Better Know a Buckeye: Amir Riep

This week's Better Know a Buckeye feature continues with a profile of Amir Riep, a cornerback prospect from Cincinnati.

The No. 4 player in the state of Ohio in his class, Riep's story resembles a standard Ohio prospect's recruitment at the beginning. He camped at the major schools but only started acquiring offers from the local MAC schools. Michigan State was his first major offer and early favorite for his services. Ohio State offered at its junior day event in 2016. This effectively resulted in Riep catching on like wildfire with other programs. He accrued an impressive set of scholarship offers from programs as diverse as Alabama and Oregon before settling on the Buckeyes on July 23, 2016.

I retell this story below, discussing his recruitment and the reasons for his commitment. Thereafter, I provide a scouting report for a cornerback with great athleticism and the play-making instincts of a safety. I conclude with a projection that Riep is a likely redshirt candidate in 2017 before closing with some highlight film for the reader to watch at the end of the feature.

HIS RECRUITMENT

Amir Riep's recruitment resembled a typical Ohio prospect that eventually signs with Ohio State. It starts in his sophomore year with interest from regional MAC schools. Miami (OH) and Toledo were his first offers, coming in June 2015. Illinois was the first FBS offer though Illinois' strategy in Ohio recruiting resembled that of a MAC school under then-head coach Tim Beckman.

Riep's focus was regional. He visited Ohio State and Michigan State, even Kentucky, for camps in the summer of 2015. Michigan State was the first major program to pony up an offer, which came just four days after Riep visited Michigan State for the Indiana game. The Spartans were the tentative favorite for Riep's services through the duration of 2015.

Ohio State took serious notice of Riep after the 2015 season ended. Riep had a breakout junior season for Colerain, leading the Cardinals to the semifinals of the state playoffs. Ohio State invited Riep to its junior day event at the end of January 2016 and gave him a scholarship offer afterward.

Blessed!! To receive offer from THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY pic.twitter.com/ZnK5XJldWF

— Amir Riep (@Riep_Amir) January 31, 2016

This should have set up a straightforward battle between Michigan State and Ohio State, which had alternated Big Ten championships by that time, for Riep's services. However, the flood gates opened for Riep's recruitment thereafter. Penn State offered four days later. Oregon and Notre Dame offered the same day in February 12 last year. Florida and Oklahoma offered three days after that. Michigan, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Florida State followed suit through the spring. Even Alabama offered at the end of May. Riep's recruitment had a standard beginning for a top ten Ohio prospect, but he went national quickly after the Ohio State offer.

Recruiting analysts still expected Riep to stay regional. He had visited programs like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, and Tennessee. It looked like it would be a two-horse race between the Buckeyes and the Spartans even as his interest in programs like Michigan, Notre Dame, and Tennessee was sincere. However, Riep seemed to signal he was open to a move to another part of the country as his recruitment took off. He visited California, getting an offer from the Golden Bears for his trouble. He visited Florida after receiving an offer from the Gators. He swung by Athens, Georgia on the way home to Cincinnati, picking up an offer from the Bulldogs.

A more credible signal of interest came shortly after his trip south to Florida and Georgia. Ohio State's football program hosted its annual Student Appreciation Day at the same time Riep had just returned from his trip. Riep surprised everyone by attending the event despite the timing. Riep remarked that the trip went well and spent most of his time talking with Carl Hilliard, the father of Justin Hilliard. The signal there was a genuine interest about what it's like to play for Urban Meyer by talking with the father of a local prospect that had just signed with the Buckeyes in the 2015 recruiting class.

Riep took other visits as spring became summer, including to Oregon and Alabama. However, Riep had a commitment date eyed for July 23, incidentally just after Friday Night Lights. He canceled trips to East Lansing and Tuscaloosa as summer progressed toward that commitment date. Michigan State started offering other cornerback prospects in the 2017 recruiting cycle as a canary in the coal mine that Riep was bound for Columbus.

HIS COMMITMENT

Amir Riep committed to Ohio State on July 23, 2016 as the 13th member of what would become Ohio State's full 2017 recruiting class. He chose Ohio State over Michigan State and Alabama, among others.

Colerain's Twitter account carried a video of the commitment.

The decision is in for @Riep_Amir....the Ohio State Buckeyes! pic.twitter.com/EIzca6fpJx

— WeAreColerain.com (@WeAreColerain) July 23, 2016

Riep's rationale for selecting Ohio State was multifaceted. He liked the academic fit since he says he wants a future in sports medicine. He likes the way the football program operates, pushing players to become better. It also helped that Kerry Coombs ran point for Riep's recruitment. Coombs is still a legend at Colerain High School.

WHERE HE EXCELS

Riep is an athletic corner who impressed observers at The Opening finals in Beaverton, Oregon. Whereas athleticism is a necessity to play cornerback at Ohio State, Riep is well-positioned to have a presence on Ohio State's depth chart for the next few years.

His athleticism is apparent but I'm most impressed by how familiar Riep is with the scheme Ohio State currently runs. Colerain's defensive backfield runs a version of it in which Riep demonstrates considerable comfort on an island in man coverage with no safety help. He's great at breaking up passes at the last moment.

He plays with good instincts too. He does well to anticipate the play before most of his peers in this class. This allows him to make big plays in the defensive backfield and offensive backfield. He's a solid tackler too and will be reliable in run support.

MUST WORK ON

Riep is a good athlete with smooth change of direction abilities and the mindset of a safety. I'm wondering if he actually is a safety, though, and that's where his ceiling his highest. He's not the fastest cornerback and his ability to recover will be a question going forward.

If Riep is a playmaker with great instincts, it's also because he's a risk-taker. If you look carefully at his film of even his biggest plays, you'll see him staring into the backfield. Quarterbacks in the Greater Miami Conference weren't able to make him pay for that, but quarterbacks in the Big Ten conference would.

Finally, while Riep is a good scheme fit for Ohio State given what he did for Colerain, his press coverage needs some work. Riep is a long and rangy athlete but his first contact at the line of scrimmage is not ideal.

REDSHIRT?

Riep is a great athlete who could first see the field on special teams but I think a redshirt is in his future in 2017. He'll be well-positioned to make a presence on the field in 2018.

HIGHLIGHTS

Here are junior-year highlights of Riep.