3-2-1: Take one step at a time

After taking a week off, BuckeyeGrove is back with another recruiting-themed edition of "3-2-1," which is presented by Infinit Nutrition.

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 big recruiting event that should take place this month, a push that is being made to lift the NCAA dead period, backup options after J.T. Tuimoloau and much more.

1. Ohio State summit set for later this month

BuckeyeGrove's Andy Anders broke some significant news this past weekend as he reported that an Ohio State recruiting summit is slated to be held on Oct. 24.

Five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer, who lives roughly a half-hour away from Columbus, will be the one hosting players at his house that weekend. There is not an exact number of attendees yet, but Sawyer says "a lot" of prospects are set to be in attendance.

This is crucial news given the NCAA's recent decision to extend the dead period through the rest of the year. Some recruits may go up to campus on Oct. 23, check out the school, stay at Sawyer's house that Friday night, and then watch the Nebraska game with Ohio State's commits and targets the following day.

We have seen commits from LSU and Oklahoma do this in recent weeks with their "Tiger Turnout" and "Sooner Summit." Both have seemed to be pretty successful at getting top targets on campus and around a program's group of pledges.

In case anyone is wondering, this is not going to be in violation of NCAA rules. As long as there is no interaction between football personnel and the prospects on or off campus, they will be fine with the event. The recruits cannot attend the game as well, so I imagine they will be watching it at Sawyer's house.

For the list of players we have already confirmed to be in attendance for the summit, click HERE.

Andy and I have also been told that some of the details of the event are still being ironed out, so we're going to be collecting more information over the next few weeks.

Having a watch party, partaking in a cookout, doing something fun such as bowling or a pickup game of football are all possibilities for the event. The goal here would be to build chemistry amongst future teammates and also convince top targets to join forces with the Buckeyes.

While Leigh would definitely be a big-time visitor if he journeys up to Columbus, the big fish Ohio State would love to have at the summit is J.T. Tuimoloau. Tuimoloau has never been out to the school, and getting on campus in some capacity, especially around some future Buckeyes, could give Ryan Day's program the push it needs to secure a commitment from the elite pass rusher.

We'll definitely be reporting information about the event as we collect it, so stay tuned for more updates.

2. Pair of juniors include the Buckeyes in their top schools list

Luther Burden, the top-ranked wide receiver in his class, recently dropped a top five that featured Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Burden releasing a top five this early in his recruitment is not too much of a surprise. I had previously spoken with a source close to him, who told me that Burden recognizes his process will go by quicker since he essentially has all the offers he's been waiting for.

What will be interesting to see, however, is when Burden decides to announce his commitment. He posted in a now-deleted Instagram story that he will be committing soon, but the timeline is a little bit blurry given his top five.

One has to wonder if the NCAA extends the dead period yet again, maybe Burden opts to just wrap everything up and join a school's 2022 class. In that scenario, assuming he doesn't journey up to Columbus for his first-ever visit to Ohio State, the Sooners probably would have the advantage.

Missouri is obviously in the mix here with their campus residing less than two hours from Burden's home and them having offered him first. In my opinion, this will come down to Ohio State and Oklahoma, and OU already having hosted him for a visit would benefit them greatly if he chooses to commit soon.

For now, this appears to be the case as Burden could be close to wrapping things up in his recruitment. We'll be keeping close tabs on his situation.

The other sought-after junior who included Ohio State amongst his top schools is Gunner Givens.

Givens, the seventh-ranked offensive tackle in his class, dropped a top 12, so he is seemingly a lot farther from a decision than Burden is. Other notable colleges that made the cut for the Virginia-based prospect were Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma.

He's certainly an interesting prospect as he's also suited up at tight end and defensive end for his high school. Givens will be an offensive lineman at the next level, however, and the athleticism he brings to the position has lent a hand in him having a wealth of options at his disposal.

Ohio State's recruiting along the offensive line could have definitely been better in this current cycle, but adding a guy like Givens would be a positive step in the right direction. They already hold a commitment from Tegra Tshabola and are in a good position for multiple five-star o-linemen, so next year's cycle presents an opportunity to significantly improve their recruiting at the position group.

3. Recruits unite to push for the NCAA to lift the dead period

In a coordinated effort that began over a week ago, a number of prospects, mainly members of the 2022 class, posted a black-and-white photo of themselves with a message to the NCAA underneath.

The message, which was the same for every tweet I came across, said, "I believe in making an informed decision that will affect the rest of my life." Every tweet also featured the hashtag #LiftTheDeadPeriod.

I counted nearly three dozen tweets that featured this graphic that was customized to have each player's photo in it. One of those was from Ohio State commit Bennett Christian, but he later clarified that he's 100 percent locked in with the program and just wants the chance to spend time with his future coaches on campus.

I am indeed a little surprised that it was mostly 2022 recruits who started this movement and make up the majority of the tweets associated with the hashtag listed above. It's surprising because my immediate thought after the NCAA extended the dead period was that it was going to affect 2021 players the most as they never got to utilize an official visit in their recruitments.

A lot of seniors are committed, but top guys like Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloau, Maason Smith and others had been banking on being able to take their OVs. I would not be shocked if they eventually join this movement and push for visits to open up.

From my perspective, I understand why the NCAA would not want unofficial visitors on campus. The amount of waivers that would need to be signed, potentially jeopardizing a part of a team's season and just the overall safety of the prospects had to be taken into account.

What I do believe, however, is that they should allow for officials to take place in a very limited manner. Cap off official visitors at five per weekend, require a test before getting on campus and every day at the school, limit the amount of family members that can go with them, require masks and daily temperature checks, and emphasize social distancing.

Officials are much easier to govern, so I'm in the camp that these types of trips should be available for seniors to take if they choose to do so.

1. Where does Ohio State go if Tuimoloau does not end up at the school?

A good portion of people, including myself, have essentially penciled in Tuimoloau into this class, despite the recent extension of the dead period. Ohio State offers a second-to-none development of pass rushers, his former teammate, Gee Scott Jr., is enrolled at the school and the coaching staff has put the full-court press on him for quite some time.

Even so, one has to wonder what the Buckeyes will do if Tuimoloau chooses a program like Alabama or opts to stay close to home.

In my opinion, it would be tough to add another edge rusher this late in the process given where things stand with several players they have offered.

Maybe they could turn up the heat on Aaron Armitage, or push to flip guys like Jahvaree Ritzee or in-state prospect Najee Story? Maybe they pull off a tough one and flip Florida commit Justus Boone, or they somehow get into the mix for the No. 1 player in the country, Korey Foreman?

While this may seem far-fetched, I would not be surprised if Ohio State can once again reel in Tunmise Adeleye. Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M are the ones to pay attention to here, but the Buckeyes are not out of contention.

I would not go into panic mode if Tuimoloau commits elsewhere, but I'm also not feeling too confident about Ohio State's backup options if he does not end up in the Scarlet and Gray.

2. Would Darrius Clemons be a slam dunk for the Buckeyes if they offered him?

To this point in the 2022 cycle, the Buckeyes have dished out an offer to less than a handful of wide receivers. Those prospects are Armani Winfield, C.J. Williams, Caleb Burton and five-star Luther Burden.

This is not too much of a surprise as Ohio State is a school that is not going to give the green light to just anybody. As recruits have told me in the past, the staff does an excellent job of getting to know them, building up a relationship and then extend an offer to them.

From what we can tell, this is exactly what is going on with Darrius Clemons, who is the No. 13 wideout on Rivals in next year's cycle. Clemons is armed with over two dozen offers, but is taking a patient approach to his recruiting process.

When asked what an offer from the Buckeyes would mean for him, however, Clemons noted that it would be an important one for him if that transpired.

“It would mean a lot,” Clemons told BuckeyeGrove. “I’ve been in contact with them for a while now and it’s somewhere I could really see myself. I know a lot of the commits and it seems like they’ve got something really special going on.”

Clemons is not the only one in his household who has interest in Ryan Day's program. According to Andy Anders, his father "loves" Ohio State, so Clemons would more likely than not receive the seal of approval from his dad if ends up making the move to Columbus.

If the Buckeyes end up dipping into Clemons' recruitment, they'll also have the advantage of CJ Hicks assisting them in their recruiting efforts. Hicks previously listed Clemons as one of nearly a handful of juniors he's pursuing at this time.

With Oklahoma battling hard for Burden's services, it would not be surprising if Clemons is the next 2022 wideout that Ohio State offers. If that happens, then, to answer the question above, I'd give them the advantage in Clemons' recruitment.

It seems like a far way away, but I'm ready to go out on a limb and say that Rivals250 junior Blake Miller will end up with the Buckeyes.

After speaking with him recently, I could tell that there is definitely mutual admiration between him and Greg Studrawa. He is in touch frequently with Studrawa, as well as head coach Ryan Day.

The reason for this prediction, however, is that the Buckeyes are doing an excellent job of building a wall around the state and preventing other programs from snatching top targets out of Ohio.

Sure, Lorenzo Styles Jr. did commit to Notre Dame, but it's hard to bet against an in-state prospect from winding up in Columbus at the next level right now. Plus, the lack of an ability to visit the other schools he's considering (Clemson, Florida and Clemson) could help in Ohio state's favor.

I have already submitted a FutureCast prediction in favor of the Buckeyes, and we'll be keeping close track of him throughout the rest of his recruitment.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.