Who Will Earn a Camp Offer?
To follow are twenty top prospects who are or might be camping at Ohio State this summer with the hopes of earning an offer from the Buckeyes. Most are in-state kids, but a few are traveling from around the country to camp in Columbus - Sam McGuffie from Texas, Greg Shaw from Florida, Quinton Coples from North Carolina, and Deron Furr from Georgia. With so few scholarships available this year, will any one of these prospects "blow up" and earn an offer from the Buckeyes? Let us know by voting in the attached poll.
Speed
Sam McGuffie, Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair (5' 10", 191 lbs, 4.32 forty, 3.78 shuttle, 45" vertical). McGuffie is a freak athlete with insane highlight videos and unreal high school production. For these reasons, Ohio State fans have been clamoring for him to receive a Buckeye offer, but the staff seems content to wait until Sam shows his stuff at summer camp. If McGuffie can prove to JT & Co. that he is a football player as well as a physical specimen, then expect that Buckeye offer to arrive quickly, especially if Sam is willing (and able) to play defensive back. Rumored to be a Michigan lean, but he still wants an offer from Ohio State, where his friend J.B. Shugarts will play his college football.
D.J. Woods, Strongsville, Ohio (6' 0", 169 lbs, 4.35 forty). As a junior, D.J. caught 35 passes for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns; made 49 tackles and 3 interceptions; and returned 4 kicks for touchdowns. Woods began the year as a sleeper, but emerged as a legitimate Big Ten prospect at the recent NHSASC Combine, where he posted a 4.35 forty time and displayed outstanding skills at both wide receiver and cornerback. One of the fan favorites to receive a camp offer. If Ohio State agrees with the fans' sentiments, then Woods would become a Buckeye.
Johnny Adams, Akron Buchtel (6' 0", 175 lbs, 4.5 forty). Last season, Adams racked up twelve touchdowns, a rather modest number until you learn that not a single one was on offense! Johnny scored nine times on punt returns, twice on kick-offs, and even took an interception to the house. Another fan favorite, but Adams must prove that he is more than just a special teams star in order to earn a Buckeye offer.
Isaiah Pead, Columbus Eastmoor (5' 11", 180 lbs, 4.41 forty, 38" vertical). Around Columbus, Pead is known as "Baby Bush" (as in Reggie, not George), which should tell you something about his athletic ability; as one of the top running backs to come out of Columbus in recent years. During his junior season, Isaiah had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 29 total touchdowns; despite all of that success on the offensive side of the ball, the Bucks are recruiting him as a cornerback. Isaiah could earn a Buckeye offer with a huge camp showing.
Big Speed
Steve Gardiner, Dublin Coffman (6' 1", 205 lbs, 4.44 forty). As a teammate of Ohio State verbals and top-100 prospects Mike Adams and Jake Stoneburner, Steve Gardiner has gotten a lot of attention from recruiters. However, the attention level went up a notch after Steve busted off a Hawk-like 4.44 forty at the recent Pittsburgh Scout combine. If Gardiner shows as well at Ohio State's camp, then a Buckeye offer might be in order.
Brandon Beachum, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (6' 1", 209 lbs, 4.65 forty). Beachum is a versatile athlete who could play running back or linebacker at the next level. However, there are some questions about Brandon's speed (he posted a 4.87 forty time at a recent combine), as well as his ability to deliver the big hit on defense. Beachum has lots of offers, but the coveted Buckeye offer has eluded him. A strong camp showing might put him into the "elite" category.
Taylor Hill, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (6' 2", 205 lbs). Along with Dan McCarthy, Mike Zordich, and Brandon Beachum, Taylor Hill is yet another top prospect from Cardinal Mooney. Although he has offers from such top programs as Oklahoma and LSU, Taylor has yet to receive a Buckeye offer. The knock on Hill is that he is a "tweener" without a position - too small to continue as a DE/OLB (his position in high school), and not fast enough to move back to safety (he posted a 5.00 forty-time at a combine after his sophomore season).
Justin Staples, Lakewood St. Edwards (6' 3", 210 lbs, 4.65 forty). Staples is a versatile athlete who primarily plays outside linebacker in high school, but who also has the potential to be a wide receiver, tight end, or defensive end at the next level. As a junior, Justin was a mainstay of the Eagles' defense, as he recorded 59 tackles and 4 sacks. Justin doesn't have the raw athletic ability of a Shayne Hale or Andrew Sweat, but he is a solid player with intangibles.
Ryan Wallace, Bowling Green, Kentucky (6'6", 230 lbs, 4.8 forty). Wallace is a classic "big speed" prospect who plays tight end in high school and is projected for the same position in college. While Ohio State would like to sign a tight end in this class, the Buckeye staff already has an offer out to Toledo Whitmer's Kevin Koger; if Koger accepts the Buckeyes' offer, then Wallace is probably out of luck, but a good camp performance could put him next in line should Koger decide to head up north (Michigan was his childhood favorite).
Fred Craig, Cincinnati St. Xavier (6' 2", 205 lbs, 4.5 forty). Craig plays "rover" back for St. X, and most schools are recruiting him as either a safety or outside linebacker. With so many similar prospects also vying for offers (Beachum, Gardiner, Hill, etc.), Fred will need to have an excellent camp in order to put his name at the top of the "big speed" list.
Douglass Rippy, Columbus Linden McKinley (6' 3", 225 lbs). Rippy emerged as a serious prospect at last January's Army All-American combine in San Antonio, where he was named to the All Combine team. Since then, he has been "blowing up" on the combine circuit. As a junior, Douglass recorded 148 tackles and 9 sacks, but he did not receive much attention because his team went winless on the season. Rippy has the athletic ability to earn a Buckeye offer, but he needs to demonstrate "football skills" at summer camp.
Jamiihr Williams, Trotwood Madison (6' 2", 212 lbs, 4.78 forty). Williams is a rapidly-rising prospect who made a name for himself during last summer's camps. A transfer from Lima Senior to Trotwood Madison should gain him some more exposure, but Jamiihr needs to show more speed and athleticism at camp in order to get an offer from Ohio State.
Deron Furr, Columbus (Georgia) Carver (6' 3", 212 lbs, 4.52 forty). Deron already has offers from many southern programs (Auburn, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tulane), but he is headed to Columbus this summer to try to earn an offer form the Buckeyes. Furr's father is originally from Cincinnati, and Ohio State is near th top of his list. Although he plays quarterback in high school, Deron is a dark horse candidate to earn a Buckeye offer as a safety or outside linebacker.
Zack Stoudt, Dublin Coffman (6' 5", 215 lbs). Although Ohio State's staff has focused all its QB recruiting efforts on super-blue-chipper Terelle Pryor, Stoudt might be a kid who could earn an offer with a strong showing a camp. Zack has a very strong arm (can reportedly throw a football over 80 yards), a good lineage (he is the son of former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt), and plays on a team loaded with D-I prospects (Adams, Stoneburner, Fairchild, Gardiner), so he should start gaining a lot of attention on the recruiting trail.
Power
Gregory Shaw, Miami Pace (6' 6", 285 lbs). Shaw is yet another top national offensive line prospect who is very interested in Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes have not yet offered Greg, and the staff may not consider doing so until they get the final word from "Block O" candidate Josh Jenkins. In any case, Greg is scheduled to visit Ohio State for summer camp in order to earn a Buckeye offer, to go along with others from a bevy of southern powerhouses such as Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and Tennessee.
Quinton Coples, Kinston, North Carolina (6' 7", 235 lbs, 4.8 forty). Coples is a raw physical specimen who will need quite a bit of coaching in order to take his game to the next level. Still, you don't often see defensive ends with his combination of size and athleticism, so plenty of schools will take a chance on Quinton, who already has offers from Clemson, North Carolina, Florida, Florida State, and Tennessee. Along with Greg Shaw, Coples is one of the most highly-rated OOS recruits who is scheduled to camp at Ohio State.
Shawntel Rowell, Cleveland Glenville (6' 4", 340 lbs). Rowell is a two-way lineman for the Tarblooders; however, with the wealth of top-flight o-linemen who are strongly considering Ohio State, Shawntel is being recruited by the Buckeyes as a defensive tackle. Regardless of what Shawntel shows at camp, weight, conditioning, motor, and academics will be factors here.
Dawawn Whitner, Cleveland Glenville (6' 3", 248 lbs). Unlike his teammate Shawntel Rowell, who has tipped the scales north of 370 pounds, Whitner's problem is lack of size - he probably needs to add 30+ pounds in order to become a solid Big Ten defensive tackle. Dawawn is the younger brother of former Buckeye superstar Donte Whitner, but he will need to show "big" at camp in order to follow Donte to Ohio State.
Jake Current, Troy, Ohio (6' 3", 270 lbs). There are at least a dozen uncommitted top offensive line prospects in the state of Ohio this year, but to date not one has received an offer from Ohio State. As the recruiting season heads into the summer, Current is emerging as possibly the top in-state lineman. Jake has offers from Wisonsin, Indiana, and Maryland, but he is hoping to earn a Buckeye scholarship with a strong camp performance.
Anthony Oden, Dayton Dunbar (6' 8", 280 lbs). Anthony Oden is a super-sleeper who might not be getting any attention if his older brother weren't fromer Ohio State basketball phenom Greg Oden. Like Greg, Anthony is simply a massive physical specimen with a long frame, solid build, huge wingspan, and quick feet; however, unlike his big brother, the younger Oden is far from being a polished athlete, and he will likely need at least a couple of years of college coaching in order to realize his enormous potential. If Anthony can show more than a glimpse of that potential at summer camp, then the Buckeye staff might just be willing to take a risk on a kid whose family has been very good to Ohio State.
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