Ohio State's spring game is this Saturday, giving Ohio State fans the first glimpse of the squad that will follow last year's national championship outfit. Fans will pay careful attention to the defensive line prospects. Joey Bosa is the only sure star of the unit, though Adolphus Washington's play is woefully underappreciated by Ohio State fans. Ohio State coaches and fans alike will want to see solid depth emerge at the position.
Jashon Cornell
- Size: 6-3/265
- Position: DE
- School: Cretin Durham Hall (St. Paul, MN)
- 247 Composite: ★★★★
- National Ranking: 91
- Position Ranking: 7 (SDE)
- State Ranking: 1
The subject of this week's Better Know a Buckeye profile will be one of those players hoping to add meaningful depth to the defensive line position. Jashon Cornell is an early enrollee and part of the 2015 recruiting class. He will hope to earn immediate playing time at the strongside defensive end position, currently anchored by Joey Bosa.
In this profile, I discuss Cornell's recruitment and commitment to Ohio State. While Cornell was instrumental in courting friend and future teammate Justin Hilliard to Ohio State, Cornell looked anything other than a Buckeye lock through 2013 and early 2014. Thereafter, I discuss Cornell's strengths and areas for improvement as he competes to make the most of his time at Ohio State this year. I conclude with a projection of a redshirt in 2015 and some highlight film for you to watch.
HIS RECRUITMENT
Unlike the past couple profiles, Jashon Cornell was always going to be one of the biggest recruiting prizes in 2015. In fact, Tom Luginbill anointed him as the no. 1 player in 2015 in this feature from the summer of 2013.
More Jashon Cornell at 11W
Multiple scholarship offers followed after his sophomore year. Iowa and Minnesota were the first and came in February 2013. Rutgers followed soon thereafter. Some heavyweights came calling in April. Cornell received offers from Notre Dame and USC on the same day while on an unofficial visit to USC. The offer list grew exponentially from there. Penn State and Florida offered three days later. Ohio State extended its scholarship offer at the end of the month. Cornell later acquired offers from Florida State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Oklahoma (among many others) through the summer and early fall.
We know Cornell eventually committed to Ohio State, but that did not seem like a sure thing through 2013. Mike Vrabel, who was responsible for recruiting Cornell, did well enough, but Ohio State's coaches were unable to distinguish their program from the pack of offers he had. Unofficial visits that Cornell tried to take that year (Friday Night Lights, for example) failed to materialize for one reason or the other. By contrast, even Iowa was able to get Cornell on campus for an unofficial visit in the summer and fall. Cornell made additional unofficial visits to Arkansas, Michigan, in-state Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. With Mike Vrabel leaving Ohio State for the Houston Texans in January 2014, it's conceivable Ohio State would soon be left on the cutting room floor as Cornell gradually pared down his list.
The Buckeyes quick and decisive action in hiring Larry Johnson, Sr., who had grown close to Cornell while coaching at Penn State, paid instant dividends with the Minnesota star. After re-establishing their relationship, Cornell finally arrived in Columbus for an unofficial visit at the end of May 2014. Cornell had made numerous visits to programs around the country, even seeing some programs more than once. However, the visit to Ohio State may have resonated more than any others to that point. Cornell called it a "home run". He was effusive in praise of both Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson and, by the end of his visit, was talking about playing college football with Justin Hilliard. This would, ostensibly, make Ohio State the favorite for both players.
Through June, Cornell canceled planned visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Penn State. The canceled visit to Notre Dame was particularly informative since Notre Dame may have been the main competition for Ohio State, especially if Cornell and Hilliard were planning on playing college football together.
Not long after the unofficial visit to Ohio State, Cornell, who had been talking about an August decision, changed his announcement date to July 2nd, 2014, a date that coincided with Hilliard's own decision. Each selected the Buckeyes during their own high school ceremonies ten minutes apart. "Ten-Star Wednesday" came days before Cornell participated in The Opening along with a slew of other Ohio State verbals and Ohio State leans, building a rapport with a number of players who would eventually end up at Ohio State, including Virginia offensive lineman Matt Burrell, Arkansas wide receiver KJ Hill and Florida athlete Torrance Gibson.
HIS COMMITMENT
Jashon Cornell committed to Ohio State on July 2, 2014, culminating a month-long recruiting surge for Ohio State in its courtship of Minnesota's best in-state prospect. Justin Hilliard, his friend on the recruiting trail, committed the same day.
Larry Johnson gets a nod for turning around Ohio State's recruitment of Cornell after Mike Vrabel left for the Houston Texans. However, this appears to be about the friendship Cornell had with Justin Hilliard. In our community interview, Cornell spoke of wanting to attend college with his new friend.
It was really a mutual decision. Justin and I made the decision to choose Ohio State together. I actually kind of believe it was me pushing him towards Ohio State more than him pushing me towards the Buckeyes. If made my decision to choose Ohio State a week him. He made his decision the day he committed because he was still thinking about Notre Dame. I was a bigger influence on his commitment than he was on mine, which people might not know.
WHERE HE EXCELS
Jashon Cornell is already enrolled at Ohio State, which allows us to get a better glimpse of where he is and how he might factor into the Buckeyes' short-term future.
By all accounts, Cornell has taken well enough to Ohio State's winter conditioning and spring drills. He has shown to be eager in adapting to playing in the same position behind All-American Joey Bosa.
To a man, those who have penned scouting reports on Cornell speak highly of his burst and his explosion off the line of scrimmage. Most call it "uncanny" or a natural gift. He's a sturdy 6-3 and 265 pounds, thickly built, and still shows great burst off the line. Further, he's equally adept at pass rushing as he is at plugging the run. It's not uncommon for most other strongside defensive end prospects to be better at one (typically run defense) and raw at the other (typically pass rushing).
All things considered, Cornell enrolled at Ohio State as a fairly polished product relative to his classmates.
MUST WORK ON
Cornell is thickly built, but, deceptively, he is not that strong right now. This might be a case of being mindful of the competition he played in Minnesota. If Cornell wants to contribute in the first game this season, he'll need to make the most of his time in the weight room.
He also doesn't have a great array of "get-off" moves. Right now, he's a bull rusher who tries to leverage his burst and frame over an offensive lineman. This will not be as effective at the collegiate level. He'll find himself creeping up in his stance too.
Cornell's hands are also not as "violent" as a coach like Larry Johnson will want them to be at this level. This might be the highest priority for improving Cornell's technique as he starts his career at Ohio State.
One lingering concern about Cornell is his length. He's 6-3, but not particularly "long" for the position. He's not particularly strong right now either. He projects at strongside defensive end going forward, but is he actually a defensive tackle? The preliminary answer is "no", but this question may linger if Cornell doesn't immediately contribute.
REDSHIRT?
Despite his prep credentials, I think this is a likely redshirt in 2015. My hunch: Ohio State's strongside defensive end situation in 2015 is one that relies heavily on Joey Bosa as a near-every-down player. Darius Slade will probably back up Bosa, but Slade may play sparingly. This should leave Cornell looking to make the most of the redshirt year and make an impression on the 2016 squad.
HIGHLIGHTS
This is junior-year film for Cornell.
