The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Brian Hartline hasn't yet been Ohio State's interim wide receivers coach for a full month, but the 2019 recruiting board appears to be going through a transformation of sorts. The unit is going to be hit especially hard following the coming season, and the Buckeyes will need to add at least three or four signees in an effort to help restock the position.
Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon, and C.J. Saunders all are in their senior seasons. K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, and Binjimen Victor each will have the option to stick around for their final year in 2019. There's always the chance that a wideout steps up in a big way – especially under a revamped passing attack – and it wouldn't be a surprise to see a player like Hill be faced with a tough decision regarding the NFL Draft.
Hartline's first priority will certainly be making sure that Ohio State's pass-catchers are taking the necessary steps to take their games to new heights. The development at the position always was one of the biggest question marks under the previous regime.
One thing that wasn't a question under Zach Smith's tenure? His ability to connect with prospects and recruit top talent to Columbus.
For Hartline and the Buckeyes, the class if off to a tremendous start at wide receiver. However, there's still plenty of work to be done, and the success of the class may very well come down to two cities that have become focal points for 2019 recruiting class.
Austin, Texas: Hold on Tight and Push for Another
Garrett Wilson is the county's No. 12 prospect and the highest rated commitment in Ohio State's 2019 class. The Ohioan turned Texan chose the Buckeyes over the Longhorns back on April 29th and has been integral in helping the staff recruit other top prospects in the class.
The five-star has been saying all of the right things regarding his standing with Ohio State. He reaffirmed his pledge just over a week ago, but depending on how things transpire with Urban Meyer, admitted that he could take a look at a few other schools. Ryan Day has been a huge part of this recruitment as well, so even if things were to go south on the Meyer front, he wouldn't seem all that likely to bolt.
Hartline will need to continue building and cultivating that relationship with the Lake Travis star, though obviously the Meyer situation is a saga all to itself. Keeping things on the right track with Wilson is likely Hartline's top priority on the trail—regardless of how things unfold with Ohio State's head coach.
In honor of my boy getting back to 100% soon. Long Live the Brotherhood... @matthewb_12 pic.twitter.com/WhX9MrW4YG
— Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) August 20, 2018
Zach Smith's departure has led to some movers and shakers on the wide receiver board, and while the changes haven't been too extreme, I do think the move will benefit a few targets at the position. Perhaps none more than four-star Austin (Bowie) wideout Elijah Higgins.
At 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, Higgins has been on the radar for some time now. He's been to Columbus twice dating back to April and has already used his official visit. With the official being in the rear-view mirror, the staff likely will have some work to do if they plan on nabbing the country's No. 15 wideout.
How may they pull off such a feat? It's probably going to take a tag-team effort from Hartline and Wilson.
Elijah Higgins and Garrett Wilson are extremely close, and it's no secret that the latter has been working on his friend for a while now. I think this one is is much more likely to happen now with Hartline at the helm. I believe that some previous concerns – speed being the most noteworthy – have been put to rest.
Higgins' recruitment is likely to come down to Stanford, Florida, and Ohio State. He's a high academic kid, and Stanford is going to be a major threat until he ends up signing his letter of intent. Florida may be the frontrunner right now, however, and an official to Gainesville is scheduled for Oct. 5.
A Prominent Pair from the Show-Me State
St. Louis wideouts Jameson Williams and Marcus Washington have been toward the top of the receiver board for months now. At one point it was looking like the duo may be close to pledging to Zach Smith and the Buckeyes, but things have obviously changed in recent months.
We recently bumped Williams up to No. 3 on our recruiting board behind only Zach Harrison and Darnell Wright. He's an electric wideout that everyone wants but is likely to end up in Columbus, Eugene, or Tuscaloosa. He's officially visited Ohio State and Oregon and the trip to Alabama in October looms large.
The recruitment of Marcus Washington has been a bit strange. Thought to be a virtual lock for months, Washington quickly began trending toward Missouri leading up to his early-August decision date. He's since backed off that timeline, and that's probably good news if you're wanting the country's No. 157 prospect – per the composite rankings – to end up in Columbus.
Most seem to believe that family ties may be pulling the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder to stay closer to home, but the best bet here is to wait things out and see how much of an emphasis the new regime puts on the Missouri product. While Williams has moved up our board a bit, Washington has dropped thanks partially to a big ranking descent over on 247 Sports, where he is now rated as the No. 583 player in the country.
For Brian Hartline and Urban Meyer (hopefully), the goal has to be hanging on to Wilson and adding two or three more at the position. There are other names out there like David Bell, Kyle Ford, and perhaps even Trey Knox, but these are all fairly unlikely or total pipe dreams.
There's a decent chance that the 2019 wide receiver haul is comprised entirely of prospects from Austin and St. Louis. Personally, I'm hoping to see someone like Wandale Robinson find a way in as more of an H-Back/all-purpose option, but we will see how things go on that front. Right now I'd say both Michigan and Alabama seem more likely, but the staff is working on getting the playmaker back on campus.
Ohio State has clearly had plenty of success in Texas and Missouri, and while the Urban Meyer verdict could shake things up a bit, the 2019 receiver focus will likely carry on in these two hotbeds.
