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1-1-1: Thankful for Great Buckeye News

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you all have had a safe and fun gathering with your respective family members.

In this altered edition of "3-2-1," I talk about what Buckeye Nation is thankful for in regards to the recruiting efforts of the school. I discuss one thing we have learned recently, one question we have and dish out a bold prediction about the football team.

Included in the story below is a recap of all the great news Ohio State's basketball and football teams have enjoyed recently, who could be the next prospect to commit to the Buckeyes and why I believe Ryan Day's program will rise in the next College Football Playoff rankings.

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One Thing We Learned: The Buckeyes are still really good at recruiting

Both on the field and on the basketball court, The Ohio State University is recruiting at a very high level.

Starting on the court, Chris Holtmann and his coaching staff hauled in a commitment from an elite prospect in the 2022 class. Earlier today, five-star point guard Bruce Thornton announced his decision to team up with the Buckeyes.

This was a big-time win for the program as Thornton checks in as the 17th-ranked overall junior on Rivals. If his ranking holds throughout the duration of his recruitment, then Thornton will become the highest-rated player to have signed with Ohio State in Holtmann's tenure.

Our very own basketball analyst Jake Spegal actually witnessed Thornton in person last winter at a tournament in Dayton, Ohio. Spegal says the Georgia-based guard lived up to his high ranking.

"Thornton is a strong, tough guard with all of the tools at 6-foot-2," Spegal wrote today. "He can bully smaller guards and sometimes even back them down, is an elite shooter with range that extends far beyond the three-point line and knows how to get his teammates involved in so many different ways. He is an excellent defender, plays with a high IQ and is an all-around fantastic point guard."

Another reason why Thornton was an important addition for the Buckeyes was because of Meechie Johnson's recent decision to reclassify to the Class of 2020. There was an urgency to add a point guard in the 2022 cycle with Johnson's reclassification, and Thornton's commitment is exactly what Ohio State needed.

You also have to take into account who the Buckeyes beat out in order to land Thornton. The Southeast prospect was also considering the in-state Georgia Bulldogs and nearby Alabama Crimson Tide, as well as Big Ten programs Indiana and Purdue. This was huge for Holtmann and company to win out against these schools for such a coveted player.

Thornton is now the third player to join Ohio State's 2022 class, joining Bowen Hardman and Roddy Gayle, Jr.
Thornton is now the third player to join Ohio State's 2022 class, joining Bowen Hardman and Roddy Gayle, Jr. (Lakepoint Sports Complex)

Switching over to the gridiron, Ohio State's football team is going to continue adding talent in the coming years. We know their 2021 class is filled with studs and will finish in the top-two, if not No. 1, in the Rivals Team Rankings.

In the 2022 cycle, it is just getting silly when it comes to how well the Buckeyes are doing.

On top of holding commitments from three of the top-four outside linebackers in the country, a pair of out-of-state tight ends and a couple of in-state Rivals250 prospects, Ryan Day's staff is taking things to another level.

A week ago today, the Buckeyes reeled in a commitment from five-star signal caller Quinn Ewers. Ewers, who plays for Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, is the No. 6 overall junior in the country. He's also someone who will be in contention for the top spot in the next rankings update given his talent and potential at the next level.

I've previously outlined why Ewers' pledge is important for a number of reasons. Ewers joining the Buckeyes' 2022 class will give them yet another solid QB waiting in the wings, assist in their efforts on the trail in Texas and add a player who will help them with recruiting, especially when it comes to wide receivers.

Speaking of which, Ewer's commitment almost certainly directly led to borderline five-star wideout Caleb Burton committing to the Buckeyes on Monday. Burton is the fifth-ranked player at his position in his class, and is another example of Ohio State adding to one of their biggest strengths.

Now, fellow Texas-based pass catcher Armani Winfield is trending for the program. We also expect Ohio State to make the top five for coveted wideout CJ Williams later today, so the future of Brian Hartline's position group continues to look very bright.

It has been a fantastic past seven days, and this month in general, for the Buckeyes on the court and on the field, with both programs looking to further their success in the future.

One Question We Have: Who will be the next to commit to Ohio State's program?

In a previous edition of "3-2-1," I went as far as to say that the Buckeyes' football staff would land commitments from a half-dozen prospects in the month of November.

This was due to the momentum they started to build up in late October, and what I was hearing regarding their pursuit of several top 2022 players. I also had, at the time, been in the mindset that Rivals100 DB Derrick Davis was a slight Ohio State lean before he ended up committing to LSU.

I'm probably going to end up being wrong on that prediction as there have been three commitments — Benji Gosnell, Burton and Ewers — so far this month, with only four days left in November after today.

Even so, there is still a lot of momentum that the Buckeyes have built up, specifically in the 2022 class, and we're rapidly approaching Early Signing Period for this current cycle.

So, who will be the next prospect to commit to Day's program?

The first obvious answer would be Armani Winfield, who I mentioned above in the previous section. Winfield is the 11th-ranked wideout on Rivals, and lives just under a half-hour away from Ewers.

I'm hearing that the Rivals100 recruit is leaning toward the Buckeyes, and I felt comfortable enough to submit a FutureCast prediction in favor of them a couple of days ago.

I do not know when Winfield will announce his commitment, but as long as nothing dramatic changes in his recruitment, I am expecting Ohio State to come out on top by the time he makes his decision.

A commitment from Winfield would mark the sixth commitment from a Rivals100 prospect for the Buckeyes in the 2022 cycle.
A commitment from Winfield would mark the sixth commitment from a Rivals100 prospect for the Buckeyes in the 2022 cycle. (Sam Spiegelman)

The next answer I would go with is Emeka Egbuka, someone who has been an Ohio State lean for a long time. I recently shed some light into Egbuka's recruitment, including his potential decision timeline, his new top schools group and where he may potentially visit before he decides.

You can read all of that information HERE, but I will note here that his mother told me they are hoping for him to make his commitment on Dec. 16, which is the beginning of the Early Signing Period.

J.T. Tuimoloau is expected to sign in February, and unless there is a surprise 2021 player who flips to or commits to the Buckeyes, then Egbuka is the most logical choice for the next senior prospect to team up with the program.

There are indeed other players who are trending for Ohio State, such as Domani Jackson, Shawn Murphy and Xavier Nwankpa, but Winfield, closely followed by Egbuka, would be by my answer to the question posed above.

It is interesting to note that Buckeyes pledge Jaylen Johnson recently hinted at a new addition to the 2021 class on Twitter. He tweeted out, "We might be having a BOOM in the 21' class" with the eyes-looking emoji and tagging Jordan Hancock.

I have not heard anything definitive about what Johnson meant by his tweet, but we'll do some light detective work here.

I'm eliminating Egbuka and Tuimoloau as I am hearing both have yet to make their final decisions. I am also taking into account why Johnson would tag Hancock out of all the people committed to the Buckeyes.

So, Johnson is expected to play the "bullet" position at the next level. Hancock plays at a school where Ohio State is still in touch with a coveted linebacker, Clemson commit Barrett Carter.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, my best guess here would be that Johnson could be referring to Carter. This would be a massive addition for a program still in pursuit of an additional linebacker in this cycle.

Carter, along with LSU pledge Raesjon Davis, remain a couple of players to pay attention to over these next few weeks/months.

One Bold Prediction: Ohio State will rise in the next CFP rankings

Before starting this section, I want to say that I believe the Buckeyes should have been higher than No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

I get Alabama and Notre Dame being ahead of them, but there is no reason Clemson should be at third, in my opinion. The Tigers have a loss on the season, and lost to the toughest team they have faced this fall.

Even though it was a seven-point win at home, Ohio State beat a top-10 team that has an explosive offense. They are undefeated while Clemson is not, so I was surprised by the unveiling of the CFP rankings on Tuesday.

By next Tuesday, however, I think the Buckeyes will be at least No. 3 or higher.

For this bold prediction, I am going to say that North Carolina will beat the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is one of those trap games for the Fighting Irish, and I'm going to favor the Tar Heels' high-powered offense plus them playing at home tomorrow.

I am also expecting the Buckeyes to take care of business against Illinois on the road this upcoming Saturday. If both of these predictions come true, as I expect, then Ohio State will elevate their standing in the next CFP rankings on Tuesday.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.

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