’22 recruiting class mostly intact
OSU coaching questions don’t cause upheaval
The lone hiccup in Ohio State’s recruiting plans on the first day of the early signing period occurred midmorning at an indoor stadium in the Dallas-fort Worth metroplex.
Terrance Brooks, who had been the highest-ranked cornerback committed
in the Buckeyes’ 2022 recruiting class, was seated on a stage at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Taking part in the signing ceremony with other blue-chippers, Brooks, a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 59 overall prospect, reached from underneath a table for a shiny gold-colored box. Inside was a burnt orange hat that was soon atop his head, revealing he was bound for Texas.
Following an 11th-hour push from the Longhorns, the native of Little Elm had flipped his commitment from Ohio State, seeing an opportunity to play for his home-state school that he would describe as special.
A thousand miles away at the Woody
Hayes Athletic Center, it was an unexpected development.
“It's very disappointing,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “There wasn't any conversation that this would happen like this. It caught us off guard for sure.”
But Brooks' defection was about the only drama for Ohio State on the first day high school seniors were eligible to sign letters of intent with college programs.
Among a group of 19 commits entering Wednesday, 17 of them signed with the Buckeyes by noon, and Gabe Powers, a linebacker from Marysville, plans to do as well at his own ceremony on Friday, putting them in line for another top-five ranked class.
The class remained largely intact despite speculation about the makeup of the coaching staff beyond this season.
Day saw it as a reflection of stability atop the program. Despite a furiously spinning head coaching carousel, he is entrenched in Columbus and entering his fourth season at the helm in 2022.
“When you look across college football, there's a lot of head coaches that had to move,” Day said. “There's just a lot of craziness that's gone on over the last three weeks. But one thing's for sure here is that the culture is in place. I think the guys understood that.
“And I'm involved with those guys, and I tell those guys I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you have what you need to be successful. Part of that is giving you the best position coach we can and the best coordinator we can. At the end of the day, that's what's important.”
Visiting with players on the recruiting trail in previous weeks, Day said he faced those questions from recruits, inquiring about the status of some of his assistants.
“They obviously want to know who's going to be here,” he said.
Their signing requires trust in Day's staff maneuvering this winter. With the hiring of Oklahoma State's Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator announced last week, the Buckeyes must see at least one assistant depart to open a vacancy for Knowles by the time he comes aboard on Jan. 2.
“With that little bit of uncertainty mixed in during these first two weeks of December, for this class to have signed here,” Day said, “it's really impressive.”
Day has not publicly tipped his hand who might be on the move.
Several more players could be added to a class that ranked fourth in 247Sports' composite rankings late Wednesday afternoon. Day said the Buckeyes could sign upward of 20 or more players in the class, including some transfers, through the second signing period in February.
Assessing the class as it stood in middecember, Day thought it addressed some needs in the trenches, including along the defensive line.
Not only did the Buckeyes sign previously committed four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson over some SEC schools closer to his hometown in Hollywood, Florida, but they brought in Caden Curry, another four-star defensive lineman from Greenwood, Indiana, despite a late push from Alabama.
Curry knew for a long time that he wanted to head to Ohio State, but only made his plans public on Tuesday when he announced his commitment, joking about it with Day.
“He said, ‘Coach, I kind of knew I was going there all along,' ” Day said. “I said, ‘Well, you could have saved us a lot of sleepless nights by just telling us a little bit sooner.' ”
Day appeared especially excited to add Curry to the class, noting an NFL talent evaluator told him recently that he could be an NFL prospect in three years.
“When you watch him play, you just see him jump off the screen,” Day said.
The Buckeyes also shored up depth at quarterback, a need Day felt was critical after seeing backups Quinn Ewers and Jack Miller transfer in recent weeks, leaving them with only two scholarship passers.
Four-star quarterback Devin Brown of Draper, Utah, will be the third.
“We're very excited about this class,” Day said. “When you combine the athletic ability and the potential these guys have to be really good football players, that's one thing, but it's also the type of people we have coming in.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.