Several top Ohio State targets already have plans to visit this summer, while several others will likely make plans as well.
Midway through May, the quiet period between the end of spring practice and the beginning of official visit season is beginning to fade, and as it fades, more 2020 targets are beginning to finalize official visit schedules.
With several prospects anticipating commitments in June or July before their football seasons are underway, these official visits are some of the last opportunities schools have to make an impression on crucial targets in the class. For Ohio State, some top targets have already scheduled their visits.
These are the recruits who have scheduled their official visits as of the morning of May 18 and who are likely to schedule official visits soon.
Paris Johnson Jr./Darrion Henry/Jaheim Thomas – June 21
These three Cincinnati prospects are grouped together because they prefer it that way. They’ve done nearly everything together. They took visits to Michigan State, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia Tech and Ohio State together, announced the announcements of cut lists together and prefer to play together.
Johnson, of course, is already committed to Ohio State but has seemingly put himself on the market again, after tours of the South with Henry and Thomas before Thomas was given his offer by the Buckeyes. He did not accompany Henry and Thomas on their official visit to LSU last weekend, though, while it was rumored that LSU and Georgia were the two threats for a flip.
Henry has essentially narrowed his list to LSU and Ohio State while still leaning toward the Buckeyes, though just under a week after his official to LSU, he tweeted this.
He was expected to make a commitment before his football season but not this far away from Week One. If the trio will play for the same school, it’s unlikely that Henry would announce his commitment after a visit without Johnson and before an official visit to Johnson’s committed school.
Bijan Robinson – June 14
Five-star running back Bijan Robinson is clearly a running back every team in the country would like to have on its roster, but the No. 5 2020 running back hasn’t caught as many headlines as some other top tailbacks in the class, such as No. 3 running back Kendall Milton.
Statistically, Robinson is as good as any running back in the country, though. He’s recorded two consecutive 2,000-yard seasons as a sophomore and junior and scored 61 times.
Robinson’s teammate, four-star safety Lathan Ransom, told Eleven Warriors that the two Ohio State targets have talked about wanting to play on the same team. They tried to synchronize their official visits to Ohio State but couldn’t get it to work.
Reece Atteberry – June 14
Three-star center Reece Atteberry will visit Ohio State June 14, just one week before he makes his official to Notre Dame, a school that has found a way to pull close to Ohio State for Atteberry’s commitment.
Early in the recruiting process, Atteberry was so high on Ohio State that he nearly tried to commit. Now, with Urban Meyer out, other schools, like Notre Dame and even Florida, who Atteberry will visit the week before Ohio State, have chances with the Colorado center. This official visit will be huge for Ohio State’s chances with Atteberry, who likely won’t let his recruitment drag out into his senior season.
DeaMonte Trayanum – June 17-19
Akron standout athlete DeaMonte Trayanum can play everywhere – linebacker, safety, running back. But Ohio State likes him at running back and understandably so. He ran for more than 1,300 yards and 26 touchdowns on just 106 carries as a junior in 2018. He has an extremely high level of strength and athleticism for a high school athlete, which has forced teams to quit pigeonholing him into the linebacker spot and opening their minds to recruiting him as a running back.
That’s what he’s wanted to be for a long time, and, if the mid-week visit goes well for Trayanum, the Buckeyes could be looking at adding an underrated tailback as soon as July.
Lathan Ransom – June 21
Lathan Ransom is Ohio State’s top target at safety, and with living in Arizona, he doesn’t make it out to Ohio often. The official visit is going to have to be a successful one. Ransom made a visit to Ohio State at the end of February, but that visit is long in the past now, after Ransom has visited all three schools the Buckeyes are competing with since then.
The No. 4 2020 safety hit Notre Dame the day before making it to Columbus and then took his official visits to Oklahoma and LSU in April. His official to Notre Dame is June 8, so Ohio State has an advantage with the last scheduled official visit. The Buckeyes have a good chance with Ransom at the moment, but they will surely be rolling out the red carpet for the Salpointe Catholic star, much like they will be for his teammate the weekend before.
Cameron Martinez – June 21
If there are two recruits on this list that Ohio State has the best chances with, they are DeaMonte Trayanum and Cameron Martinez. Martinez was high on Michigan early in the recruiting cycle, but since Ohio State offer in mid-February, the tide has begun to turn.
Ohio State wants to make Martinez comfortable, allowing him to decide which position he would like to play – safety or wide receiver. Jeff Hafley made his way up to Muskegon and a week later, Brian Hartline did as well. Martinez is one of the biggest competitors in the 2020 class. He’s a good locker room player and can excel at many different positions, though he is leaning toward safety at the moment.
Kedrick Bingley-Jones – June 21
Few people know where four-star defensive end Kedrick Bingley-Jones is going to commit. At 6-foot-4, 266 pounds, though, Ohio State is recruiting him as a defensive tackle, according to an interview 247Sports had with Providence Day High School head coach Adam Hastings. His recruitment has taken all different shapes and sizes, but he has offers from Duke, Miami, South Carolina, NC State and North Carolina – the last two he was projected to commit to via 247Sports’ Crystal Ball. A good official visit could help Ohio State bolster its defensive line interior for a class that likely won’t bring in many defensive linemen.
Kourt Williams – June 21
While Ohio State is integrating the bullet position into its defense in 2019, it also needs to recruit for the position, and four-star linebacker Kourt Williams is probably the best fit there in the 2020 class. That fit is somewhat responsible for why Williams is leaning toward Ohio State. His father played at UCLA, which made many believe he’d pick the Bruins as late as March, but he visited Columbus in March and left excited.
He has already taken two of his three scheduled official visits to Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and those were both successful. The ball seems to be in Ohio State’s court in June, though, which could lead to a big commitment in July.
Recruits who could schedule officials with Ohio State soon
Some 2020 recruits have not scheduled any or some of their official visits yet, which isn’t too telling typically. It might mean scheduling issues happened or they plan to sign in February versus December or not enroll early. This recruiting cycle might see some recruits wait to schedule officials with Ohio State until they see the product on the field under a new post-Urban Meyer system.
Whatever the case, these are some recruits that will likely schedule officials with Ohio State yet.
Five-star running back Kendall Milton will be scheduling an official visit with Ohio State after a successful unofficial in April. He’s already taken his LSU official visit. He will likely hit the other two teams on his final four list – Alabama and Georgia – as well.
Four-star all-purpose back Mike Drennen will likely schedule his official visit to Ohio State soon. He told Eleven Warriors that he will be dropping a cut list sometime in June or July. While he’s been everywhere along the board, he might be a recruit that waits for the season to schedule his official visits.
Jutahn McClain, the No. 6 Ohio recruit and the No. 7 all-purpose back in the country, might also schedule an official visit as well. He has set a commitment day of July 4, so he will need to get to campuses soon if he hopes to get officials in before that day.
With 247Sports reporting that No. 6 2020 wideout Marcus Rosemy will extend his recruitment past his senior season and into 2020, it’s likely he will be taking an official to Ohio State during the season. Brian Hartline has been to St. Thomas Aquinas, trying to get Rosemy to Columbus after he wasn’t able to visit during the offseason yet. A summer visit and potentially a fall visit could both happen.
At cornerback, there is potential for Henry Gray, Clark Phillips and maybe Kelee Ringo to schedule officials with Ohio State. Elias Ricks has a visit scheduled for Nov. 22. Jordan Morant and Rickey Hyatt are both safeties that will likely visit this summer, particularly Morant after he missed his unofficial with Kendall Milton in April.
