3-2-1: Five-star OT has Ohio State in his top 7, several new 2022 offers

In this recruiting-themed edition of "3-2-1," which is presented by Infinit Nutrition, BuckeyeGrove takes a look at some of the most recent news relating to Ohio State football recruiting.

Down below, we talk about three things we learned recently, a couple of questions that we still have and dish out one bold prediction about a prized 2022 target.

Some of the topics below includes discussions on a five-star offensive lineman who has Ohio State in his top seven, Dasan McCullough being "100 percent" committed to OSU, the possibility of the dead period being extended again, and much more.

1. Five-star offensive lineman has Ohio State in his top seven

Last week Buckeyes received good news in their pursuit of Florida-based prospect Julian Armella.

Armella, the top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2022 class, included Ohio State in his top seven. Along with OSU making the cut, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU and Miami were labeled as finalists by Armella.

Although Armella including them in his top seven is not a bad thing for Ryan Day's program, they appear to have some ground to make up. The in-state trio of the Gators, Hurricanes and Seminoles all appear to be in a better spot to land Armella at this time.

Even though they are seemingly on the outside looking in, Armella has previously expressed a lot of interest in the Buckeyes. While speaking with Rivals.com's Chad Simmons a week ago, the five-star prospect says contact with Ohio State, namely Greg Studrawa and Day, has been great.

"They have been really good with me," Armella said. "They have recruited me so hard, both coach Studrawa and coach Day, and I like them both. I am always on the phone with them, and I love how they win and produce great teams."

The next step for Armella in his recruitment will be to take visits, but that is where things get tricky. The NCAA Football Oversight Committee has recommended extending the dead period yet again, with the recommended extension being until May 31.

I'll discuss this more down below, but this significantly impacts Ohio State's pursuit of a player like Armella. Unlike fellow five-star and Sunshine State native Jaheim Singletary, Armella says he needs to visit a school before deciding if he should commit there.

With a potential extension of the dead period, that gives nearby programs, namely FSU, UF and UM, a significant advantage for him. A trip to OSU is necessary here, but that's not a guarantee given the seemingly never-ending moratorium on recruiting trips.

I think Ohio State is hovering in the 4-6 range when it comes to Armella's recruitment right now; fortunately for the staff, the Miami-based target is going to make a late decision, so there's a lot of time left in this one.

2. Dasan McCullough is solid with the Buckeyes

Ever since he committed to Ohio State on Aug. 18, 2020, Dasan McCullough has been all in with the program.

He has not publicly or privately expressed interest in entertaining other options, reaches out to targets on a frequent basis, and is just an overall good ambassador for the Buckeyes in the 2022 class.

With all that being said, however, some people were a little bit nervous about how a couple of recent developments could impact McCullough's commitment.

First off, his father just accepted a job coaching at Indiana University. Indiana is a state that McCullough is well-accustomed to living in as he lived there for six years during his father's first stint coaching the Hoosiers.

Also worth noting is that McCullough was offered by IU all the way back in late 2018, so there is definitely a lot of familiarity between him and the program.

Secondly, the recent rumors surrounding linebackers coach Al Washington has made some fans nervous not only about McCullough, but fellow LB commits CJ Hicks and Gabe Powers. Washington going to Tennessee could potentially have a ripple effect on what is shaping up to be one of the best LB classes of all time.

Despite all of this, however, McCullough remains solid with his commitment to Ohio State.

When discussing his dad's new job, McCullough says that won't have an impact whatsoever on his recruitment. He actually said that he'll be significantly closer to Columbus after his move, affording him more opportunities to visit his future school.

Also, on the topic of Washington, McCullough said him potentially leaving the staff would not impact his decision immediately. He says he'll give the new linebackers coach a chance and will focus on building up a relationship with the new coach.

This is really good news for Day and company as McCullough is one of their top overall commits in this upcoming class. McCullough is labeled as the No. 32 junior prospect on Rivals, and is the fourth-ranked outside linebacker in the nation.

McCullough is "100 percent" committed to Ohio State at this juncture, and is focused on getting more Booms in the near future.

3. Ohio State dishes out several offers

Over the past few days, the Buckeyes have dipped into the recruitments of multiple junior prospects.

On Feb. 2, three-star cornerback Ryan Turner reported an offer from the program. Turner has seen his stock rise dramatically this year as Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Texas A&M have all given him the green light in 2021.

A couple of days later, Ohio State extended an offer to another Florida-based junior: Marvin Jones Jr. Jones Jr. checks in just outside of the Rivals100, and is labeled as the sixth-ranked weak-side defensive end on our rankings service.

That same day, the Buckeyes offered Christen Miller, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound defensive tackle out of Ellenwood, Georgia. Miller was probably the most impactful offer for OSU, at least immediately, as he went from having a top four to creating a top five to include them as a finalist.

It will be interesting to see what Larry Johnson and the rest of Ohio State's staff can do in the coming weeks here as Miller is gearing up to commit on April 4. His other top schools are Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Indiana, and it seems like the Buckeyes will get a fair shot here.

Fast forward not even a day later to Feb. 5 as Ohio State dished out an offer to Jake Pope, another native of the Peach State. Our Andy Anders wrote a story on Pope, who says OSU is one of five schools standing out to him right now.

I reached out to Pope a couple of days ago, and he confirmed with me that OSU is indeed recruiting him as a safety.

And, just yesterday, Ohio State gave the green light to Texas safety Tre Wisner. There's not much to say on Wisner as he is only a 2023 prospect, but we'll be monitoring him more closely as his recruitment starts to pick up steam.

Ohio State has been really active on the trail this month, with a heavy emphasis being placed on expanding their defensive board both in the trenches and the secondary.

1. When will the dead period end?

I am honestly surprised I am still having to ask this question in our 3-2-1 pieces.

Well, I'm still asking it as it appears we could be on our way to another extension of the dead period.

On Feb. 4, the NCAA Division 1 Football Oversight Committee conducted a videoconference. The report following that meeting states that the committee recommends extending the dead period all the way from April 15 to May 31.

The reason for this, according to them, is the "ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic." They also state their concerns about interactions between coaches and prospective student-athletes.

At this point, one has to wonder when 2022 and 2023 prospects can legitimately expect to be able to visit college campuses again. One would suspect that after over a year of knowing about the threat of the virus and how it spreads, that there would be a set of protocols the NCAA can implement to allow schools to safely host recruits on their campuses.

What I would do, if I was in charge, would be to require that every visitor gets a temperature check upon arrival, provides proof of a recent COVID-19 test that came back negative and, of course, require that masks be worn at all times.

Every player would be required to practice social distancing, and they would be accompanied by a staff member to ensure that they do not interact with other students on campus. Also, if possible, meetings with position coaches and the head coach himself would take place outside, with the recruits maintaining at least six feet of distance between them and the coaches.

I am not a medical expert, but there is a way to safely host players and ensure they get as close to an unofficial or official visit experience as possible. The NCAA owes it to these recruits to do whatever it takes to ensure they are able to make a well-informed decision, which will impact them for the rest of their lives.

It would be devastating for another extension of the dead period, so here's to hoping that those involved reconsider and do what is best for these players.

2. Is there any reason to be worried about Quinn Ewers?

No.

I have not been led to believe there is any reason to be concerned here if you're Ohio State's staff or their fan base.

There were those who were admittedly concerned about the University of Texas because of Steve Sarkisian being hired as the head coach. Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for one of the most prolific offenses in the history of college football, and the concern was that this may have been an appealing hire for Ewers.

Also, not to mention the fact that Ewers was previously committed to the Longhorns for just over two months last year.

It appears as if Texas, however, is seeing the writing on the wall that Ewers is not wavering on his commitment. The latest edition of "Rumor Mill" on Rivals noted that while UT is still pursuing Ewers, they're focusing a lot of attention on Cade Klubnik and Maalik Murphy.

In fact, Rivals Louisiana/Texas recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman recently FutureCasted Murphy to Texas. If Murphy commits to UT, then that should make Buckeye Nation even more confident with Ewers' commitment.

Also, Ewers hung up a a deer head in his house and put an Ohio State hat on it. How much more committed can you get than that?

In all seriousness, Ewers remains firm on his decision, and is helping to assist the Buckeyes with their efforts on the trail, particularly in the Lone Star State.

He spoke with Spiegelman earlier this month about everything from his junior season to his commitment to the Buckeyes. Ewers says he is looking forward to the opportunity of learning under the tutelage of Day and future position coach Corey Dennis.

"Coach Day and Coach Dennis know how to develop quarterbacks," Ewers previously told Spiegelman. "I want to be a part of that. I want to be developed to my highest potential. Hopefully, God-willing, I'll get drafted. It's just a dream come true to be committed to Ohio State. I'm super excited."

Texas A&M is the other in-state school pushing hard to flip Ewers, but I believe he's locked in with the decision he made back in November.

This is by no means me saying that Walter Nolen will commit to the Buckeyes in the near future, and I’m also not ready to put in a FutureCast just yet.

Based off what Nolen has said, and continues to say about the Buckeyes, however, I would lean toward OSU over the field at this time.

Nolen said all the way back in the summer, before he even received an offer from Ohio State, that they were one of two schools sticking out to him. The other is LSU, but the program certainly did not live up to expectations this past season, and will have a lot to prove in 2021.

The five-star DT is slated to announce his top 10 tomorrow, and told Rivals.com’s Chad Simmons that Ohio State will, unsurprisingly make the cut. Alabama, Clemson, Florida and LSU will also be in that list.

I feel Ohio State is in the best position for his services, and I think they’ll elevate their chances even more when he makes his way out to the campus for the first time.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.