Talking Stuff: Ohio State making in-state recruiting moves, 2026 QB talk, huge official visits loom

It’s time for #TalkingStuff on THE Podcast as Jeremy Birmingham and co-host Andrew Ellis break down the latest in Ohio State football recruiting news, including the Buckeyes making a move on a couple of standout in-state prospects.

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hello everybody Welcome to talking stuff I’m Jeremy Birmingham that’s Andrew Ellis this is the Ohio state recruiting podcast brought to you by the podcast it’s Tuesday night as Andrew and I were recording this uh last show we did was on Thursday night we’re trying to get consistent but then there’s just sometimes when a lot of stuff is happening and I figure if we wait until Wednesday then you never know what’s going to happen between now and Wednesday morning Andrew in the world of Ohio State recruiting especially this time of year it has been a crazy month um and a lot of moving parts for Ohio State in the class of 2025 and even in the class of 2026 but figure tonight we will start with the what seems to be two new instate targets uh not really new I guess because we’ve talked about them both before but two players that I think will be in Ohio State’s recruiting class by this time next week um wide receiver bod pin Miller we’re going to call him BP from now on that’s sort of his uh you know name so it’s a little easier to than trying to figure out how to pronounce it it’s bod pen that’s the name bod pen Miller um from Ontario High School 6 FO 3 1885 pounds ran a 444 at Ohio State on Tuesday after running almost 23 miles an hour on Ohio State’s 1080 running sprinting machine last Thursday like the athleticism is crazy um they offered this morning Tuesday morning they were having a seven on seven at Ohio State and BP was a part of what they were calling the house team so basically players at Ohio State had visiting or that they wanted to just see them compete they put them all on this one team against the high school teams that had come in to visit um and uh bod pin’s quarterback was Troy Hoon from California and once Troy and and got into the mix like he started throwing the ball to to to BP quite a bit and he made a remarkable like backwards diving catch uh and Brian Hartline like pulled him off of the field and offered him a scholarship at that moment and now we fully expect that he will end up in the Ohio State recruiting class the questions are going to be all over the place about what that means for the wide receiver group that’s already being recruited by Ohio State um and as of recording this it’s 800 pm on Tuesday night we still don’t know if uh bpin is gonna make the official visit to Ohio State this weekend or if it’s going to be Boston College he told me at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on Tuesday morning that his plan was to follow through with the Boston College visit because he’s already told them he was going to do that and he wants to be a man of his word um we’ll see I know Ohio state would probably be okay with that I don’t think ultimately it will change the trajectory of his recruitment one way or the other from this point I think even if he makes a visit to Boston College next weekend or this coming weekend I still think he commits to Ohio State by this time next week uh um but I know that Ohio state would prefer he get to campus and time with Tav and stclair spend some time with the rest of the the recruits that are coming into town this weekend uh as they build toward a really important official visitor weekend which we’ll talk about later um Jake cook who we’ talked about ad nauseum in the last two months uh decommitted from Louisville on Tuesday morning there’s been no official word about his status with Ohio State but as I tried to say last week like it seemed to me to be a forone conclusion when the Buckeyes brought him back to Camp last Wednesday and they did the one-on-one time with Justin fry and they had him working for an hour and 15 minutes at Center like it seemed to me they were not doing that unless they were going to offer him and what you and I talked about on this show was that it seemed like the decision between Jake cook Andrew starel and uh Kaden you know stn storn from IMG Academy it seemed like they were pretty content to take one of those three guys at Center um and over the course of the last two weeks it’s felt like the priority has shifted to Jake cook um I I think that we can assume at this point he will end up in the Ohio State class I would fully expect that he will be at Ohio State this weekend for an official visit if all things are happening as I think that that they are so um pretty big news for him obviously he’s rivals.com has him as the number nine ranked guard in the country it’s a top 10 player at the position that’s what you want if you’re Ohio State people will not give Justin fry credit for anything because he’s an instate player and that’s fine um you know when he ends up at the Ohio State class because I I just don’t think he would have decommitted from Louisville without that plan in place but we’ll see exactly how that transpires when you look at at uh bod pin Miller Andrew like what is what do you think about it because I know that you’re worried how it impacts other receivers no I’m not really worried I guess props to you first of all just for bringing up that name last week because I he was nowhere on my radar um I think first things first they would not have offered him today if they were not planning on taking him immediately because obviously he’s a Lo he’s a local kid um trust Brian Harline obviously that goes without saying we’ve talked about the you know the Jackson Smith and jiga guys like that blowing up after Ryan har kind of zeroed in on him I’m just kind of interested to see what this kid looks like in the fall I know I’ve seen some people say played a lot of quarterback last year I don’t know what that’s all he’s played not a lot of that’s all he’s played yeah I guess that’s all that’s all he’s played but is your understanding is that going to change this fall or I don’t I don’t I admittedly don’t know much about the Manfield area high school football leagues so no I don’t know I mean I I talked to both his father on Tuesday morning and his head coach uh I did not not ask if that was the plan obviously the idea for him is to transition to wide receiver he has been at two camps as a wide receiver and that’s been at Ohio State so and he got an offer from from the Buckey so like it’s pretty good he he camped at Ohio State in the past as a quarterback and there had been discussion like hey this is a really special athlete but like what do you do with this and then you see him at wide receiver and at that size I actually and talking to bpin over the last couple days like he thinks that there’s a chance could get to 6566 and if that happens he’s 185 pounds right now it might take a couple years to get to like 24245 but he could be an unbelievable tight end at that size ball skills are really really good learning how to run routes and that kind of stuff is going to take time but that’s why you lean into Brian Hartline and you say we’re just G to let you mold him um I I don’t know if the plan is to continue to play H quarterback generally speaking small school football around the country you take your best athlete and you put him at quarterback and you let him do whatever you have to do um you know Jake cook for example like has played mostly tackle at Westerville North but the intention in college is for him to be a center and so in talking to Westerville North coaches last week they said that this fall they’re going to rotate him at all all five uh offensive line spots and let him get some reps elsewhere I don’t know if Ontario uh High School football can afford to take away their best athlete from quarterback um because I don’t know what type of offense they on I know that he’s a he’s a special athlete like there’s no doubt about it um and for Ohio State like it’s a big decision Brian Hartline you know the last instate um wide receiver Ohio State signed was Jaden balard in the class of 2021 it’s been so we’re heading in you know four straight Cycles without one there are key Targets on the board at wide receiver uh we’ll talk about Philip Bell a little bit when we get into the OV recap from last week but obviously dcor and Moore is still out there Vernell Brown is still out there now you can argue that maybe Ohio State’s a long shot for both of those guys at this point there are some people nationally who certainly think that I I do not subscribe to that theory on either player but it does now open the door I think in some way for potentially a fiveman wide receiver class which is feels insane to say but almost because you have to look at Bob Miller as a like a three-year down the road guy like he’s not someone you’re counting on playing at wide receiver next year so like you take him now because he’s in this class but you’re not counting on him for two or three years and and that’s that’s a position of Brian Hartline has not really had the luxury to be in in the last couple of Cycles yeah you’re exactly right and I I think the bottom line is as far as Vernell Brown dor and Moore those types of guys um taking this kid I mean Miller is not going to like change things as as far as that goes you know if Doran Moore wants to commit during the early signing period there’s any team of the country is going to hold a spot for him obviously and the same goes for Vernell Brown the only question I had last week when you initially brought him up was if he’s playing quarterback so much how do we know what his hands look like and the answer to that is Brian hartlin has been watching him a couple different times over the last week now so I think that that should uh put to rest any any concerns or questions about that yeah he he is a very good athlete and a a natural pass catcher like I I think he’s gonna it’s gonna take him some time to figure out like how to be in the right spot running routes and there was one play specifically on Tuesday where Troy Hoon had him on a fade route to the sideline and there was probably four or five yards left until the sideline and the ball was right where it needed to be and bpin like started to go down like almost like diving because I don’t think you recognized where the field was and that’s the stuff you learn as you play the position but I mean what you’re getting when this with this sort of decision is an acknowledgement that he’s far too athletic to let out of the state dein Jordan Ohio State’s assistant wide receiver coach um according to his dad was really the guy pushing for this to happen at first and then Brian Harline had to be sold uh and he was so what what you see now is some decisions that have to be made um when it comes to the offensive line it’s easier because there’s only one commitment and if Jake Cook’s in he’s the center and then you you still have other moving parts to figure out at the other tackle and other at guard spots but at wide receiver because of Quincy Porters commitment on Friday you have two and if we put Bob pin Miller in the class in INC now you’re talking three receivers to your point I don’t think that he’s the type of prospect that right now is going to send like a shiver down anyone’s spine or or because he’s decidedly different than what Vernell brown or dor Moore or Philip Bell is but you know there’s there’s definitely going to be some decisions that have to be made um so I think that’s a good spot to move into the offensive uh or the recap of of the official visitors from last weekend and Philip Bell because we saw on Monday uh crystal balls RPM’s future whatever start to be put in Ohio State’s Direction it seems very clear that it’s Ohio State or USC uh talking to people in the recruitment like I think that I can understand why those future casts RPMs crystal balls were uh put in in the Ohio State Direction but a lot of things changed on Tuesday morning when Bob pmiller got offered so now and Philip Bell like there’s no there was no plan there has been no plan to make a decision anytime before like the very end of August um Labor Day weekend area so now you have like two months to figure this out for uh Brian Hartline and you know Doran Moore I think most people expect that he’ll have a decision made in the next couple of weeks after he takes the Oregon visit Vernell Brown same thing so a lot of these moving parts will stop moving in the next two weeks probably um but Philip Bell has already you know he’s his plan is to to make a decision at the end of August so like if those moving Parts don’t play in his favor that’s why I think like sometimes the RPMs or crystal balls or whatever we’re talking about like they are a snapshot of where things may stand in a player’s mind at a certain time but it has very little to do with the circumstances of the class that they’re actually being predicted to be in yeah no you’re right about that and with Philip Bell I have not followed that one too terribly close because you know you’ve got the Brian Hartline tier which is always the the Jeremiah Smith the Dorian Moors the Vernell Browns and in this class I’ve kind of viewed Bell in that next tier down which is still a tremendous tier so no that’s not a shot at the kid by any means but do you get a feel from what you’ve seen or from what the staff has told you as far as like what kind of receiver he is like do they have a player comp or do they I don’t know do they view him in a certain light I guess I think the comp is like a Mecca abuka that’s kind of the way they view him that type of I I saw Philip on Monday because he was actually stuck in Columbus because of some family issues so he actually did not leave on Sunday like all the other official visitors he wasn’t allowed to like go to the school or go to camp or anything else but um actually ran into them and he’s a legit like 6’2 so I’ve seen because I’m I’m six foot tall and I’ve seen him listed at on some websites at 6 foot and he’s 2 in is taller than me so either I’ve shrunk two inches in the last I don’t know two weeks or he’s 6’2 um so I can understand where they have that comparison kind of a thicker kid he’s not like a decorian more Vernell Brown Desi Jones type which is that 5 foot 11 six foot slot guy like he’s a legit 6-2 he’s your Traditional High State wide receiver he’s the Carnell Tate build he’s the mecca bua build so you know I I think in some ways it actually allows Brian Hartline now if you if you have Desi Jones as your six foot slot you have Quincy Porter as your 6 foot4 outside guy if you have a player like Philip Bell and and and he ends up as the the fourth receiver with Bob pin Miller then you have your traditional you know standard X receiver and then you have the wild card maybe in a decoran mo reell Brown who can do everything so I actually think from a like class building standpoint Philip Bell makes a lot of sense he’s similar in a lot of ways to dalen McCutchen at out of Lovejoy in Texas so like I don’t want to dismiss him because he’s also taken an official visit to Ohio State this month and is on the list but I I think that it actually sets up really nice from a a style standpoint for Brian hartlin it’s not where whereas a month ago we thought there was like a chance you’re going to have four receivers and they’re all going to be six foot tall and they’re all and now it actually shapes shapes quite literally into being something totally different so I think that’s actually I actually think that’s a good thing for Ohio State we’ll see how Philip Bell responds when Miller commits and we’ll see if there’s even a spot left if Vernell brown or decoran more pick Ohio State which again the butt guys are still of the mindset like they have they are in those fights I do not know uh exactly what’s being said privately to other schools obviously um but there has been no uh sense of concession for Ohio State in those recruitments despite the fact that everyone feels pretty confident that Vernell will stay in Florida and that Toran will stay in Texas I mean we’ll see yeah lots of things happening with wide receiver recruiting um just kind of recapping some of the other stuff from the last weekend’s visitors we we we talked about Isaiah West we thought that was going to happen you know the the second running back in the class now joins Bo Jackson um that was not a surprise by any means now they’re just shooting for Jordan Davidson we’ll talk more about him later I think kind of the biggest questions I have coming out of the weekend are in the trenches like some of those guys that were on campus last week that we that last weekend that we haven’t heard a lot about whether it’s defensive lineman like Marian Dy or Maxwell Roy who I think a lot of people think is going to Michigan but I I don’t know if the Ohio State visits changed anything and then on the offensive line Micah deos um and I guess to a lesser degree Josh Petty it seems like he’s going to end up elsewhere but I haven’t heard a lot of buzz on those recruitments coming out of the weekend I guess I wasn’t sure if you’ve heard much no I mean Tuesday or when we did the show on Thursday I said like there there’s a there’s a sense out of Ohio State that they felt they could really change things in the Micah deos Recruitment and that is what I’ve heard coming out of the weekend now he did not commit okay so I don’t know where the hell the internet has decided to like go crazy and and start posting speakers on on Twitter and what like he did not commit uh primarily and I think that this is an important part to realize he’s already been a player who’s committed elsewhere once he decommitted from Georgia there was a lot of talk that that he committed way too early and I think that his mom especially wants him to make sure he doesn’t make that mistake again that said he spent a ton of time with Carter low the Buckeyes feel very good about where they are trending in that in that recruitment I hate saying the word trending in recruiting Because I I know that it it changes like the wind but but Josh Petty again I do not think that will end up with Ohio State Buckey offered him a long time ago but it took him nearly 10 months to get in campus because they were looking at all the schools that his sister was uh visiting and and now she’s going to Florida State I’m sure the Buckey gave him something to think about because that the Ohio State staff is excellent on official visits but I I just don’t see that happening Jackson Lloyd who visited two weekends ago committed to Alabama we’ll talk about that later um but if you’re talking about this past weekend the marry and die one is interesting I don’t I I think Ohio State can win that fight I don’t know exactly where he Stacks up on the list of priorities for the Buckeyes because again we talked about London Merritt last week Zahir matys who is going to take his official visit in the fall um Isaiah Gibson the USC commitment who’s from Georgia is on Ohio State’s campus as of Tuesday decommitted from USC sure that one’s probably going to be Georgia but it is a reminder that there are a lot of moving Parts on the defensive line that we just don’t talk about because these kids don’t talk so there’s the Isaiah Gibson jarquez Carter uh the Florida defensive tackle who’s also starting his official visit on Tuesday I think that those players will end up impacting what happens with guys like Mari and Dy Damen Shanklin um and Maxwell Roy in a big way but Maxwell Roy is coming is coming off of an ACL injury like there’s not a push from Ohio State to bring him into the class at this point Michigan is obviously doing that and I think that they’ll take him um and and good for him if it if it works out but it’s not a spot where the bucke are pushing uh Jim nolles is a big fan of his because he’s at the same High School Jim nolles went to but there’s not a push to to make an a commitment there for Ohio State because they have all these other guys on the board and he’s just coming off a torn ACL and they don’t know exactly where that’s going to go for him so um I I think the important the important visitors this weekend uh certainly was Isaiah West Brandon Finny the defensive back from Maryland he announced on Tuesday evening that he’s committing next week uh I don’t get the sense it’ll be Ohio State and I think if that’s the case it means a couple things but we one of them is I don’t think Ohio State’s trying to go all in there yet because they have a pretty important visit from Dorian Brew coming this weekend who they would love to be the third quarterback in the class so yeah I’m I’m rambling a lot we’re 20 minutes in and I feel like I’ve talked for 18 minutes but what is the what other visitors from this past weekend are still in your mind I mean those are kind of the big ones I was gonna ask you know Tran odms the other defensive lineman that was on campus couple weeks back I believe North Carolina kid I think Oregon Ohio State USC for him he was at Oregon this past weekend and I think USC is coming up do you kind of feel it’s either or with him and Roy or are they kind of like still viewed in maybe a similar tier or any thoughts on that they are very similar from a like player perspective I think B 64 265 the difference is Maxwell Roy is coming off the ACL injury and on the other side of that is TR odm is being recruited by USC in Oregon and we know how those those schools are involved which means that there’s a a heftier price tag than maybe Ohio state would want to pay for a player that they think may be interchangeable with some other dudes so it like Ohio state is not shy on the nil front I think we’re past that point but they are also not stupid and they are also not going to a a player that they maybe feel is interchangeable with someone else is is not going to be valued the way like Doran Moore for example who is completely Head and Shoulders different than anybody else they’re recruiting even though there’s a similar size to other receivers like he’s like he’s he’s just different so um they view him differently so that group and I think that there’s a similar conversation like with Nathaniel uh uasu um bang like I think that there’s a similar conversation about him at linebacker they like him they like him a lot His official visit went really well but I don’t know with Riley pedon still out there that they feel like they can go all in there and there’s other players in the state of Ohio for example like Paul Nelson who just committed to Cincinnati a couple weeks ago or a week ago um like that if we’re talking about the next instate name to really know and pay attention to it’s probably Paul Nelson the linebacker from Cincinnati I think he’s at Cincinnati Princeton um maybe he’s at Cole rain I’m not sure but like he’s I if if Riley pedon does not end up in the Ohio State recruiting class I think Ohio state would be comfortable moving to Paul Nelson as opposed to spending more on aasu bang even though Notre Dame certainly feels like they’ll pay that so the hard part is there’s a lot of times these visitors these visits are happening and these kids and their their families are coming in with a set number or they think because Ohio state has been viewed or or cre created nationally in the last six months to be this huge spender that everyone thinks Ohio state is just going to go dumb when it comes to money and they’re just not yeah Paul Nelson is a Princeton kid um so just to confirm if they do need to go down I don’t want to say down the board but if they miss on P John and then the uh bang goes to Notre Dame or whatever you think Nelson could be the next one to get an offer as far as local guys and not the what is it mlen that’s committed to Missouri we’ve talked about him a few times too yeah I mean he’s more uh Paul Nelson is more of the weak side long levered guy Dante is a little bit more of a strong side linebacker um I I think that Nelson would be the guy and that’s just where I think things are trending um that’s to say if things don’t happen with Riley pedon who I have already been saying in the last couple weeks like I think Ohio state is a much more um real threat to land Riley p than anybody in Texas is talking about but that’s a Common Thread because the guys who cover Texas apparently don’t think Ohio state has any idea what the hell they’re doing in the recruiting Trail because they don’t think they’re getting anybody so uh I don’t I don’t know why they think that but that’s not my job I don’t cover Texas um other than that uh Messiah delom the safety from Virginia visited last weekend I still feel pretty good that he’s a likely choice to be the fourth safety in the class for Ohio State but there’s no pressure to commit early Ohio state has a lot of options that they’re exploring um he will commit at the end of August as well like right before the start of his senior season so like we’re going to have two real pushes here in the next two months one’s going to be basically the week and a half to two weeks after the signing after the Dead period begins this following Monday through the July 4th weekend or July 4th date where you’ll see a lot of commitments happen and then that last week of August you’ll see a lot of commitments happen so those are the times when like this class which is at 16 guys right now I think you could see it push to like 24 or 25 by the end of by the end of August if everything goes right so um I like d a lot I think he’s you know that’s Ohio State Virginia Tech Virginia Maryland so like if not to sound arrogant but I think if Ohio State really wants him they’ll get it and they do want him they do want him so they’re just not pushing and we’ll see if you end up being wrong on Trey mcnut supposedly he’s gonna visit this fall but we we’ll see if that happens I hope I’m wrong I really do I I I don’t like when people like tell me I’m stupid I don’t like when people tell me I I I’m a dumbass like I I I don’t want I like Trey mcnut a lot as a human being and I think that he’s a really good defensive back and I think he’s GNA be a really good player in college I just don’t think he for whatever reason wants to stay in Ohio and that’s okay I mean not everyone does that’s it’s the way it’s the Way of the World um speaking of of staying in Ohio is there anything else on the 20 or last weekend official visit weekend three let’s move to Monday this week we had uh the quarterback Derby right Ohio State hosts um Jaden O’Neal from California offers him Brady Hart from Florida offers him um they were supposed to host Jonas Williams from Illinois he did not make it they were supposed to host um there’s so many bradies what’s the other Brady right now schmigle he was supposed to come in did not make it um the interesting thing and then diabel five star on 247 I don’t know if he’s a five if he’s five star anywhere else but I know he is in maybe in the composite rankings commits to Texas I said last week I thought it was Ohio State or Texas it’s Texas um my per and and this will sound like I’m wearing Scarlet colored glasses and I know it will and I don’t care if people think that I am it’s fine uh my personal favorite quarterback in the 2026 class is Troy Hoon the kid from California who is at Ohio State today uh I Troy Hoon was the other player that was really being rumored heavily to Texas and there were a lot of crystal balls and stuff for him to Texas I think it could work out in a really positive way for Ohio State that diaab Bell made his decision early because Troy getting back to Columbus as AP is pretty telling I think and the chip Kelly’s been recruiting him for the last couple months they like him a lot 6’4 uh six just turned 16 years old like really live arm big kid he’s goingon to be like a 6’4 225 230 pound quarterback by the time he graduates in a year from now or year and a half however long I don’t I don’t I don’t do time um but I really think that of the quarterbacks now that we’ve seen in the glass of 2020 6 over the last three weeks I would have Hune which is I think how to pronounce it Hune not hun or whatever hey hun I don’t like that that sounds like you know he’s at a a a local Diner ordering a you know chicken fried steak hey hun can I get you chicken fried steak Troy I don’t like that you know wow um I I was just going to say you know we we always talk about how I’m in love with a quarterback and I don’t even know his name I I think it’s Hoon from what I’ve seen but those dominoes they start to fall rather quickly and Michigan got another immense win over Ohio State when uh Brady Hart committed there shortly after getting an offer um but I don’t know I’m kind of fascinated to see where this goes I think if you’re it’s a it’s a Fool’s errand to be concerned about quarterback recruiting ever with Ohio state but I a lot of admittedly a lot of the names that were very much on my radar are now committed elsewhere Brady smeagle smigle is getting crystal balls to Florida State so maybe maybe your boy hun hon uh maybe that maybe that’ll be the one I don’t know I don’t know what other schools are involved there I just know Texas was mentioned regularly for him like you said yeah I’m not in uh like hey hun if it’s quarterback the Hun then I’m into that you know like then I’m cool with it but I don’t I don’t like it either way let’s go with Hune uh he’s I I talking to people today at Ohio State I I do believe that he was the guy they were waiting to see back on campus to really confirm their previous thoughts about and I think he did that in a big way on on Tuesday morning so I’m not going to say he’s like the the favorite now for Ohio State but I I do think it opens up the door nicely for the Buckeyes to make a move there with him why did those other two guys just noow that seems like that doesn’t seem like that doesn’t seem like that happened very often especially to a program like Ohio State when it’s a freaking quarterback I mean I I didn’t ask but I mean it’s travel it’s hard to get to places in this time of year I mean uh Jonas Williams was supposed to be at the Under Armor camp in Canton and at the end of April and didn’t make it to that either uh you know it maybe maybe he’s just not that that interested maybe they have not shown the requisite amount of love I don’t know but I mean it is what it is Trey Taylor a 2027 quarterback from Illinois close to where Jonas Williams is from made it to both of those things uh and he was great on Monday got offered by Ohio State so I think you have a a second 20207 quarterback to really look at um you know we talked about Brady Edmonds two weeks ago and as I I I think Brady Edmonds is probably the one I would watch the closest but there’s at least a a now second because Trey Taylor from Illinois is really good like physically kind of looks gawky almost looks like a baby giraffe that hasn’t figured out how to like move yet but like if this baby giraffe had a Howitzer for a right arm then that’s what I think Trey Taylor is you know so I I liked him a lot in Canton I liked him a lot on Monday um and I like the fact that he’s a local kid when it comes to a quarterback as opposed to Edmond who’s from California even though he has Ohio ties and his family’s all Buckeye fans and all that stuff but um I like it now I don’t should we even talk about the Brady har thing I I mean I don’t really think there’s that much to say about it honestly number one I very clear there’s a lot of times players from around the country get an offer to a place simply because they showed up in camped that does not mean that that player was a like a a take yet for Ohio State it was a we like your we like where you are we think you’ve got potential we want to see you in the fall he was very skinny uh there were and I’m gonna defend him here because I I thought he was pretty good on Monday but there were a number of times when you could tell he’s thrown the ball a lot the last few weeks his shoulder was bothering him he was not particularly accurate on Monday did not look to have the strongest arm on Monday but I know Ohio State likes him as a player and they thought that you know there’s there’s something to build on there I I’m not going to say that Ohio State offering forced Michigan to take him on Monday because I think they probably would have anyway uh but I I again I I think the way that the quarterback Domino’s fell on Monday works very much in Ohio State’s favor I know the the um comparisons for Brady out there like to JJ McCarthy I did not see that at all watching him in person I like the way he throws the ball I’d like to see him healthy because I didn’t think he was 100% on Monday throwing it and maybe that’s going to inform a little bit of my opinion but it also doesn’t matter he’s committed to Michigan now uh committed to Michigan like three hours after leaving Ohio State’s campus so uh clearly there was not a a chance of that really materializing anyway if he wanted to commit early like there was a lot there was Crystal Ball action for him to Clemson last week after he camped there and was offered by Clemson so it’s clear that he was a player wanting to commit somewhere relatively soon and the message from Ohio State was we like what where you’re at can’t wait to see you in the fall let’s see how you improve and so I’m not saying the buck guys told him we’re not going to take you or he tried to commit or anything crazy like that because I don’t know what I do know is that the messaging was certainly not we love you we have to have you right now and that maybe opens the door for for Michigan who has done a good job with him so yeah I mean that makes sense I I had not researched him much at all I saw the Clemson crystal balls last week then I saw the sudden crystal ball changes to Michigan and shortly thereafter I see a tweet that he’s committed to Michigan so yeah good for him and good for him great spot I mean obviously that’s now two quarterbacks in a row from Florida for Michigan with Carter Smith in the class of 20125 and now Brady Hart they’re they are heck of a program and they like those quarterbacks that are I didn’t see the mobility that would make me think he was JJ McCarthy is but also it was a quarterback camp at Ohio State where he was not being forced to do a lot of Sprint outs and or anything like that so whatever he’s a good player though I’ve seen his tape you know remember when when Javon bogs was committed to Ohio State the wide receiver at CoCo a lot of people were watching javon’s film and going who’s the quarterback like that’s Brady Hart he’s a good quarterback obviously so um it it will set up another narrative that people will like to just talk about Ohio State Michigan narrative but it has really nothing to do with Ohio State um that said final Point Troy Hune I think is the guy now taking shape is the number one option for Ohio State in that class at quarterback um the number one option for Ohio State at offensive tackle in the class of 2025 is David Sanders um he is heading to town this weekend for his official visit this will be visit number three since the end of March it’s his final official visit he I I think there was some discussion about him visiting Bama like maybe tomorrow and Thursday before coming to Columbus I don’t know if that’s going to happen um I don’t think it matters I still think it’s an Ohio State and Tennessee battle with Georgia uh on the the per referee as the probably the third team and with Jackson Lloyd committing to Alabama with um Henry fuku committing to Missouri a few weeks ago with Javon mcfaden not wanting to shut things down and wanting to take some more time with you know Andrew starel wanting to commit now in July in Ohio State seemingly moving on from him what felt like a really positive month of June for Justin fry is now kind of on the brink of disaster especially if they do not land David Sanders and you hate to add more pressure to a visit that was already like the most important visit of the week maybe of the month for Ohio State but here we are yeah I think this is going to be the most important official visit of the entire cycle for Ohio State and easily the most important visitor that Justin fry has ever had on campus during his short stint thus far in Columbus um I don’t know what the turnaround time is like I can’t remember if he has like an actual date set to commit I don’t think he does does not but but I mean if they you know swing for the fences this weekend and then come Monday or Tuesday it’s still kind of a just kind of a lukewarm feeling and then you know maybe the Tennessee Buzz comes back next week or something I mean there’s going to be fans freaking out about that and that’s probably going to be a slight over reaction but still very concerning because I mean you got Carter low there’s a couple other guys I like Jake cook a lot but this is like the guy for 2025 well especially because you passed on Nolan Davenport at tackle uh you know like he’s now committed to Wisconson you made that decision based on the thinking that hey you feel really good about where you are with with David Sanders you’re moving the dial with Carter low or I’m sorry with uh Jackson Lloyd you you feel you have a potential swing guy in fuku or um a swing guy in Javin mcfaden and now those are you know who knows where those are going and so you have put yourself even even plan B guys like Joshua blackton out of Maryland committed to ruter this month without you know hasn’t visited like and and that’s that’s an Ohio State decision to be clear like they weren’t asking him to take an official visit this month but like it it does put the spotlight on Justin fry in a way that um has to be uncomfortable because every other coach on the staff right now seems to be absolutely killing it on the recruiting Trail and there you know his approach Justin’s approach has been be be patient be focused on a handful of guys at the time and don’t send out 30 offers at once and in a in a recruiting timeline right now where everyone wants to commit early like you can’t be late you and and and that’s how it feels like they’ve been on some of these other guys and you know that Josh Petty for example like even though they were trying to get him up like you you have to find other ways and uh I don’t know what they are I Justin fry and this is what I want to be clear is an incredibly personable well-liked hardworking great conversationalist like that the guy is not Greg stara on the recruiting Trail okay so we have to be very clear about that but recruiting that position may be the hardest position in the sport to recruit there’s so few of those guys they’re very rarely from the Midwest and you have to find a way to separate yourself and I don’t know that they have and I talked about it on our rooster show on Monday some of that I think is a is a matter that until someone like David Sanders picks Ohio State it might be hard for other guys to do the same because they maybe they don’t trust their eyes I mean Ohio state has the Third most offensive lineman playing in the NFL right now of all the teams in college football I think only Oklahoma and Michigan have more so like you have the proof there like you have Paris Johnson you have dwan Jones in the last couple years two very distinctly different career paths to get to being starting tackles in the NFL as rookies so you have ways to put it all together you have nil you have Columbus you have this is a 45-minute flight from Charlotte to Columbus this is not something where you’re stacked up against it or or Jackson Lloyd who had been uh recruited by kayin dbor and Alabama staff for the last two years like this is not that type of situation David Sanders has been a priority for Ohio State for a long time you’re competing ostensively against Tennessee you’re not this is not a head-to-head with Georgia or Alabama or like this is this is a a recruitment where your involvement has all but eliminated Clemson and other like you got to win this one like you have to win this one and if you don’t win this one there’s no replacing him in in the class and winning the national team ranking Championship does not mean squat in the big picture but if Ohio State’s going to do it you have to have David Sanders you have to have Dori and Moore so um this it is very difficult to understate the importance of David Sanders yeah I mean if we’re sitting here Monday or Tuesday and there’s just not a lot of Buzz that’s going to be an ominous feeling throughout the fan base and and it shouldn’t be let’s be clear David Sanders has made F four other official visits there has been no like immediate Buzz coming out of any of them that is not the way he operates it’s not the way his family operates like there is not going to I don’t want to say never because when you say that you get proven wrong sometimes it would be shocking to me if on Sunday afternoon David Sanders and his family are like Ohio state is everything we’ve ever dreamt of I can’t imagine anywhere else like it’s going to be a close close to the vest very reserved response because that’s who they are and that’s how they’ve handled everything from the start so like just as a preemptive like don’t freak out like I think is important like don’t freak out because we’re not going to do a talking stuff before that ends because Friday is my anniversary and then we’re going to Columbus for the Zack Bryan concert and then Sunday we’ll be traveling home and have some graduation party so like we’re not going to be doing one of these shows until probably next Tuesday so don’t freak out yeah I I remember last time he was on campus you know Columbus Paparazzi spotted him and his family out flanked by by Justin fry and I I believe he’s the only offensive lineman visiting this weekend I think uh blackon or whatever was on that list but he’s no longer on there so I would venture to guess will be in town yeah committed guys but I imagine that Justin will be very close to David Sanders side the the entire weekend and that’s how it should be so I I fully expect that Monica Daniels Paris Johnson’s mom will be in town helping there’s I don’t like to say these things because then someone will post it on the Internet or whatever I there’s at least a chance that Paris Johnson makes his way into town this weekend to to be around those two really hit it off when David Sanders visited for the Ohio State spring game in 2023 so like if if they can have have a little help there that’s that’s beneficial David Sanders looks up to Paris Johnson in a major major way so like that’s that’s what you need to get some help with so David Sanders visit is important but there’s other important official visits as well Jordan Davidson coming to town uh coming off of the Oregon trip there’s there’s Buzz about Oregon that’s been building for the last three weeks there is a bizarre um like swell of Michigan enthusiasm that they’re going to win this fight somehow I do not believe that’s the case but we’ll see um Dorian Brew coming in on his decision this is a kid who obviously was verbally committed silently to Ohio State six months ago his entire recruitment has flipped upside down some of it you know I’ve seen it rumored that it happened because Perry Aliano left I’ve heard it rumored that it was because the Buckeyes had you know the commitment from Blake Woodby and Devin Sanchez and Ne offord was shortly after that and there I saw somewhere on Tuesday that like Ohio State had commitments from these other guys that’s not true like neem offord committed two weeks after Deon after Dorian Brew would have been committed so you know facts matter I guess um and Dorian Brew had been recruited closer than any player in that group by Ohio State for the previous year so whatever um it’s a big visit and but I think the like lowkey most important visit for this weekend is Malik autrey the defensive tackle committed to Auburn who I think you’re going to see Ohio State like really push to to flip him from Auburn this weekend because I think if you can do that then you can feel a little bit more optimism about Zion Grady his one of his close friends and a defensive end from Alabama and I think if you can do that then you can start to feel like even a little bit more confidence about maintaining the neem offered recruitment for the next five months like because you have three of the top five players in Alabama committed if you can do that like it’s it’s it’s a tall order it’s a heavy ask but they’re going to make a real push for Malik arry this weekend yeah no you said it I we Jordan Davidson Dorian Brew those are all very very important visitors top of the board targets but I was gonna say Malik alry was kind of the one I was watching as the biggest I mean literally figuratively all that stuff 6 foot6 320 pound defensive tackle they’re not in on a bunch of defensive tackles we talked about them a little bit earlier guys of that size do not grow on they typically grow in Louisiana Alabama Mississippi um I know he’s visited USC I know he’s committed to Auburn I have no idea what the chance is or the likelihood is I know he had a good visit before so that’s the one I’ve got circled as kind of the biggest one to watch and Zion Grady as well but I I’m just from Missouri on that I don’t know anything about that kid yeah I I think the what you’re looking for with ay is at that size that 6’5 315b 320 defensive tackle if you compare him and and we kind of lost over jarquez Carter from Florida visiting over the you know making his official visit Tuesday Wednesday like that gives you a nice combination Carter is like the 6 foot 2 and a half 285 290 pound defensive tackle that the smaller quicker guy and then you have ay and then you swing for the fences with jaem Stewart when he reclassifies so like ay is the one a is the one that’s like top of the board like I I don’t know often what Larry Johnson is thinking because he is notoriously difficult to read um but from everything I’ve gleaned in the last month and a half since atrey and Zion Grady visited the first time there is no doubt in my mind that other than jaem Stewart Malik ay is priority number one at defensive tackle so everything else flows from that yeah it’s just hard to accept that Ohio state is like an actual real Contender for these guys from the state of Alabama even in a post Nick Sabin World but then again I mean offer committed uh taking visits but I think people should still feel relatively confident about that but yeah those are the two that I’m kind of watching the most closely this weekend and then the brew and the Davidson W we’ve talked about them plenty over the last few weeks and getting them up here is Big yeah we’ll see Nate Roberts back in town we’ll see Tav for his official Tav and St Clair taking his official neim Alford taking his official Devon Sanders taking or Devin Sanchez taking his official um like Eli Lee will be in town to hang out Carter low will be in town to hang out I fem Delan is coming back to hang out like this is an all Hands-On deck weekend at Ohio State um and I think the best part about it is that the players in the class Know It And they’re they’re not going to put themselves in a position where they’re you know they could be there and they’re not so it’s really important um for Ohio State the the actual list of that of this weekend is still a little bit uncertain because again I I think we could potentially see uh Jake cook there we could potentially see uh bod pin Miller there we will see Brody lennin there the tight end from Cleveland who got offered by Ohio State last Thursday he he took his official visit to Kentucky over this past weekend he’s another guy that I would I would think you can put in the class pretty confidently that probably by the end of June would would be committed and so like this is turn this this is the weekend they’ve been waiting for so it really like I I hate that you could come out of this weekend feeling great about Malik ay and Zion Grady and everything else and then if if you don’t get a quick turnaround from Dorian Brew or Jordan Davidson or David Sanders then all of a sudden you feel like it’s a failure to be very clear as I said last Thursday I thought if Jordan Davidson makes this trip to Ohio state that he will pick the Buckey I still think that way I think Ohio state will land Ori and Brew I do not not understand why people in Texas specifically are continuing to dismiss Ohio State as a real option there it does not make sense to me um but we can talk about anything else you want to talk about as we wrap up this episode of talking stuff in the four-minute offense which is yeah I was yeah I know I was gonna start with Dorian Brew though just because I’ve read some scuttlebutt on the Texas sites and you’re right it is all coming from the Texas side to where they are under the impression that Ohio State is fourth for Dorian Brew behind Texas USC Oregon um that’s coming from the same I I think this was from on three and I believe it’s Steve Wilfong who has been saying for the last few weeks USC or Ohio State which feels more realistic to me so I don’t know I’ve just I’ve just can perplexed as to where where that notion is coming from I guess quite frankly I don’t know and I think that it is an important reminder like in this business one that consists of and is depend on sources everyone that I talk to generally is coming from an Ohio State perspective so they obviously almost always feel better about Ohio State whoever the people in Texas are talking to they obviously feel better about Texas um I think it’s inconceivable that Dorian Brew who was committed to Ohio State in January and had told the coaches he was coming and it has Graphics made and all that stuff I think it’s inconceivable with nothing else really changing in his recruitment that they would have just become the the an afterthought to him and his family I just don’t buy that at all I just that’s just not the case just doesn’t happen um you don’t go from I know this is where I want to spend the next four years to I don’t even like them at all it’s you know no you can’t sit with us type of thing like I don’t I don’t get that um but again I’ve said it earlier with Riley pedon like we saw on Monday the same Texas site I believe or maybe it was 247 I don’t know saying you know because a lot of the Texas sites coming into the weekend were talking like they’re going to lock up R pedag John it’s going to be done and then they’re started writing well all of a sudden this is actually G to come down to the wire between Texas and Texas A&M and it’s like I don’t think so I mean I I I firmly believe Ohio state is one of the top two schools in that fight so now we’ll see if A&M can make a push but I think it’s Ohio State or Texas for Riley pedon um but they they just seem to dismiss Ohio State as a as a contender um you know we’ve seen the this here’s what I don’t get and and maybe you know you read a lot of other teams um IM Media stuff and it seems to me that there are experts or insiders for like every other team in the country that seems very confid ID that they know what Ohio state is doing like I saw someone say well they Ohio State took a commitment from Isaiah West they’re not taking three running backs like they are taking three running backs doesn’t matter if it’s Jordan Davidson or not they’re taking three running backs so I don’t know where this concept or where this idea that these other people have a better read on what Ohio state is doing and and and if they don’t then they just flat out dismiss them altoe and it’s like this team has finished in the top three or top four of the recruiting rankings every year for the last 15 years except for 2019 when Ryan Day took over and they only had 17 commits so like how is this the program people keep dismissing I just don’t get it yeah like 48 hours before the Quincy Porter commitment some of the Michigan sites were saying that their Intel coming out of Columbus was that he wasn’t a take for Ohio State or something which was just it’s stupid like where does it come from I knew on Thursday morning that he had committed to Ohio State and I’m still reading throughout the day like oh he’s he doesn’t even like Ohio State they have nothing to offer him like what are we talking about like he told the coaches on Thursday that he was canceling his visits to to Michigan and Oklahoma which is why I told people on this show on Thursday night I didn’t think he was going to take those visits and yet Friday morning it’s still oh sure he is sure he is so I I mean maybe he didn’t tell their staff I don’t know but it just seems like there’s this uh Common Thread that everyone thinks that they like Ohio State all of a sudden has no idea what they’re doing on the recruiting show like I just don’t it’s weird I don’t I do not get it yeah it’s baffling um you you mentioned Jordan Davidson a bit ago so not much on him but Carlos llin who is just a menace on social media and I love it uh not so subtle tweet the other day you know referencing the three guys that he wants in the class obviously he’s got two now so as of now you still feel like that trifect uh is going to come to fruition again if he makes the visit to Ohio State I think he’s picking Ohio State I I don’t know if if he was really turned off by the idea of being in a three-man class he would have canceled his trip because he knew that these two guys were going to be committed so you know and while I know he has a good relationship with Carlos Lin he’s got a good relationship with Ryan day and I’m sure he would want to take the trips and follow through with what he said he would do like there comes a point when you’re traveling back and forth and back and forth around the country you don’t you don’t owe that to anybody you get tired of this and like if you don’t want to take the trip don’t take it and he wants to take the trip to me that is still an indicator that Ohio state is where he wants to be because like little I don’t him and Philip Bell are like best friends by the way that’s a like those two are very close and so like I don’t know if those two will end up in the class together at Ohio State but I do think that it is something to also note as that moves forward as we see the crystal balls for Philip Bell Jordan Davidson this is the other thing man I don’t mean to go all soap boxy on people but there are so many times in in this new 24hour 7day a week recruiting news cycle where people put in a crystal ball or put in a prediction and then every week they’re like well I’m very close to changing my prediction for but then they never do like so and there seems to be nothing that matters more to people than being right in their predictions and so they never change it until the very end so if you’re getting good Intel that you really think Oregon is is running away with this and Ohio State is out because it’s down to Michigan and Oregon then how come nobody’s changing their predictions and and that I think ultimately still matters you can have a million different reasons to think that you know what’s going on in this space and that’s that’s me too like we I I I’m obviously getting 85 90% of what I’m hearing is from the Ohio State side of things but if if the people that you’re talking to are not living in reality or they’re just making stuff up to make your to make them feel better then you’re getting fed garbage garbage in garbage out yeah it makes sense um last yeah who knows last thing real quick uh Justin Hill was in Columbus on Tuesday with what was it his seven on seven or his team or something yeah went Woods was there part of the seven on S tournament at state that’s right um he was in BMA at BMA last weekend big official what are your Vibes coming out of that or what’s your concern level at coming out of that or what are your thoughts uh you know how you know a lot of the old rules of recruiting right so like after the Ohio state official visit weekend there was a ton of Buzz about Ohio State right and then he went to USC and then there was a ton of Buzz and it was it’s either USC or Ohio State and then he went to Alabama and it’s all it’s either Alabama or Ohio State and now he’s got a trip to Oregon and I’m sure we’ll hear it’s Oregon or Ohio State so there’s a Common Thread and I think it’s going to be Ohio State I also I got the sense just from talking to Justin a little bit on Tuesday that he seems like slightly fatigued with this travel and back and forth and back I mean you’re going from LA to Alabama to Ohio to you’re going from Ohio to LA to Ohio to Alabama to Ohio to Oregon like that is a lot on these kids and that is the risk and you know when you talk about is it better to have the first official visit or the last off official visit like I think Ohio state would be in a different position with him if they had the last official visit because it’s close to home and it’s not traveling across the country again but um like especially when you’re traveling east to west and you’re losing sleep and you’re you know your jet lag like you don’t get these trips are not relaxing they’re not like fun trips where you just sit around and spend your whole time you know talking ball like it’s just go go go go go and I I I think he’s getting a little tired of it July 3rd is the decision date that’s not changing um I do and I I’ll say this not to talk out of both sides of my mouth I do think it’s Ohio State or Alabama I think it will be Ohio State but cool Damen shankin was also at Ohio State on Tuesday with his teammates uh Wester at uh uh Indianapolis Central West Central I can’t remember Wester West Wester Warren Central Warren Central that sounds right um so he was also there I spent some time talking to Damian like uh he is a really hard kid to read man I cannot really Warren Central in Indianapolis I I I have a very tough time getting a true vibe on what he’s thinking and I don’t think I’m alone in that uh it seems like the people in Columbus are also similarly vexed by him um but you know there’s two months until he makes a decision and if things go well this weekend with milie cry and Z on Grady there may not be a spot so that that’s and I don’t know sometimes I think that like kids want decisions to be made for them you know also when someone from out of state says Ohio State’s the dream school don’t listen because that is garbage dream schools don’t matter um we’re at an hour again Andrew thank you for taking your time on Tuesday night and uh for those of you watching and listening we really do appreciate it as I said we’re probably going to not get back to do another one of these until next Tuesday um if anything important happens between now and then and stuff that is important will happen but we know that I’m sure we’ll do our best to cover it uh and get some stuff here on YouTube and the podcast channels biggest things to know on Tuesday the offer to bot pin Miller the Jake Cook news and Ohio State preparing for a massive official visit weekend he’s Andrew Ellis I’m Jeremy Birmingham this has been talking stuff on the podcast thanks for watching we will see you next week