Kerry Coombs and Ohio State are on fire. On Tuesday morning, Ensworth (Tenn.) High School four-star defensive back Andre Turrentine committed to the Buckeyes.
So Blessed
— ANDRE TURRENTINE (@KingATIII) March 17, 2020
1000% Committed pic.twitter.com/S5pGRyqxJb
Following the commitments of cornerbacks Jakailin Johnson and Devonta Smith on Sunday and Monday, respectively, Turrentine's pledge gives Coombs three defensive back commits in as many days. Combined with running back Evan Pryor's commitment on Monday night, Ohio State has jumped from 10 commitments to 14 in less than 48 hours.
The Turrentine File
- Class: 2021
- Size: 6-foot/175 lbs
- Pos: S
- School: Ensworth (Nashville, TN)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 6 S
The coronavirus outbreak led to a cancellation of all spring athletics, and the NCAA created a temporary recruiting dead period through April 15, and it looked like that decision would lead to a stall in recruiting with no visits allowed.
It's been the exact opposite, at least for the Buckeyes, as the cancellations and the uncertainties seem to have forced the hand a bit for recruits to want to commit and ensure their spot in the class, especially with defensive backs as the Buckeyes look to load up the class with at least five players.
And with the momentum that this Ohio State class has right now, it's hard to blame Turrentine for wanting to jump aboard, as he becomes the 11th player ranked inside the top 150 to join the Buckeyes' 2021 cycle. The 6-foot, 175-pound junior is ranked as the No. 6 safety in America, but he is a combo safety/cornerback who brings positional versatility to the Buckeyes.
What makes Turrentine's commitment more surprising, though, is how it feels like his recruitment was put on fast forward (though some of that is because of Turrentine's quiet nature in terms of his recruitment), and at least part of that can be attributed to the arrival of Coombs.
Coombs coached in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans for the last two years. But less than 20 miles southwest from Coombs' second home at Nissan Stadium, Turrentine starred for the Ensworth Tigers, leading them with three fumble recoveries, tying for the team lead in solo tackles (52) and finishing third in tackles-for-loss (6.0) with four passes defended as a junior en route to being named to his all-region team.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITTMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK SAWYER | DE | No. 2 | No. 2 | FEBRUARY 3, 2019 |
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | No. 22 | No. 3 (PRO-STYLE) | APRIL 30, 2019 |
| JAYDEN BALLARD | WR | No. 71 | No. 12 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
| BEN CHRISTMAN | OT | No. 106 | No. 15 | JUNE 26, 2019 |
| REID CARRICO | LB | No. 73 | No. 2 (ILB) | SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | No. 57 | No. 8 | OCTOBER 31, 2019 |
| SAM HART | TE | No. 387 | No. 16 | DECEMBER 30, 2019 |
| JAYLEN JOHNSON | S | No. 344 | No. 17 | JANUARY 7, 2020 |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | OG | No. 36 | No. 1 | JANUARY 8, 2020 |
| MIKE HALL | DT | No. 92 | No. 8 | FEBRUARY 1, 2020 |
| JAKAILIN JOHNSON | CB | No. 59 | No. 4 | MARCH 15, 2020 |
| DEVONTA SMITH | CB | No. 428 | No. 31 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| EVAN PRYOR | RB | No. 85 | No. 6 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| ANDRE TURRENTINE | S | No. 136 | No. 6 | MARCH 17, 2020 |
Tony Alford recruits the Nashville area for the Buckeyes and first offered Turrentine in late August during the pair's first conversation together, and the Buckeyes continued pursuing him against the likes of LSU, Alabama and Tennessee (the other schools in his final top four that he released Monday evening), in addition to other schools like Georgia, Penn State and Florida that offered him. That push included getting him up to Columbus for a late November visit when the Buckeyes hosted Penn State, and Turrentine saw the Ohio Stadium atmosphere for the first time.
But the moment Coombs was hired, Turrentine's recruitment picked up even more, as Coombs traveled back down to Nashville to visit Turrentine during the January contact period. The fact that Turrentine was one of the prime targets Coombs made a point to visit in-person during that brief window – one made even more hectic due to the timing of when he was hired – made it pretty clear how much Coombs and the Buckeye staff value Turrentine.
