3-2-1: Five-stars' recruitments are picking up steam

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.

Some of the topics below include a discussion on multiple Ohio State targets that are narrowing down their recruitments, a pair of five-star DBs appear to be close to committing, there may be more success in Jacksonville in a couple of recruiting cycles, and much more.

1. Five-star LB has Ohio State in his top eight

No surprise on Wednesday night as five-star prospect Shawn Murphy included Ohio State in his top eight.

Murphy has been trending to the Buckeyes for several months, with 100 percent of the FutureCasts on his profile being in favor of the program. Even though OSU seems to be out in front for his services, the top-20 overall junior on Rivals says there are no leaders in his recruitment.

“I’m not biased towards Ohio State or any school,” Murphy told Rivals.com's Adam Friedman. “It's just something everybody talks about. I don't know where that's coming from but it's funny.”

Along with the Buckeyes making the cut, Murphy also included Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon and Penn State in his top group. He’s looking to take trips to Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia after the dead period as he’s yet to visit those schools.

Going back over to Ohio State, the program is sticking out to him in large part because of his relationship with Al Washington. Washington has been able to connect with Murphy because he's a young coach and has played the game at the collegiate level.

I think it's worth pointing out that former high school teammate Tyleik Williams will be in Columbus with Murphy if he opts to sign with the Buckeyes. We spent time with Murphy and Williams back in November, and it was very evident that the two have a good friendship.

"I feel like it's a really nice place and I'm really comfortable there,” Murphy said of Ohio State. “It's a nice place to be but I just need to see it more. There's no smooth talk from Tyleik (Williams). He's just straight up about it, telling me to commit."

I continue to have the Buckeyes out in front in Murphy's recruitment, but I'm not expecting a commitment anytime soon. He appears to be waiting to take his visits and see all of his options before making a final decision.

2. Will Johnson is gearing up to visit USC this weekend

Looking at the headline above, you may be wondering what this has to do with Ohio State.

Well, it is always noteworthy when a five-star target makes the trip out to a school that is over 2,000 miles away from where he lives. It becomes even more interesting when you know that Johnson is going to be hanging out with Domani Jackson, who he could possibly team up with in college.

I put the news, which was reported by Josh Helmholdt yesterday, in this piece, however, because of the implications of the upcoming visit. Helmholdt reported last week that Johnson is going to take a trip out to California to visit USC before making his final decision.

Unless there is a substantial delay in his recruitment, then we are expecting Johnson to announce his college decision sometime in the coming weeks.

I would be lying if I said this visit doesn't benefit the Trojans greatly in terms of both the timing and the circumstances. For one, Jackson and Johnson will be hanging out together during this trip. The two also met up with one another when Jackson flew to Ann Arbor to take a self-guided visit of Michigan.

For another, it is very possible that Jackson and Johnson end up committing this month. Jackson tweeted out the date Jan. 23 yesterday, and Johnson says USC will be his last visit before deciding.

I'll also point out that, for some reason, the Trojans have gained a tremendous amount of momentum on the trail this month. The nation's third-ranked senior, Korey Foreman, announced on Jan. 2 he had signed with the program, they are sitting in a great spot with Rivals100 LB Raesjon Davis, and they just received two FutureCasts for Jackson.

I do believe, however, that Ohio State is neck-and-neck with USC when it comes to their pursuit of the pair of five-stars. There is obviously a significant need for defensive backs in OSU's secondary, and both Jackson and Johnson see opportunities for themselves on a championship-contending team.

Johnson was very impressed after seeing the school back in November, and even though Jackson has yet to visit Columbus, he's established a good rapport with the coaching staff and commits.

This can go in several different directions, but I view Ohio State as a top-two school for each of them at this time.

3. Coveted 2023 RB has the Buckeyes in his top six

The Buckeyes are establishing a strong presence in Jacksonville that should have traditional Sunshine State powers and nearby SEC programs concerned.

Ohio State's roster currently features a trio of prospects who are from the city: Marcus Crowley, Shaun Wade and Tyreke Johnson. They also hold a commitment from five-star prospect Jaheim Singletary, who committed less than two weeks ago.

Now, Tony Alford and the rest of the staff have put themselves in a good spot early with sophomore prospect Treyaun Webb. Webb, who hails from Trinity Christian School, decommitted from Georgia on Saturday, and unveiled a top six that features Ohio State that same day.

Webb is a versatile athlete capable of playing on either side of the football, but Alford is recruiting him to play running back. That's not a bad position to play him at as Webb rushed for 837 yards on just 123 carries, and ran it in for a dozen touchdowns as well this past season.

Along with Ohio State having recruited well in his area over the past few years, Webb says his connection with Alford led to the program being a finalist for him.

“They are like a legacy connection,” Webb said of why Ohio State made the cut. “Some of my former teammates play for them. Coach Alford is an amazing dude to communicate with.”

We're not expecting Webb to commit anytime soon; as a matter of fact, he said his next decision probably won't come for at least another year. It would be fair to assume, however, that Webb will be making his way up to Columbus at some point in 2021.

He's been to Florida and Georgia multiple times already, so look for Webb to check out the other programs in his top six that he has yet to visit thus far: LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State.

1. Where do things stand with Rivals100 prospect Enai White?

Enai White has been one of those prospects who remains high on Ohio State, but just has not been talked about too often on this site. One of the reasons why is that White's recruitment seemed to be up in the air with a top 13 that features schools from all across the country.

Now, after his conversation with Adam Friedman earlier today, I would say we have a better understanding of where White is at in his recruiting process.

White says he is hoping to narrowing things down to five or six programs soon. He told Friedman that Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and USC are sticking out to him right now.

So, based on what he said there, it seems likely that the Buckeyes will make the next round of cuts for White. He also opened up about the amount of contact he's had with the coaching staff.

"I'm talking to coach Larry Johnson a lot," White said. "I also communicate with coach Day too. We have conversations about how they want to use me, future things, and what would happen if I go there for a visit.

"We've been communicating a lot. They fought hard in the championship game but Alabama was just the better team."

Even though White is listed as an outside linebacker, Ohio State is recruiting the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder to suit up at defensive end at the next level. That's actually the position he's accustomed to playing in high school, so there should not be an issue for White playing DE in college.

Friedman noted that Ohio State and Penn State are the main players here at this time. White would be a huge pickup for the Buckeyes as it would be the second consecutive cycle they've landed a top-two player from the state of Pennsylvania in a battle with the Nittany Lions; last year, they signed Kyle McCord.

OSU is also battling James Franklin's program for Rivals250 running back Nicholas Singleton, the fourth-ranked junior in the state. Ohio State is a top-two school for Singleton and White, though it remains to be seen if they'll be able to land one, if not both, of these talented prospects.

2. Would Ryan Day consider a move to the NFL?

It's false. It's totally made up. Pure fiction.

This won't happen, but I figured I would bring it up since this topic could definitely be relevant in the world of recruiting if, somehow, someway, interest is reciprocated with an NFL team.

This week, it was reported that the Eagles would have interest in Ryan Day as their next head coach. I'm not surprised by this report as Day is from the Northeast, was Philadelphia's quarterbacks coach in 2015, and is one of the top coaches in all of college football.

Even so, I don't see Day bolting for the NFL anytime soon. Day and his family are happy in Columbus, he's had a lot of success at the school, and there is unfinished business at Ohio State.

Now, if Day wins a championship in the coming years, then I could see this being a legitimate conversation people can start having. Until Day wins it all, however, I think he'll want to stay with the Buckeyes and bring a title back to Columbus.

I mentioned that this is relevant to recruiting, but that would only be the case if Day was strongly considering a move to Philadelphia. It would certainly hamper their pursuit of West Coast-based prospects J.T. Tuimoloau and Raesjon Davis if Day had strong interest in the NFL, and could affect the commitments of their 2022 pledges as well.

From the outside looking in, there seems to be no reason to be concerned here if you're an Ohio State fan.

One of the most interesting position groups to pay attention to, if you're an Ohio State fan, is definitely running back.

Although the Buckeyes are bringing in a pair of players at the position — Evan Pryor and TreVeyon Henderson — later this month, Ohio State appears to be ready to take another two RBs in this upcoming cycle.

Tony Alford and company have dished out offers to nearly a dozen running backs so far, and are in a good spot with several of them. Nicholas Singleton has them in his top two, Dallan Hayden has them in his top four, Damari Alston recently labeled them as one of five schools recruiting him the hardest, and Dillon Tatum and Kaytron Allen have them in their top 10.

Based on how well they're recruiting at the position, I just see Ohio State being able to land two of the aforementioned prospects. Also, Trey Sermon's incredible production toward the end of this past season will be a huge selling point for Alford and company.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.