The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Commits Eager for The Game, Malik Bryant Puts OSU in His Top 10, Chris McClellan to Make Commitment Tuesday

By Garrick Hodge on November 22, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Malik Bryant
Malik Bryant
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2020 five-star cornerback recruit Eli Ricks is reportedly entering the transfer portal, so talk amongst yourselves if you’d like to relieve that recruiting saga all over again. 

But hey, if you want to let yourself go there, Ricks and Denzel Burke would make for a pretty legit one-two punch at cornerback next year, right? 

Anyway, it’s Michigan week. Saturday can’t get here soon enough, with the stakes of the greatest rivalry in college football being probably the highest they’ve been since 2016. Several Ohio State commits are already plugged in. 

Sonny Styles (who is quickly becoming one of the biggest peer recruiters for Ohio State in its 2023 class), C.J. Hicks, Bennett Christian and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. haven’t even arrived on campus yet but are already anticipating The Game. 

For what it's worth, priority 2023 offensive line target Luke Montgomery and 2025 quarterback target Ryan Montgomery will be in attendance at the Big House (where James Franklin will not be coaching) on Saturday. 

Bryant puts OSU in top 10

Five-star linebacker Malik Bryant is one step closer to deciding on his next school. 

Bryant put out a top 10 Monday that consists of Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Maryland, Florida and Miami. 

Bryant visited Ohio State in late June, though he didn’t camp because of a leg injury. During his visit, he was impressed with the Buckeyes, who are primarily recruiting him as a Sam linebacker. Bryant described his relationship with OSU linebackers coach Al Washington as “great.”

“They’re a great program, the scheme we run (at IMG Academy) is definitely similar to the scheme coach Al Washington wants me to run there,” Bryant told Eleven Warriors in late August. “He wants me to fit into their program, so I think it’s a good fit at Ohio State.” 

The IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) linebacker/edge rusher is ranked as the 17th-best prospect in the 2023 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. 

“I think my strength is rushing the quarterback and also dropping into coverage because I’m putting stock into both,” Bryant said in August. “I think that’s what most schools are looking at me as, including Ohio State.” 

McClellan to commit Tuesday

An Ohio State target is ready to make a decision. Four-star 2022 defensive lineman Chris McClellan will announce his commitment at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ from a group of six finalists consisting of Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC.

The timing of the commitment seems a bit odd, considering McClellan picked up a bunch of Crystal Ball predictions to Florida from 247Sports over the weekend just a few days before Dan Mullen was fired. McClellan also told 247Sports he’d been “silently committed” for two weeks. 

Nevertheless, the plan remains for McClellan to announce his verbal Tuesday. McClellan has also been heavily recruited by his hometown Oklahoma Sooners. 

In June, McClellan took official visits to Florida, USC and Ohio State. It appeared as though he could commit to the Buckeyes at one point over the summer, but that never materialized. It seems unlikely the 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman will be picking the Buckeyes on Tuesday, as he did not return for a visit this fall.

McClellan is ranked as the 101st-best prospect and the 18th-best defensive lineman in the 2022 class. Four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is Ohio State’s only current defensive line commit for the 2022 cycle, while the Buckeyes remain in hot pursuit of Caden Curry, Hero Kanu, Omari Abor and Christen Miller. Things look to be in good shape on the Kanu front, with three 247Sports experts putting in Crystal Ball projections on Monday that Kanu will choose Ohio State.

Singletary commits to Georgia 

Nearly four months after cornerback Jaheim Singletary decommitted from Ohio State, the five-star talent has a new home. Singletary announced his commitment to Georgia on Sunday.

Singletary is ranked as the 18th overall prospect and the fifth-best cornerback in the 2022 class.

With Singletary no longer in the fold, Ohio State currently has commitments from three cornerbacks in the 2022 class: Terrance Brooks, Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner.

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