The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs has Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Counter Intel is the smart Ohio State fan's look at recruiting action taking place within the Big Ten and top national programs.
Michigan lands a pair of defensive tackles
If stars were just given out based on how cool your name was, Ikechukwu Iwunnah would certainly be higher than No. 1103 overall. Unfortunately, that is not exactly how it works, but Michigan is hoping they will get a lot from the Texas defensive tackle, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 275 pounds.
Iwunnah committed and signed with the Wolverines earlier this week, becoming the third-lowest-ranked commit in the Wolverines class, in front of punter Tommy Doman and defensive end Dominick Guidice.
Big Ike X Big Blue !! pic.twitter.com/ScJNVSEWZL
— Ike (@Ikeiwunnah) February 4, 2021
On the flip side, the Wolverines also signed Rayshaun Benny, the No. 195 overall player out of Oak Park High School in Michigan. Benny had been committed to Michigan State, but after the Wolverines revamped their coaching staff and two of Benny's former Oak Park teammates (Devontae Dobbs and Julian Barnett) transferred from East Lansing, he ended up signing with the Wolverines.
Official !!! pic.twitter.com/Yz7uPw0PK7
— Rayshaun Benny (@rayshaun_benny) February 3, 2021
Iwunnah and Benny join George Rooks, who committed last week, as the three defensive tackles in Michigan's 2021 class. Adding to the interior defensive line was a major need, so the signing day action was a nice bit of good news for the folks up north.
The good news for the Wolverines didn't stop on Wednesday. On Friday, they added a pair of 2022 pledges from the state of Tennessee. Four-star safety Taylor Groves is ranked as the nation's No. 242 overall prospect while athlete Kody Jones checks in at No. 279. Groves was also a priority target for Notre Dame. Jones is expected to play either corner or safety in Ann Arbor. Jim Harbaugh's 2022 class is now ranked No. 8 in the country.
Dickerson flips from Minnesota to Oregon
Minnesota's 2021 class wasn't terrible, coming in at No. 37 overall, but it could have been much better had they been able to secure the signature of four-star cornerback Avante Dickerson, who flipped from the Gophers to Oregon on National Signing Day.
Living the dream @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/jCGai6Hbsp
— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) February 3, 2021
Dickerson cited his desire to leave the Midwest as his rationale for decommitting from Minnesota and choosing Oregon over his home-state Nebraska program. Minnesota signed a total of four four-star prospects in the 2021 class.
Bear Alexander picks UGA
Though he was also linked to Ohio State and Alabama, a visit last weekend to Georgia was enough for the Bulldogs to secure the commitment of 2022 four-star defensive tackle Bear Alexander.
I would like to thank God , my family, and all the coaches.For all the things he has blessed me with. I am thankful for the many schools that recruited me throughout this process. Im a 100% committed to the University of Georgia @maka_difference #GoDawgs# pic.twitter.com/dnf6LnYaxD
— THE BIG BEAR (@BearAlexander_) February 3, 2021
The native Texan is the eighth commitment in Georgia's 2022 class, which also landed five-star quarterback Gunner Stockton last week. Ohio State's focus at defensive tackle in 2022 still centers around Caden Curry.
Raleek Brown commits to Oklahoma
Oklahoma's 2022 class also saw a big boost on Friday when the Sooners landed their first five-star in the class, running back Raleek Brown.
BREAKING: 5 RB Raleek Brown has just Committed to Oklahoma!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 6, 2021
The 58 185 RB from Santa Ana, CA chose the Sooners over LSU, Oregon, Alabama, Michigan, and others
With the addition of Brown, Oklahomas 2022 Class moves up from #8 to the #5 Class in the Nation (129.59) pic.twitter.com/wBRZk53iwa
With offers from basically everywhere in the country, Brown had his choice of schools but elected to leave his native Southern California for Norman. Ohio State's top targets at running back for the 2022 class so far appear to be Nicholas Singleton and Damari Alston.
Penn State loses tight end
After losing tight end coach Tyler Bowen to Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Penn State subsequently lost a commitment from 2022 four-star tight end Holden Staes out of Atlanta, Georgia.
— Holden Staes (@Hstaes13) February 5, 2021
The Nittany Lions still have four-star Jerry Cross in the fold at the position, but will now be looking to add another tight end to the class.
The last time Penn State had a recruit from the state of Georgia decommit, he turned out to be pretty good. Ohio State fans are probably familiar with him. No word yet on whether Staes' college career will turn out as well as Justin Fields' did.
