The hurry: Will Johnson sets appointment date, Kyion Grayes’ visit still in effect, Ohio extends first tight offer in 2023 to Ty Lockwood

The hurry: Will Johnson sets appointment date, Kyion Grayes’ visit still in effect, Ohio extends first tight offer in 2023 to Ty Lockwood

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Rush is your night dose of updates to the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping track of the latest confirmations and goals across the country.

Johnson sets confirmation date

The decision of Detroit’s five-star cornerback Will Johnson will be made public in due course. The 8th overall player and the 4th cornerback in the 2022 class, Johnson set an appointment date of February 28 and is officially in the state of Ohio, Michigan and USC.

There were rumors that Johnson had already come close to making a decision in December, but we were told by people close to his recruitment that it was still a few weeks away. If he had made a decision in January, it is likely that the Buckeyes would be on the right side here.

But when Johnson and his family gave the new Michigan defensive team, namely defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and cornerback coach Maurice Linguist, time to build a relationship with them, it brought new hope to the Wolverines’ efforts. It looks like this will make them keep their most valuable destination home in the state.

Grayes’ visit is still going on

Only a small observation item here on that target 2022 receiver, Kyion Grayes, is still set to visit Columbus next weekend.

Grayes, a four star star from Chandler (Arizona), said Eleven Warriors on February 2, of his plans to visit the last weekend of February, and that visit is still going on. This will be Grayes’ first visit to Ohio and Columbus, and I bet it will be the cherry on top that will put his commitment to the Buckeyes on the move. I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if he silently compromised himself during his visit and then announced it shortly afterwards.

“Even if I just go to the city and walk around, it will be the experience I need,” Grayes told us earlier, adding later: “I know where my heart is. I just want to make sure it’s 100 (percent). ”

It would be very cool for the five-star corner Johnson to commit to Michigan at the same time as his future opponent commits to the state of Ohio. The two can find themselves facing each other in one-on-one cover in a Big Ten match.

RELATED “Phenomenal player” Kyion Grayes is a versatile receiver that can be used inside or out if he chooses Brian Hartline and the Buckeyes

Buckeyes offers the first 2023 TE

After finally getting their two-man tight end class in 2022 with Benji Gosnell and Bennett Christian, the Buckeyes probably won’t have to hunt that hard in the 2023 cycle for a tight end.

It’s obviously early, but Ohio State is likely to shoot for just one in 2023. Early on, Ryan Day and Co. are aiming for at least one target, while extending an offer to Ty Lockwood of Independence (Tennessee) High School on Wednesday.

You won’t have to dig far to find some enthusiasm in the 6-foot-5, 220-pound engine, whose Ohio state offering was its 11th total to add to the likes of Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

“My first reaction was one of real emotion and some shock to be honest,” said Lockwood Eleven Warriors. “I was very excited to hear coach Tony Alford announce that they had volunteered.

“Coach Alford was super excited about me on the call and reminded me to be humble and work hard, which I really appreciate.”

Lockwood just ended his second season at Independence, where he led the Eagles with a team record of 43 receptions, which was good for 606 reception yards and three touchdowns. Throughout the campaign, he used what he believes to be some of his best assets in the field to help him achieve this production.

“I feel that I do a great job as a strait opening in empty spots and examining the field. I think that when I play a lot of basketball, my vision of the field is very good, ”said Lockwood.

He believes that the skill set makes him a good fit in Columbus, where he kept a close eye on how Day and Kevin Wilson used the tight end position, especially with them having used 12 more people in the past two seasons.

“I think they have a big attack, especially for all the weapons they always have,” said Lockwood. “And I loved seeing Jeremy Ruckert use it in the last two games, he made great plays at great times.”

This answer is similar to the one Gosnell gave us in the fall after the Nebraska and Penn State games, a use that helped seal the deal for him to choose the Buckeyes.

However, there is a long way to go in recruiting Lockwood as he is just getting started. But the state of Ohio is certainly among the favorites to start its recruitment process.

“I love the culture and tradition that the state of Ohio maintains. They are a very prestigious university, ”said Lockwood. “Coach Day and Coach Wilson are great coaches who did a great job maintaining the program after Coach (Urban) Meyer left. I have a lot of respect for these two. ”

Notable Crystal Ball predictions

On Wednesday, there were a lot of Crystal Ball predictions presented by the staff at 247Sports.

Here are some of the notables in relation to Ohio’s goals:

  • Four stars Salisbury (North Carolina) OLB Jalon Walker = two crystal balls for Clemson

  • Four stars Lambert (Georgia) WR Kojo Antwi = two for Georgia, one for Texas A&M

  • Four stars Hardaway (Georgia) DT Mykell Williams = four for Georgia

  • Four stars Cedar Grove (Georgia) DT Christen Miller = two for Georgia

  • Four star athlete from West Bloomfield (Michigan) Dillon Tatum = one for Michigan

  • Bishop Gorman (Nevada) of four-star security Zion Branch = two for USC

  • Four star West Brook (Texas) security Bryce Anderson = three for Texas

(And as a bonus, a prediction was dropped for Penn State to hit a five-star offensive tackle Gunner Givens, but consider us quite skeptical about this happening with Clemson being the leader.)

Too much Georgia red on that list. The most notable of these, in my opinion, are Walker’s predictions for Clemson and the two for Antwi to choose Georgia.

These two are in line with what I discussed on Wednesday in my ranking of the main remaining positional needs in Ohio’s 2022 class for each player. I think it will be very difficult for the Buckeyes to get Antwi out of Georgia, although with Brian Hartline and Al Washington leading the recruitment, it is impossible for me to say that the state of Ohio will be out of it until he signs with the Bulldogs. (Or Alabama.)

With Walker, the feeling prevailed that he could make a decision soon, but I believed Clemson had a good opinion of him with Alabama and North Carolina on the prowl. I believe the Ohio State team has him in a higher position than Shawn Murphy and will continue to give that strong boost to Walker while perhaps playing a little behind.

Header photo: Ty Lockwood – Andrew Nelles / USA Today

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