3-2-1: Progress in the Peach State

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 and basketball 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 for the 2021 cycle.

Some of the topics below include a discussion on a Rivals250 defensive back who is once again on the market, Ohio State's pursuit of a Clemson pledge and the performances of the Buckeyes' 2022 commits at a recent camp.

1. Jordan Hancock is back on the market

On Tuesday, big news materialized in the recruiting world as Rivals250 defensive back Jordan Hancock reopened his recruitment. This is the second time a Clemson pledge has decommitted from the Tigers in this recruiting cycle.

The primary beneficiaries of this decision appear to be Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell says that Hancock told him these are the three programs he’s focused on right now. Farrell did note, however, that Hancock said he is leaning toward the Buckeyes at this juncture.

As soon as I learned about Hancock’s decommittment, I dropped in a FutureCast for Ohio State to land the product out of Suwanee, Georgia. A dozen other members of our Rivals team agree that Ryan Day’s program is now the favorite as the Buckeyes hold 100 percent of the FutureCast predictions that have been submitted on Hancock’s profile.

This was not too surprising as, if some of you all may recall, Hancock posted an eyes emoji tweet an hour after Devonta Smith’s decommitment on June 25. A number of Ohio State pledges, including Ben Christman and TreVeyon Henderson, tweeted directly at Hancock following that post.

Dave Lackford and I have also been reporting on Ohio State’s pursuit of Hancock over the past few weeks. Dave reported in a previous Skull Session that Hancock has been in touch with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff on a daily basis.

I also mentioned that there was a strong feeling that another visit to the school would lead to Hancock committing to them. Now, Ohio State is in a position to add the highly coveted DB without him even having to take a trip to Columbus again.

I’m expecting Hancock to commit to the Buckeyes, but a timetable is still unclear. It could be today, tomorrow or a month from now, though I am inclined to believe that a decision should arrive sooner rather than later.

2. Rivals100 target has Ohio State in his top seven

To no one's surprise, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, prospect Derrick Davis included Ohio State in his top seven this past weekend. Joining the Buckeyes in that group are Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Penn State, Pittsburgh and the USC Trojans.

Although I believe he has genuine interest in each of these programs, Davis' recruitment figures to be a Big 10 battle between Ohio State and Penn State. Both of their coaching staffs hosted him for a visit this year prior to the prolonged dead period, and should also get an official visit from him in the future.

I heard this one is 60-40 in favor of the Nittany Lions, and it appears that a decision could arrive soon. During an interview with Rivals' Adam Friedman, the Rivals100 defender said he's hoping a commitment could be "coming soon," and that the chance his senior season might be canceled may lead to him speeding up that process.

In that conversation, Davis also opened up about what led to Ohio State landing on his top schools list. He says he has taken notice of what Ryan Day and secondary coach Kerry Coombs are doing at the program.

“The Buckeyes have always been one of the main schools for me," Davis said. "They have yet to show why they're not the main school for me. I like what coach Day is doing out there and I like what they're doing with the defensive backs. Coach Coombs is trying to breed top prospects for the NFL. He's really trying to win a championship. Some coaches might not mention winning a championship but he does."

As is the case with J.T. Tuimoloau, Tywone Malone and Jager Burton, I believe an official visit would be necessary for the Buckeyes in order to add Davis to this class. If that's unable to happen or Davis commits sooner rather than later, however, I would give Penn State the advantage here.

3. 2022 commits showed out on Saturday

This past Saturday, the Elite Underclassmen Camp was held in Obetz, Ohio, and several big names were present. On top of top-100 overall rising juniors Gi'Bran Payne and Shawn Murphy being on hand, all three of Ohio State's 2022 verbal pledges were in attendance for the event.

C.J. Hicks, Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola each made their way to Obetz for last weekend's camp. You can check out BuckeyeGrove's interviews with Brown HERE, Hicks HERE and Tshabola HERE.

As for how they performed on the field, the trio of future Buckeyes stood out, by all accounts.

Along with our own Dave Lackford and Kevin Noon being in attendance, Rivals' Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt was also present. According to Helmholdt, Hicks was the most impressive performer at the camp.

"Already on the cusp of five-star status after the first ratings were handed out for the 2022 class, the Ohio State commit was physically and athletically superior to almost every player at the event," Helmholdt wrote. "We list him at safety and have compared him to Isaiah Simmons in the past, but Hicks was bigger than five-star linebacker Shawn Murphy and looks headed for that position as well in college."

With the 2022 national and positional rankings slated to be released soon, it seems like Hicks has put himself in a position to earn a coveted fifth star.

Switching over to Tshabola, Helmholdt praised the massive offensive lineman for the confidence he's developed over the past year. He also noted that the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder could also have a future in the interior of Ohio State's o-line.

"He was always a big-framed lineman, but he is starting to build himself physically into a more formidable athlete," Helmholdt wrote. "Tshabola said Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studwara likes him at left tackle, but he also looked to have a future at guard based on what we saw Saturday."

Finally, when evaluating Brown, Dave said he is an "impressive looking" player when watching him this past weekend. While Brown is listed as a safety and is expected to suit up at the position at the next level, Dave noted that his swivel and change of direction are similar to what you would see from a cornerback.

Ohio State's 2021 class is shaping up to be one of the best ever, but fans of the program should also be excited for next year's cycle based off what transpired on Saturday.

1. Is landing Barrett Carter a legitimate possibility for the Buckeyes?

Hancock may not be the only prospect from North Gwinnett High School who could team up with Ohio State in the 2021 cycle. Barrett Carter, who committed to Clemson a couple of months after Hancock did, now appears to be on TreVeyon Henderson’s radar.

Henderson sent a public message to Carter on Instagram a couple of nights ago, saying, “Barrett get ready for that convo.” Carter responded with, “I’m ready trey what’s up.”

Some may brush that off as a troll on Carter’s part, but there were those who said the same about Hancock’s tweet last month, which proved to have some legitimacy to it.

Also, I noted in a Skull Session earlier this month that the top-40 overall prospect on Rivals may not be out of reach for Ohio State. Although it was more so speculation than anything else, I heard Carter could possibly make the move to Columbus if Hancock wound up committing to the Buckeyes.

The reason for this belief is that Carter did not necessarily give much of a reason, at least publicly that is, for his decision to choose Clemson. When reading this piece and this one as well, I am inclined to agree as his quotes didn’t really give much of a reasoning for picking the program.

If Hancock’s decision influenced the second-ranked inside linebacker on Rivals to choose the Tigers as well, Hancock joining Ohio State’s class may lead to Carter reconsidering his commitment.

I’m definitely not as confident in the Buckeyes’ pursuit of Carter as I am when evaluating their chances with Hancock, but this will be an interesting situation to pay attention to. Even though Jaylen Johnson and Reid Carrico are in the fold, Ohio State would gladly welcome Carter into their 2021 class.

2. Will virtual visits be a crucial aspect of the recruiting world in the future?

There is no questioning the impact that virtual visits have had for collegiate programs over the past four months.

With prospects not having been allowed to step foot on campuses since mid-March, coaches have needed to get creative and show them the program in a way they have never seen before. The dead period will not end until Aug. 31 at the earliest, so look for these types of visits to continue over the next few weeks.

I've spoken with a few prospects, most recently Jalon Walker, about their virtual tours of Ohio State's campus and their time with the staff. It's definitely preferable to actually get to a school and see it in person, but the Buckeyes have done a good job of laying out the academic and athletic opportunities in Columbus during these visits.

Given the great reception to virtual visits at Ohio State and other colleges over the past few months, I pose these questions because it's something I've been considering recently.

Even when everything is back to normal as it was before the beginning of March, will these visits still be important in the recruiting world? Will there be any limitations, specifically during traditional dead periods?

The second question is a little bit more complicated, but I'm going with a definitive "yes" response to the first question.

A prospect and his family may be on the fence about paying for a far trip to a school, so that particular school can just ask for an hour or two of their time and show them the campus, facilities and other important aspects of the program.

If the experience goes well, then they can begin the process of scheduling an unofficial or official visit to the school. If not, there won't be too much time and resources wasted by either party.

I'm not advocating that virtual tours should take the place of a physical visit to a campus; rather, I believe it could lead to some prospects checking out a school that they may not have previously considered taking a trip to.

Jordan Hancock signs with Ohio State

In order to qualify as a bold prediction, something should not be expected and/or cannot be viewed as essentially a guarantee.

So, I’m taking this a step further by saying not only will Jordan Hancock commit to the Buckeyes soon, but I believe he signs with the program as well.

Farrell mentioned after Hancock’s decommitment that Ohio State was where he wanted to commit initially prior to his mother’s cancer scare. He maintained regular contact with Day and his staff after choosing the Tigers, and has developed a solid relationship with the Buckeyes’ pledges as well.

Both of his parents were impressed by their visit to Columbus last fall, and seem to be fine with him committing to a school that far away.

I’ll definitely be weary of my prediction until the finish line due to Alabama and Georgia being major powerhouse teams, but I expect Hancock to sign with Ohio State when it’s all said and done.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.