohio)

• Day: Friday
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Targets: C.J. Hicks (Alter) and Branden McDonald (Alter)

Archbishop Alter features the top-ranked sophomore in the state of Ohio: C.J. Hicks. He's one of Ohio State's top targets in the class of 2022.

Hicks is ranked as an athlete, and Alter uses him in a variety of ways. Defensively, Hicks plays cornerback and safety where he flies around and attacks the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, Hicks plays running back and an H-back role for the Alter Knights.

Alter also has three-star 2021 running back Branden McDonald who has visited Ohio State a few times and has interest in the Buckeyes.

We will be introducing our new recruiting reporter Zack Carpenter to some Friday night football in the state of Ohio this week. So for updates on this game, follow Zack (@Zack_Carp), Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) and myself (@MickDWalker) on Twitter.

Five Predictions

1. Lathan Ransom will have five tackles and an interception 
2. Joe Royer has 100 yards and two receiving touchdowns
3. Mitchell Melton has two sacks
4. Jack Sawyer throws for 100 yards and has two sacks
5. Jayden Ballard has 115 or more receiving yards and at least one touchdown

9/21 Miami (Ohio) Visitor List

Ohio State commitments

• Five-star 2020 offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
• Five-star 2021 defensive end Jack Sawyer 
• Four-star 2020 wide receiver Mookie Cooper
• Four-star 2020 defensive lineman Darrion Henry
• Four-star 2021 offensive tackle Ben Christman
• Four-star 2021 wide receiver Jayden Ballard

Ohio State Targets

• Four-star 2020 cornerback Oklahoma commitment Ryan Watts III
• Three-star 2021 tight end Jordan Dingle
• Three-star 2021 defensive end Tyson Watson
• 2021 athlete Tyrese Hudson

OHIO STATE BASKETBALL TARGETS

• Five-star 2021 center Chet Holmgren

This Week's Schedule