The Hurry Up: L.V. Bunkley-Shelton Looks Forward to His Spring Game Visit to Ohio State, Several Targets Announce Visits

L.V. Bunkley-Shelton Has Strong Relationship with Brian Hartline

California 2020 wideout L.V. Bunkley-Shelton is excited to be on Ohio State’s radar. The four-star receiver said he “can’t wait” to visit Ohio State during the Spring Game on April 13.

“I’m very interested in The Ohio State,” Bunkley-Shelton said. “Definitely one of my top schools. I love the tradition and history that goes along with the ‘O.’”

The No. 47 wideout in the class said much of his interest in Ohio State is rooted in his relationship with wide receivers coach Brian Hartline. Hartline offered Bunkley-Shelton after the Rose Bowl, and the two have developed a relationship since then.

The Under Armour All-American invitee talks with Hartline about twice per week and said his relationship with Hartline is one of his strongest among schools he’s interested in. He plans

“I trust that he wants to help me be a better person,” Bunkley-Shelton said. “Most of our talks aren’t even about football. He’s a father and a husband. I see him as being a mentor as well as a coach to me, and being away from my parents, that would be huge to have someone I can talk to about life daily.”

Bunkley-Shelton also plans to visit Arizona State, Florida State, Oklahoma, Colorado and Washington State, but he said he looks forward to his visit to Ohio State the most.

Watching former Ohio State receivers Paris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon at the NFL Combine, Bunkley-Shelton said it proved Ohio State’s ability to prepare wideouts for the next level, and while watching practice on his last visit to Ohio State, he said he enjoyed the pace the Buckeyes worked at.

“I was really impressed with the level of competition and energy of workouts,” Bunkley-Shelton said. “They get so much done in a short amount of time and the environment was lit. Hard not wanting to be a Buckeye after seeing that with my own eyes.”

The No. 239 prospect broke his collarbone and missed six games as a freshman, but he came back in the final four. He caught just 24 passes and four touchdowns as a sophomore, but in 2018, as a junior, he brought down 81 passes for 1,012 yards.

OSU Targets at The Opening

The Opening is five weeks into its regional competition, and in review, director of player personnel Ronny Torres tweeted a few power rankings lists, and Ohio State targets were included on a couple of those lists. 

Four-star Florida safety Lejond Cavazos, who is visiting Ohio State on March 22, still has the best vertical jump by a three-inch margin, with 44.4 inches. Four-star Texas cornerback Jalen Kimber was also fifth on the list, with 40.8 inches. 

Ohio State wide receiver commit Jaxon Smith-Njigba has scored the fourth-best rating at The Opening, with his 119.67 score. Florida 2021 wideout Agiye Hall is also in the top-10.

#TheOpening Top WR Testing
Ratings through 5 Regional Camps pic.twitter.com/Mi0Vwc1MDu

— Ronny Torres (@RonnyTorresSS) March 15, 2019

The Opening was in Houston for its sixth week Sunday. Four-star offensive guard Akinola Ogunbiyi was at the showcase, and so was four-star defensive tackle Vernon Broughton, the No. 10 defensive tackle in the 2020 class.

DE Vernon Broughton (@Broughto1Vernon) at #TheOpening in Houston. pic.twitter.com/aFwZiG6xut

— Jason Suchomel (@OB_JasonS) March 17, 2019

Visits to Ohio State Announced

Lejond Cavazos announced via Twitter that he would be joined by 2020's No. 1 wide receiver Julian Fleming in Columbus on the weekend of March 22. Fleming made two visits to Ohio State in November and has recently been paying visits to Penn State – three since the beginning of February.

Future roommate https://t.co/xhHbcbDj5Y

— 0J4 (@julian_040) March 17, 2019

Before 2021 athlete Emeka Egbuka makes his way to Columbus on March 22, the Washington-native will be at Notre Dame, and three-star Michigan athlete Cameron Martinez announced he'd be at Michigan State on March 22 and at Michigan on March 24 after his time at Ohio State on Saturday, March 23.

New Jersey defensive end Aaron Lewis also announced that he'd be at Ohio State for the Buckeyes' biggest recruiting weekend of the month on March 23.