It may not have been as fast of a turnaround as Devonta Smith, but once again Ohio State has landed a commitment from a defensive back shortly after that player earned a long-anticipated offer.
Jantzen Dunn, a four-star defensive back prospect out of South Warren (Ky.) High School, has committed to Ohio State.
Committed pic.twitter.com/8HBN2PrGCv
— Jantzen Dunn (@JantzenDunn) April 20, 2020
Dunn visited the Buckeyes for their game against Penn State in late November. Despite some quality, in-depth talks with Jeff Hafley and Matt Barnes that day, he left without an offer. But Dunn made his way to campus again in the spring, and on March 4 he received his offer from Ryan Day, eventually leading to today's commitment.
The Dunn File
- Class: 2021
- Size: 6-foot-2/180 lbs
- Pos: ATH
- School: South Warren (Bowling Green, Ky.)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 15 ATH
Of course, the main story in Dunn's recruitment was the Buckeyes being able to pull off a steal over Oklahoma in defensive back recruiting for a second straight year following the Ryan Watts flip in the 2020 cycle.
After being in a bit of a holding pattern for weeks with Ohio State, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Dunn was apparently headed to Oklahoma on Saturday night. (You can read up more on that here.)
But after having apparently made a silent commitment to Lincoln Riley and the Sooners, Dunn had a change of heart because of a last-minute pitch by the Buckeyes, and today he gave Barnes (who was the lead recruiter here for a while) and Kerry Coombs another top talent to work with.
Dunn, the composite No. 15-ranked athlete in the country and No. 3-ranked recruit in Kentucky, joins Jakailin Johnson, Andre Turrentine and Smith as the fourth defensive back commit in the class. (Jaylen Johnson is listed as a safety but was recruited as more of an outside linebacker/bullet prospect and is likely be moved positionally in his official listing by the time he gets to campus.)
After Dunn received his Ohio State offer, it felt like a matter of time before Dunn would eventually commit to the Buckeyes over schools like Louisville, Tennessee, Baylor, Florida, Texas, USC, Miami, where his father spent a season playing basketball for the Hurricanes, and, of course, Oklahoma.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK SAWYER | DE | No. 3 | No. 3 | FEBRUARY 3, 2019 |
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | No. 22 | No. 3 (PRO-STYLE) | APRIL 30, 2019 |
| JAYDEN BALLARD | WR | No. 70 | No. 12 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
| BEN CHRISTMAN | OT | No. 108 | No. 15 | JUNE 26, 2019 |
| REID CARRICO | LB | No. 73 | No. 2 (ILB) | SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | No. 56 | No. 8 | OCTOBER 31, 2019 |
| SAM HART | TE | No. 392 | No. 16 | DECEMBER. 30, 2019 |
| JAYLEN JOHNSON | S | No. 349 | No. 19 | JANUARY 7, 2020 |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | OG | No. 36 | No. 1 | JANUARY 8, 2020 |
| MIKE HALL | DT | No. 92 | No. 7 | FEBRUARY 1, 2020 |
| JAKAILIN JOHNSON | CB | No. 58 | No. 4 | MARCH 15, 2020 |
| DEVONTA SMITH | CB | No. 403 | No. 30 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| EVAN PRYOR | RB | No. 83 | No. 5 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| ANDRE TURRENTINE | S | No. 135 | No. 5 | MARCH 17, 2020 |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | No. 17 | No. 2 | MARCH 27, 2020 |
| TUNMISE ADELEYE | SDE | No. 41 | No. 4 | APRIL 15, 2020 |
| JANTZEN DUNN | ATH | No. 248 | No. 15 | APRIL 20, 2020 |
As the 17th commitment of Ohio State's already-lauded class, Dunn helps fill the Buckeyes' defensive backs room, though there is room for at least one more if the player as they look to get to a total of five defensive backs in the class – perhaps even six if he's the right guy, though that's very unlikely.
Dunn doesn't have a set position in the secondary. He is a hybrid safety/cornerback prospect who the type of player Ohio State wants to bring in, develop and see where he fits in best.
With Dunn able to slot into either of those spots and with nickel corner/safety Turrentine and pure cornerbacks Jakailin Johnson and Smith, this defensive backs haul is inching closer toward completion.
