Kerry Coombs has already made his presence felt.
Coming into the 2021 recruiting cycle, the defensive backfield was one of Ohio State's greatest areas of need. That's especially true at cornerback, where the Buckeyes are expected to sign at least three prospects before next February's signing day.
This week's news has put a bit of a damper on what was expected to be a pivotal few months on the trail, but Kerry Coombs is getting it done despite still looking for his first big win in the commitment column. We were expecting some good news in March or April, but Coombs has the Buckeyes in a great spot even if things get pushed back a bit.
The Ohio State staff won't be hosting visitors or traveling around the country through at least mid-April. Ryan Day and Co. will be able to utilize communication via phone, but welcoming top prospects to campus will have to wait. Despite the current guidelines, the Buckeyes did extend an offer just a few short days ago.
Coombs looked toward his hometown and extended an offer to La Salle's Devonta Smith, the nation's 32nd-best corner and the state's No. 14 prospect. Smith is one of a few three-stars to be offered at the position, but his recent slew of offers is tough to ignore. Alabama, Oregon, and Notre Dame are a few of the programs that have come calling in the last six weeks.
Smith is a prospect we've been talking about despite not holding a Buckeye offer until this week. The expectation had been that the offer would come at some point, but many thought it could be a bit later in the process. Coombs' ties to the Cincinnati area are well known, and his most recent offer may soon lead to his first commitment since returning to Columbus.
Coombs had been in regular contact with Smith, laying out a clear path for him to earn the offer. The La Salle corner spoke with 247Sports' Bill Greene earlier this week and indicated that he had grown an inch and gained 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He's now up to 6-foot and 185 pounds, which is nothing to scoff at for a defensive back who's still in the midst of his junior season.
Smith is now firmly entrenched on Ohio State's defensive back board, which took a hit this week when four-star Georgia corner Jordan Hancock announced his commitment to Clemson. The loss of Hancock – combined with Smith's own transformation – undoubtedly were factors leading up to the Buckeye offer.
“I cried,” Smith said. “I’m not even sure if people know what this offer means to me. It’s very special.”
With Ohio State expected to sign a trio of corners and upwards of five in the defensive backfield, Smith joins the likes of Jakailin Johnson, Derrick Davis and Jantzen Dunn as some of the top targets in the secondary. He's a teammate of four-star safety/linebacker commit Jaylen Johnson.
The most recent Buckeye commitment came from Streetsboro's Mike Hall back on Feb. 1. With Ohio State and the rest of the country in the midst of an unexpected dead period, the recruiting trail – and the entire sports world – is going to be far quieter than we had anticipated for the next several weeks.
It's tough to imagine someone committing from afar right now, so Ryan Day and his staff may have to wait until visitors are once again able to head to Columbus. But when that time comes, Kerry Coombs should get back in the commitment column quickly, and that could go down as soon as Devonta Smith makes it back to campus.
