Things are about to get interesting.
Ohio State's top-ranked 2022 recruiting class now features 15 commitments. That includes the nation's best quarterback and a star-studded group of corners.
Kerry Coombs just landed a surprise commitment from a talented Texan who had just been offered by the Buckeyes two weeks ago. The addition of Terrance Brooks was a nice bit of good news. It's also something several other programs will try to use to their advantage.
The term "negative recruiting" gets thrown around a lot these days. In general, this occurs when a program uses something against another when battling for a top prospect. It could be gossip about a coach supposedly retiring soon – something that's been used against Larry Johnson for 5+ years now – or a position group being loaded which could make it challenging for a prospect to see the field.
Truth be told, "negative recruiting" simply is recruiting. If Ohio State's coaching staff didn't tout its defensive back production against another school's, then they'd really be doing a disservice to themselves on the recruiting trail. This type of thing happens with every school in America, and it'd be silly not to use it to your advantage. Are the retirement rumors a little stale and lame? Absolutely. But it's a cutthroat business and it's not stopping anytime soon.
The Buckeyes have five defensive backs committed for the 2022 class. Kye Stokes is an athlete who's primarily being looked at as a safety. The remaining four prospects – Jaheim Singletary, Terrance Brooke, Jyaire Brown, and Ryan Turner – are all listed as cornerbacks. With over five months until the early signing period, the country's top defensive back factory still has some work to do.
Singletary is being targeted by Miami as well as a pair of SEC powers in Georgia and Florida. In a class that's loaded at the position, the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder is the top prize and may very well be the best in the country at his position. Florida recruitments can be a roller coaster from time to time, and while Singletary isn't one to say much, he's already taken visits to Miami and Georgia. Those visits were discussed with the Ohio State staff in advance, however, so I suppose that's a silver lining of sorts.
#BIA GoBucks pic.twitter.com/bSNeLvPZWp
— Jaheim Singletary (@Jaheim2_) June 25, 2021
The good news is that Coombs and Co. got the five-star back on campus for an official visit last weekend. Most would feel a lot better about this one if the Jacksonville standout would come out and say that he's shutting things down, but he's really not one to speak publicly about things unless a reporter can catch him at a camp setting. We're still a long way from December and there's the potential for some twists and turns.
- Threat Level: Moderate
Ryan Turner committed to Ohio State back in May, and it's been mostly quiet since he announced his decision. His teammate Kenyatta Jackson is another top Buckeye target, and there's a real chance both of the Hollywood, Florida stars end up in Columbus. Turner and Jackson both took their official visits last weekend. The in-state schools will keep trying with this one, and it's worth watching to see if he shows up in Gainesville or on other campuses this fall.
- Threat Level: Moderate
The Jyaire Brown recruitment has been an interesting one to follow. He became the first commitment for the 2022 class well over a year ago, but there have been moments when it looked as though he could wind up elsewhere. His recruitment has seemingly shut down since his June 4 official visit, but teams like Notre Dame will surely be using the numbers game against the Buckeyes all the way up until Brown signs in December.
- Threat Level: Low
Terrance Brooks' decision to side with Ohio State over the likes of Alabama and Texas sent a bit of a shockwave through the recruiting world on Wednesday. His father is a Texas A&M alum and Nick Saban was personally recruiting the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder who's got incredible length. Brooks was meticulous with the process and kept a list of pros and cons for each school. I imagine the Lone Star State schools will keep trying, but there's no real reason for concern at this point. He clearly had no problems joining a class that already had three corners in the fold at the time.
- Threat Level: Minimal
We're now back in the midst of another recruiting dead period. As the calendar approaches August, things will open back up once again. But by that time, recruits across the country will be focusing on and preparing for their upcoming high school football seasons. June was the busiest month we've ever seen on the recruiting trail, but Ohio State will be looking to get commits and other prospects back on campus this fall as well.
We see commitments flipping from one school to another on a regular basis. The Buckeyes tend to be the beneficiary from this, and we saw it last cycle when Jordan Hancock flipped from Clemson to Ohio State. The opposite took place in the 2020 class as Jeff Hafley's departure led to four-star cornerback Clark Phillips III backing off his Buckeye pledge and signing with Utah.
Dealing with negative recruiting and other programs trying to pluck players away is something the Buckeyes and every other school have dealt with. The year-long dead period is only going to make things even more interesting moving forward. While Ohio State has four corners in the fold already, Kerry Coombs and Ryan Day will be working to keep the prized defenders from looking elsewhere.
