Meet the Ohio State Football Recruiting Class of 2019

By David Wertheim on February 6, 2019 at 7:25 pm
Ohio State early enrollees
Twitter/@OhioStateFB
44 Comments

On Wednesday morning, head coach Ryan Day officially introduced Ohio State's Dynasty '19 recruiting class.

The 13th-ranked haul consists of 17 prospects from 12 different states, including pledges from Hawaii, Texas and Georgia. 

Ohio State brought on 15 prospects during the Early Signing Period in December, including three five-stars: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, center Harry Miller and defensive end Zach Harrison.

Ohio State then ended the class on a mixed note up front on the offensive line: the Buckeyes lost the pledge of Doug Nester, who flipped to Virginia Tech, but landed the services of Enokk Vimahi and Dawand Jones, two linemen who project to help Ohio State in future seasons (not immediately).

"The biggest challenge" of finishing off the recruiting class of 2019 after becoming the new head coach just two months ago, Day said, "was getting to know everybody."

Eleven Warriors has kept you up-to-date on everything happening with National Signing Day since the first National Letter of Intent was faxed back in December. But as the recruiting cycle comes to a close, we're excited to present to you the members of Dynasty '19:

Steele Chambers, RB (Roswell, Georgia)

With one of the best names in this class, Chambers will arrive to Ohio State as a running back (forming a great potential name duo with Master Teague), although he also has the ability to play linebacker. 

RELATED Signed: Steele Chambers

Chambers was plucked out of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia. He is rated as the No. 11 athlete in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

With Ohio State losing Mike Weber (NFL Draft) and Brian Snead (transfer) in the offseason, re-tooling the running back room was imperative, and the Buckeyes did so, at least in part, with Chambers.

Marcus Crowley, RB (Jacksonville, Florida)

One of the more unheralded players in Ohio State's class, at least when he flipped from Miami, Crowley quickly rose up through the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and recently earned his fourth star.

RELATED Signed: Marcus Crowley

The No. 26 overall running back in the 2019 class, Crowley comes from Jacksonville, Florida powerhouse Trinity Christian High School, the same program which produced current Ohio State defensive backs Shaun Wade and Tyreke Johnson.

Crowley was named the 2019 Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year.

He will help to rebuild a running back room which lost Mike Weber and Brian Snead this offseason. He has already enrolled at Ohio State.

Tommy Eichenberg, LB (Cleveland, Ohio)

The first commitment of the Ryan Day era, Eichenberg committed to Ohio State late in the recruiting cycle, after the Buckeyes flipped him from Boston College.

RELATED Signed: Tommy Eichenberg

Rated as the No. 19 inside linebacker in the 2019 class by the 247Sports composite rankings, Eichenberg comes to Ohio State as a four-star prospect.

Eichenberg is one of five Ohioans in the 2019 Buckeyes class, and a prototypical linebacker. A hard-hitting player, Eichenberg will help Ohio State re-tool a linebacker room that has struggled in recent years.

Cormontae Hamilton, TE (Memphis, Tennessee)

Hamilton's recruitment has been well-documented. He was the player who hopped on an twelve-hour Greyhound bus ride from Memphis to Columbus in order to camp at Ohio State and hopefully earn a scholarship offer, which he obviously did.

RELATEDSigned: Cormontae Hamilton

Hamilton will join a deep tight end room at Ohio State, but as a project-type player anyways, this will probably be best for his development. A three-star player in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Hamilton recently enjoyed a nice ratings bump up to No. 587 overall.

Zach Harrison, DE (Columbus, Ohio)

The crown jewel of Ohio State's recruiting class, Harrison is the highest-rated member, coming in at No. 12 overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

RELATED Signed: Zach Harrison

Harrison's recruitment was an interesting one. He did not say much throughout the process, and it seemed that at different times, both Michigan and Penn State were leading the race for his services. Ultimately, though, Ryan Day and Ohio State won out, and Harrison chose to stay close to home.

He will join an elite defensive line room led by Chase Young, a player whom Harrison shares similar athletic traits. It will be interesting to see how Larry Johnson develops a player with the athletic ability of Harrison.

Harrison has already enrolled at Ohio State.

Ronnie Hickman, S (Wayne, New Jersey)

An early commitment to Ohio State's 2019 class, Hickman was pegged to be a Buckeye years before he actually pulled the trigger, thanks to a strong bond with Greg Schiano.

RELATED Signed: Ronnie Hickman 

Despite the departures of Schiano and Urban Meyer, Hickman stuck with his original commitment to Ohio State, seemingly never wavering in the process. 

Hickman was rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 10 overall safety in the 2019 class, extending Ohio State's run of recruiting elite defensive backs. 

Entering that safety unit, Hickman will hope to bolster a position group that struggled at times last season, particularly with their angles, tackling and pursuit of the ballcarrier – all strengths of Hickman's game.

He has enrolled early at Ohio State.

Ryan Jacoby, OT (Mentor, Ohio)

Another early commit, Jacoby was the second recruit to pull the trigger and commit to the Buckeyes for the 2019 class, but ultimately becomes the longest-tenured after the flip of Doug Nester to Virginia Tech.

RELATED Signed: Ryan Jacoby

Jacoby was high school teammates with another Ohio State signee, defensive end Noah Potter. As always, keeping the state of Ohio locked down is important every year for the Buckeyes, and that didn't change this cycle. 

Ohio State has had a difficult time recruiting offensive linemen in 2019, but the addition of Jacoby is a major one that cannot be overlooked, as he has the potential to be a multi-year starter for the Buckeyes along the offensive line. 

Jacoby was rated as the No. 23 overall offensive tackle in the 2019 class. He has enrolled early.

Dawand Jones, OT (Indianapolis, Indiana)

The lowest-ranked recruit in the Ohio State 2019 class, Jones is also the biggest, standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing a whopping 360 pounds.

RELATED Signed: Dawand Jones

Jones is rated as the No. 87 overall offensive tackle in the 2019 class, and it makes sense. Jones is an extremely raw prospect who has an extremely high ceiling if he can make the proper adjustments to his body and learn to control his massive frame.

A project player for Greg Studrawa and Ohio State, zeroing in and landing Jones could pay off for the Buckeyes in a big way down the road.

Jaden McKenzie, DT (Wake Forest, North Carolina)

Due to the fact that the defensive line room is absolutely stacked for a few years to come, Ohio State was able to afford to take a project player, and that's exactly what they did in taking McKenzie.

RELATED Signed: Jaden McKenzie

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 280 pounds, McKenzie could be a force in the middle in a few years once he adds a little bit of weight.

McKenzie committed to and signed with Ohio State on the first day of the Early Signing Period back in December. He is rated as the No. 58 overall defensive tackle in the 2019 class, coming from Wake Forest High School in North Carolina. 

Harry Miller, C (Buford, Georgia)

Another five-star pulled by Ohio State, Miller is an elite prospect who hopes to join Pat Elflein, Billy Price, and Michael Jordan as elite centers produced by Ohio State. 

RELATED Signed: Harry Miller

Miller was rated as the No. 2 center overall in the 2019 class. Despite his close bond he and his family had with Urban Meyer, Miller decided to stick with Ohio State over schools such as Stanford even after Meyer retired and Day took over.

He will immensely help Ohio State's offensive line room in the years to come. The Buckeyes got a really good one here.

Noah Potter, DE (Mentor, Ohio)

One of two Mentor players to commit to Ohio State, Potter's status throughout his recruitment never seemed to be in doubt, as most pegged him to join the Buckeyes pretty much all the way through.

RELATED Signed: Noah Potter

Potter, whose brother Micah played for the Ohio State basketball team for three seasons before transferring to Wisconsin, joins Jacoby as the two Mentor Cardinals to join the Ohio State football team this season.

Potter was rated as a four-star recruit, and the No. 23 overall defensive end. He will now have a chance to learn from Larry Johnson, one of the best defensive line coaches in football.

Bryson Shaw, S (Potomac, Maryland)

Coming from the same high school as Dwayne Haskins means that he will have some lofty expectations, and Ohio State certainly hopes that Shaw lives up to those set by Haskins coming from The Bullis School in Maryland.

RELATED Signed: Bryson Shaw

A multi-sport standout at the Bullis School, Shaw was once committed to play lacrosse at his home-state school of Maryland. But after deciding that he wanted to play football in college instead, Shaw originally committed to Wisconsin on Jan. 27. A week later, however, he received an Ohio State offer and flipped to the Buckeyes.

The 6-foot-2 safety is listed at only 175 pounds, so he’s going to need some time in Mickey Marotti’s strength and conditioning program before he’s ready to contribute for the Buckeyes. That makes him a probable candidate to redshirt in 2019.

Cade Stover, LB (Mansfield, Ohio)

Another player destined to be a Buckeye, Stover built a great relationship with Urban Meyer and Bill Davis before both ended up leaving Ohio State. Nevertheless, Stover signed with Ohio State.

RELATED Signed: Cade Stover

Stover really did it all for Lexington. As a senior he totaled 175 tackles with 11 tackles for loss. He added a pair of forced fumbles and four interceptions as well. On the other side of the ball, he ran for just about 1,500 yards and found the end zone 18 times.

While he was all over the field in high school, he's certainly expected to play defense in Columbus. The question may now be exactly where does he fit in for the Buckeyes? Listed as an outside linebacker at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, there's some speculation that he could grow into more of a defensive end if need be.

Enokk Vimahi, OG (Kahuku, Hawaii)

Ohio State was a relatively late entry into the Vimahi sweepstakes. He was offered back on Jan. 4, made an official visit to Ohio State last week, and then Day took a long flight to the islands to follow up. The efforts paid off, as Vimahi picked the Buckeyes on Wednesday over USC and Oklahoma.

RELATED Signed: Enokk Vimahi

Vimahi is rated as the No. 124 overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting rankings, and the No. 7 offensive guard. With Ohio State having just 11 scholarship offensive linemen coming into the season, it was imperative that the Buckeyes built some depth for the future, and they have done so (at least in part) with this commitment.

It is important to note that Vimahi is expected to take a two-year mission trip after his freshman season, though the expectation is usually just for the trip to take place sometime between the ages of 19 and 26. Either way, Ohio State might have to wait a few years before reaping the benefits of his commitment. Still, it is an important asset to hold for future seasons.

Jameson Williams, WR (St. Louis, Missouri)

The third wide receiver from St. Louis that the Buckeyes have landed in the past two cycles (joining Kamryn Babb and Cameron Brown), Williams might be the most exciting of the three.

RELATEDSigned: Jameson Williams

After losing Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, and Terry McLaurin to graduation, re-stocking the wide receiver cupboard was essential, and the Buckeyes got a good one with Williams, rated as the No. 13 wideout in the 2019 class.

Williams is a freak athlete off the football field as well. Competing for Cardinal Ritter in last year's state track meet, Williams took first place in Class 3 won both the 400-meter dash (48.68 seconds) and the 300-meter hurdles (37.47) events. He also took second in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver (Austin, Texas)

Ohio State's second-highest rated signee, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, is one of the most well-rounded pass-catchers in the entire country.

RELATED Signed: Garrett Wilson

Wilson committed to Ohio State on April 29, becoming the first wide receiver pledge in the Buckeyes' 2019 class.

However, after a few months of silent activity, all hell broke loose when Zach Smith was fired due to domestic violence accusations, and Urban Meyer was suspended three games for his role in the process. Through it all, however, Wilson remained solid to Ohio State, offering no qualms that he was even considering a flip.

He has enrolled early at Ohio State, and the five-star will look to make an immediate impact on the field this fall.

Craig Young, Athlete (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

It's easy to root for the guys who bust their tails to earn an offer from Ohio State. Darron Lee is a recent example and Fort Wayne's Craig Young may follow in those footsteps. Young camped in Columbus multiple times before earning the offer and promptly committing to the Buckeyes.

RELATED Signed: Craig Young

Young is expected to man one of the linebacker spots, but when speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ryan Day made it pretty clear that he's a versatile player who could help the team in a number of ways. His career trajectory should be an interesting thing to follow in the coming years.

44 Comments

Ohio State Makes Statement, Blows Out Tennessee 42-17 in First Round of College Football Playoff

Jeremiah Smith

Five Things: More Like Rocky Flop As Ohio State Pummels Tennessee, 42-17, in CFP Quarterfinal

Joy and pain
View 44 Comments