Larry Johnson continues to be the best in the business.
Heading into the 2021 recruiting cycle, there were three priority areas for Ryan Day and his staff to address. Despite the NCAA-mandated dead period and lack of visits, Larry Johnson, Kerry Coombs, and Tony Alford have all been excelling on the trail.
The most recent addition came on Wednesday when Johnson landed four-star defensive end Tunmise Adeleye out of Bradenton, Florida's IMG Academy. The Texas native had long been one of the staff's top defensive targets, and he elected to end things a bit earlier than the original Aug. 1 commitment date.
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Adeleye projects as a defensive end but could always bulk up a bit to move around the line. He doesn't necessarily have the ideal height for the edge, but he more than makes up for it with his wingspan. Some outlets previously reported a weight of up to 265 pounds, so it will be interesting to see where things stand when he arrives in Columbus and how Larry Johnson will elect to utilize his skill set.
Adeleye joined five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer and four-star tackle Mike Hall to form quite the trio in the trenches. Ohio State's top-ranked 2021 class is now up to 16 commitments with another eight or nine likely remaining. As things stand today, we're expecting two of those spots to go toward Johnson's defensive line haul, and there are a handful of options to help wrap things up.
We're still eight months from the early signing period, and there's still a chance the NCAA makes some changes to the recruiting calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, we're looking at six names to help fill the remaining two (and possibly even three) slots on the defensive line
| PROSPECT | POS. | MEASURABLES | HOMETOWN | RATING | NAT. RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.T. TUIMOLOAU | DE | 6-foot-5, 277 pounds | Sammamish, WA | ★★★★★ | No. 2 |
| DAMON PAYNE | DT | 6-foot-4, 297 pounds | Belleville, MI | ★★★★★ | No. 26 |
| DEMEIOUN ROBINSON | DE | 6-foot-3, 220 pounds | Gaithersburg, MD | ★★★★ | No. 46 |
| TYWON MALONE | DT | 6-foot-4, 300 pounds | Oradell, NJ | ★★★★ | No. 53 |
| JAHVAREE RITZIE | DE | 6-foot-5, 274 pounds | Kernersville, NC | ★★★★ | No. 160 |
| MARCUS BRADLEY | DT | 6-foot-3, 270 pounds | Gaithersburg, MD | ★★★★ | No. 185 |
We've talked a lot about versatility being one of the things Larry Johnson looks for on the trail. The Buckeyes have gotten plenty of pure pass-rushers, but the staff seems to lean toward the prospects who can be moved around and be disruptive from multiple different spots.
Washington's J.T. Tuimoloau is listed as a strongside defensive end, but he's got the size to play just about anywhere on the line. A star on the hardwood as well, the former teammate of Gee Scott Jr. also has some impressive athleticism. The top remaining prospect on Ohio State's board, the Buckeyes are battling the likes of Washington, Alabama, and USC. Virtual visits are fine for now, but getting him on campus is certainly going to be the key.
I'm not sure what to make of Damon Payne. A top target at one point, things then seemed to fizzle between Ohio State and the Michigan five-star. Payne is listed second solely because of his hefty ranking, but there's likely a lot of ground to make up here if the Buckeyes really want to get back in the thick of it. Alabama, Kentucky, and LSU seem to be three of the leaders at the moment.
While Tuimoloau may be the most talented of the remaining targets, I think an argument can be made that New Jersey's Tywone Malone is the most important. The recruitment of the Bergen Catholic defender isn't close to being done, but Johnson has the Buckeyes right in the thick of it. Malone is different from the other guys on the board in that he's a true interior prospect with more size than Mike Hall. His desire to also play baseball could be a factor here, but right now Ohio State is in a battle with teams like Rutgers and Ole Miss.
Make no mistake about it, Demeioun Robinson committing to Maryland was a bit of a blow to Ohio State's defensive line efforts. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was one of the few pure edge defenders and had been a priority target atop the Buckeyes' board. If Mike Locksley has another horrendous season, then who knows what may happen with the Robinson pledge. There's no reason to think Johnson will stop recruiting the country's No. 2 weakside defensive end.
Marcus Bradley is a teammate of Robinson's, and it wouldn't be all that shocking to see him commit in the near future. It seems like Maryland has the edge right now, but Bradley was previously a pretty big target for the Ohio State staff. We're keeping him on the list for now, but the Buckeyes may have to miss elsewhere for him to move back up the board.
The Buckeyes signed Jacolbe Cowan out of Charlotte for the 2020 class, and North Carolina will be a state to watch as we move deeper into the 2021 cycle. This time Jahvaree Ritzie is the name to know in the trenches, and the four-star is rapidly moving up Ohio State's board.
Evan Pryor is already committed as Tony Alford topped the Tarheels for the state's No. 4 prospect, but one cannot overlook what Mack Brown is doing on the trail. North Carolina now has the nation's No. 2 recruiting class with an absurd 13 of its 14 commitments hailing from inside the state. Ritzie was a big riser in the latest 247 Sports rankings update, and he's a priority target for Brown and the Heels.
So, how do things turn out along the defensive line? Our best guess right now is that Ohio State adds Tuimoloau and Malone to complete a ridiculously talented five-man haul. The biggest question marks right now are the same ones that every program in America is facing: when will schools be able to welcome visitors on campus and what might the NCAA do to help remedy this unplanned dead period?
