Ohio State always wanted Calvin Simpson-Hunt as a member of its 2023 recruiting class.
The four-star prospect had a breakout junior season at Waxahachie High School in Texas and picked up several Division I offers following the year, including one from the Buckeyes. However, there was a minor issue with bringing Simpson-Hunt to Ohio State. He was already committed to Texas Tech.
QBs & WRs in the Lone Star state fear him and offensive coordinators hated game planning against him. The kid from Waxahachie, TX is bringing his elite cover skills to Columbus. Welcome to The Brotherhood Calvin Simpson-Hunt#CHO23N | @CSimpsonHunt pic.twitter.com/9KHz5LjksD
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2022
Still, Ohio State put on a full-court press for the 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback — a player the coaching staff knew would provide the defensive backfield with an athletic and speedy presence that could cover receivers out wide or in the slot.
The Simpson-Hunt File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-0 / 175
- Pos: Cornerback
- School: Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas)
- Star Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #79 (#8 CB)
After visits to Lubbock, Texas, and Columbus in the summer, first-year cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and the rest of the defensive coaches sold Simpson-Hunt on the scarlet and gray. On June 30, he decommitted from Texas Tech and committed to Ohio State on the same day.
Now, a little over five months later, Simpson-Hunt has made his commitment to the Buckeyes official by signing his name on a National Letter of Intent to the Ohio State football program.
Simpson-Hunt is a pure cover corner with size and top-end athleticism, displayed on the football field and the track in high school. In his final two seasons at Waxahachie, he held opposing receivers to single-digit catches while making five pass deflections by fully utilizing that athleticism and — perhaps more importantly — his speed shown with a 10.65-second 100-meter dash and a 22.12-second 200-meter run on the track team in 2022.
He excels most at covering the top opposing wideout lined up on the outside and is efficient with using his length to press him and disrupt his burst off the line of scrimmage, even knocking receivers to the ground before their route from time to time. Additionally, Simpson-Hunt shows advanced ball skills in defending jump balls and hardly gets beat deep by a wideout because of his speed.
On top of his cover skills, Simspon-Hunt will provide a physical presence willing to shed blocks, play downhill and tackle opposing players at or behind the line of scrimmage. In 2021, he recorded 29 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack, earning Texas District 11-6A first-team selection for his efforts. Then, as a senior in 2022, Simpson-Hunt collected 25 tackles and two tackles for loss for the Indians' defense.
Ohio State will look to maximize all of Simpson-Hunt's talents — which warranted his rank as the No. 79 overall player and No. 8 cornerback in the class of 2023 — over the next four or more years in Columbus. Simpson-Hunt, like many Ohio State cornerback prospects before him, save for Denzel Burke in 2021, will likely need a few seasons to develop before he can play a significant role as a member of the Silver Bullets.
Still, Walton's strong desire to bring the Texas native into the program and the Buckeyes' need for depth in the secondary could allow Simpson-Hunt will work his way up the ladder as soon as next offseason, something Ohio State experienced this year with first-year players Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner taking critical reps as Burke, Cameron Brown and Jordan Hancock dealt with various ailments in 2022.
