Recruiting never stops, and Urban Meyer certainly has a knack for it, but there are still some players who get away from the Scarlet and Gray despite showing strong interest. Here's a look at the recruits who have decommitted from Ohio State since 2014.
2014
Lawrence Marshall, 4-Star Defensive End, Michigan
Marshall was rated as a top-200 recruit and the No. 7 weak-side defensive end in his class, so he certainly flashed quite a bit of talent. However, after committing to the Buckeyes in February, his Ohio State tenure was short-lived. By May, he had committed to the Wolverines.
Now entering his senior season with That School Up North, Marshall has appeared in a total of seven games for the Maize and Blue. In those games, Marshall has accumulated six tackles, one of which was for a loss.
Lonnie Johnson, 3-Star Safety, Kentucky
Not all decommits went on to Ohio State's rival as evidenced by Lonnie Johnson's commitment to the Wildcats. Johnson committed to the Bucks in May 2013 and decommitted in November. After his decommitment, he committed to Western Michigan for 2014 before bouncing around in a junior college and visiting Iowa State, Georgia and West Virginia. Ultimately, Johnson signed with Kentucky for the 2017-2018 season.
The 6-foot-3 defensive back has had problems with qualifying academically to stay on teams, and he even sat out 2016 to focus on academics, so he has two seasons of eligibility left for the Wildcats.
2015
Carlton Davis, 4-Star Defensive Back, Auburn
A highly touted corner coming out of high school, Ohio State secured a commitment from Carlton Davis in August of 2014. However, from August 2014 to January 2015, Davis took visits with Miami and Auburn before decommitting and naming Auburn his new leader at the end of January.
Davis was a starter as a true freshman for the Tigers and is entering his junior season with the SEC powerhouse. In his first season, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and made the All-SEC third team in 2016. As it stands, CBSSports has Davis ranked as the No. 68 player for the 2017 NFL draft, so his future seems bright.
Ben Edwards, 3-Star Safety, Stanford
It took less than a month from Ohio State's offer (Jan. 20, 2014) for Edwards to commit (Feb. 11, 2014) to the Scarlet and Gray. However, it took only two more months for Edwards to decommit from the Bucks and commit to Auburn on April 19, 2014. In August, Edwards decommitted again before signing with Stanford in December and he's stuck around there since.
Since beginning his career with Stanford, Edwards has appeared in each game for the Cardinal and has made a total of 38 tackles (9 in 2015, 29 in 2016) and one interception in his collegiate career.
Tyler Green, 3-Star Safety, Indiana
Green has been the least impactful player that decommitted from the Buckeyes in the 2015 class, but it hurts that he was lost to a Big Ten rival. Green committed to Ohio State after attending two camps in June 2014. Later that month, he had an unofficial visit with the Scarlet and Gray then attended a camp with West Virginia before another Buckeye camp in July. In December, however, the Maryland native reopened his commitment. Only five days after decommitting from the Bucks, Green was committed to the Hoosiers.
Green has seen regular playing time for Indiana, appearing in 8 games as a freshman and 11 games as a sophomore for the Crimson and Cream. In those games, Green has tallied 26 tackles, two pass deflections and one forced fumble. His role will likely increase as he develops going into his third season with Indiana.
2016
Terrell Hall, 4-Star Defensive End/Linebacker, Alabama
Hall was one of the most highly touted defensive ends in the 2016 recruiting class, and was ranked as the No. 65 player in the class by 247Sports. As would make sense with a recruit of his skill level, the Bucks were very proactive in offering him, with the official offer being extended in October of 2014. In March 2015, Hall committed to the Bucks while still remaining active in camps for other colleges like Maryland and Alabama. Those visits to Tuscaloosa mist have had quite the impact, because Hall decommitted from the Bucks in August and committed to the Crimson Tide in February 2016.
Hall showed some flashes as a freshman for the perennial college football powerhouse that included 11 tackles and one sack in 10 games on the ultra-competitive Alabama defensive line. As he grows into a starter role, his stats will likely jump and he'll cause disturbances all up and down the SEC.
Kareem Walker, 4-Star Running Back, Michigan
Walker was ranked just outside the top 100 recruits by 247 (No. 102) and was the No. 4 running back in the nation. Walker was a Buckeye commit in January 2015 as he went through the camp cycle, participating in programs for Arizona State, Auburn, USC, Alabama and Michigan. Almost a year after committing to the Scarlet and Gray (November 2015), Walker reopened his commitment as he took more visits. In December, Walker committed to Michigan.
Walker didn't see game action for the Wolverines in 2016 but found himself in the middle of a media debacle after not being pictured in the team's 2016 team photo. As it turned out, Walker was one of three players for the Maize and Blue not pictured. The other two — wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell and defensive end Shelton Johnson — were suspended by Jim Harbaugh.
George Hill, 4-Star Athlete, Pitt/No Longer Playing
The Hubbard, Ohio, native Hubbard committed to play for his home-state Buckeyes in June 2014 and followed up with visits and camps at Ohio State through July before going to camps and visits with Pitt, Nebraska and Michigan State. In October 2015, Hill decommitted from the Bucks and reopened his recruitment for the college football world as the No. 8 athlete in the nation and a top-150 prospect. Hill added Wisconsin to his list of visits before ultimately signing with Pitt in December 2015.
However, Hill was discovered to have a pre-existing cardiac problem that forced him to give up football. No matter how promising his career may have been for the Panthers, Hill had to put football aside for his personal safety.
Tristen Wallace, 4-Star Athlete, Oregon
Wallace crossed the country to find his new home after decommitting from the Bucks, and it took almost no time after his visit to Eugene for the Oregon Staff to poach him from the Scarlet and Gray. Wallace committed to play for Ohio State in April 2015 and put off official visits until December of that year, although he did have a coach visit with Brian Jean-Mary from Texas in the meantime. December 11, Wallace visited UCLA. December 13 turned out to be an exciting day for Wallace as he visited Oregon, decommitted from Ohio State and committed to the Ducks all in the same day.
The 6-foot-4 freshman didn't see the field for Oregon in his freshman season and has also been dealing with some off-field issues in the last few months that could affect his future. Should he find the right path back to the football field, though, the 6-foot-4 Wallace, a top-200 recruit and top-10 athlete in his class, could be an interesting piece in Oregon's offense as a wide receiver.
2017
These players haven't had a chance to contribute to their NCAA squads yet, but they have decommitted from the Buckeyes for the 2017 recruiting class and will certainly be names to look out for in the college football landscape in the coming years.
- Tyjon Lindsey, 4-Star Wide Receiver, Nebraska
- Jake Moretti, 4-Star Offensive Tackle, Colorado
- Todd Sibley, 4-Star Running Back, Pitt
- Antjuan Simmons, 4-Star Outside Linebacker, Michigan State
- Danny Clark, 3-Star Pro-Style Quarterback, Kentucky
- Bruce Judson, 3-Star Athlete, Oregon
Whatever the reason may be, these recruits have moved on from Ohio State for better or for worse.
