It was a busy week in college football recruiting. Many teams had their season finales, and thus their last chance to host prospects for a game. Several top prospects elected to pull the trigger in the past week. And a huge number of coaching changes have already started to throw a wrench in the plans of many a top recruit.
College Football Recruiting Review: Urban Meyer’s Ohio State Wins The Week
Coaching changes force recruits to have second thoughts.
We'll start in Columbus, Ohio, where despite a loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the Ohio State Buckeyes had the best recruiting week in all of college football.
First, the Buckeyes landed a commitment on Tuesday from Adolphus Washington. The 6’4” 250 pound senior from Cincinnati Taft High School is a terror at defensive end. Widely considered one of the top ends in the country, Washington will be too much for many tackles in the Big Ten to handle. He was also recruited by Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Auburn, Michigan and Southern Cal. The four major recruiting services have Washington as a four or five-star talent.
And less than a week after committing to the Miami Hurricanes, Lakeland High's Ricquan Southward became Meyer's first recruit as the head coach of Ohio State. Southward is a bit underrated, as he was behind two D1 recruits last season. He's a high-effort player who catches the ball well in traffic. Southward isn't fast, but he is tough. Meyer has major connections in Florida, and if he can repair some of the bridges he burned when he abruptly quit after telling recruits he was coming back, Ohio State will again have a strong presence in the state.
Ricquan Southward WR #9 from Coach Bahler on Vimeo.
And of course, the next day the Buckeyes announced the hiring of coach Meyer.
For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, head to the excellent Along The Olentangy.
Adolphus Washington wasn't the only player from Taft High School to commit over the weekend, as receiver Dwayne Stanford also pledged to the Oregon Ducks. Stanford is a lanky 6'5" receiver. Oregon's offense creates a lot of one-on-one opportunities for receivers, and Stanford should be a tremendous fit as he excels at going up for jump balls. Stanford will need to improve his route running and add bulk, but he is widely considered one of the top 40 receivers in the country and is a big get for this Oregon offense.
For more on the Oregon Ducks, check out Addicted To Quack.
In some decommitment news, Kendall Sanders has decommitted from the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He’s said to still be considering the Cowboys, but Texas fans are justifiably excited here. Sanders is an explosive athlete out of Athens, Texas.
For more on the Oklahoma State Cowboys, head to Cowboys Ride For Free
And for more on the Texas Longhorns, steer to Burnt Orange Nation.
One situation worth watching is Illinois. With the firing of Ron Zook, will the five Florida commitments stick with the Illini? The latest came from St. Thomas Aquinas’ running back Dami Ayoola, who committed Thursday. Ayoola has good balance and decent speed for a 200-pound back. A three star by most services, he held offers from Illinois, Kentucky and South Florida.
Meanwhile, off their big upset win over Oklahoma State, the Iowa State Cyclones have added two junior college prospects in defensive end Corey Morissey of Iowa Western JUCO and Cliff Stokes of Trinity Valley JUCO (Texas). Morrissey is 6’4” and 245 pounds, while Stokes is 6’2” and 175 pounds. Both will be expected to be significant contributors and likely starters next year. The Cyclones also landed receiver Dondre Daley of Tarpon Springs, Florida. The lanky 6’3” Daley is rated by 247 Sports as one of the top 175 players in Florida.
For more on the Iowa State Cyclones, visit Wide Right and Natty Lite.
