3-2-1: Turning the page after the commitment from Kyion Grayes

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 a prediction about the Buckeyes' wide receiver recruiting efforts in this cycle.

Some of the topics below include a breakdown of a Rivals100 target's upcoming decision, a couple of top schools lists that were recently released, and a 2022 safety's thoughts on tOSU.

1. Rivals100 LB target will commit this month

In an impressive four-month stretch last year, Al Washington and the rest of Ohio State’s staff landed three of the top four outside linebackers in the country.

Even with CJ Hicks, Dasan McCullough and Gabe Powers in the fold, however, the Buckeyes kept up their pursuit of multiple linebackers. One of the prospects they were still in the hunt for was North Carolina-based target Jalon Walker.

Since he was offered in May of last year, Walker has been shown that he’s a priority for the staff. Washington, along with Kevin Wilson and head man Ryan Day himself, put the full-court press on for Walker; this makes sense considering their top four linebackers from last year are no longer with the program.

Well, we will see in the near if this pursuit pays off as Walker is slated to commit on March 28. The ninth-ranked OLB in the nation previewed his decision with Rivals.com’s Adam Friedman, and had the following to say about why the Buckeyes are one of the programs he’ll be choosing from.

“They made a great relationship when they offered me really early in the summer,” Walker told Friedman this week. “Ever since then, we get on the phone probably twice a week and text throughout the week. I've always greatly appreciated their staff and they're always showing love towards me.”

As for our thoughts on this situation, I don’t believe this one will end up going in Ohio State’s favor later this month. This is one of those recruitments where you could point to the unprecedented dead period as a factor in the Buckeyes and other programs not being able to gain momentum.

It’s no surprise that Clemson and North Carolina, the schools Walker is the closest to in terms of location, are viewed as the likeliest landing spots as he’s been able to take self-guided visits to each campus. Whereas, Walker has been unable to get up to Columbus, making it difficult for tOSU to leapfrog ahead of the Tar Heels and Tigers.

There’s always the chance that the Buckeyes could make a push for a flip if Walker doesn’t end up shutting down his recruitment entirely and opts to take his visits. As for his decision later this month, I’m expecting Walker to choose Clemson or North Carolina.

2. 2022 safety has Ohio State in his top four

I mentioned yesterday that the Buckeyes’ top two targets at safety in the 2022 cycle are Xavier Nwankpa and Zion Branch. This is not too much of a surprise as both prospects are members of the Rivals100, and are showing Ohio State a lot of interest as well.

Looking past these two players, the other prospects to pay attention to — when it comes to safety recruiting — are Bryan Allen, Jake Pope, Kamari Ramsey and Markeith Williams. Allen recently put the Buckeyes in his top seven, while Ramsey included the program in his final four last month.

Like Ramsey, Williams currently has Ohio State as one of his four finalists. The other colleges that are at the top of his leaderboard are Alabama, Florida and Miami.

Although a pair of in-state schools are vying for his services, there is the chance Williams could leave Florida to play college football. In a recent interview, the Orlando-based defensive back told Chad Simmons that he has been thinking about the possibility of leaving home and getting away at the next level.

So, distance does not appear to be a factor in Williams’ recruitment, and the Buckeyes are hoping to take advantage of his willingness to leave the Sunshine State. The three-star target, who checks in at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, says Tony Alford and Ryan Day are doing an excellent job of pursuing him.

“They are really like father-figures to me, and guys I can talk to about anything,” Williams said of Alford and Day. “I have a close connection with both of them, and they have made me feel very important. I have talked to a few players there too, and I have heard great things about the coaches, the school and things like that. Ohio State is just a great school with great coaches."

A lot can change for tOSU’s DB board between now and August, which is when Williams intends on committing. If Branch and Nwankpa potentially join the class by then, then it would be interesting to see if Williams would be a take for the program.

Williams’ recruitment still appears to be open and Ohio State is actively pursuing him, so we’ll be reaching out to the top-25 safety in the near future for a more in-depth update on where the Buckeyes stand with him.

3. Four-star CB out of Texas puts tOSU in his top three

Another 2022 defensive back has narrowed down his recruitment fairly significantly, and has Ohio State as one of his top options. Austin Jordan, a newly minted four-star prospect, put the Buckeyes, along with Oklahoma and Texas, in his top three on Wednesday.

This was a fairly interesting decision as Jordan had just released a top 10 just over two weeks ago. He has yet to announce a decision date, but this could imply that he is getting closer to committing.

I’ve said this before, but Jordan is admittedly someone I cannot get a good read on as he’s fairly reserved and does not speak with the media often. So, I decided to reach out to Texas recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, who had the following to say about Jordan.

“Ohio State cracked the top three for four-star Denton Ryan cornerback Austin Jordan, but this is believed to be a battle between Oklahoma and Texas, according to sources familiar with his recruitment,” Spiegelman said “Jordan has former teammates of his at Ryan at both Oklahoma and Texas, and there is some growing beliefs that the Sooners are taking advantage of that, especially with former Rivals100 athlete Billy Bowman already on campus in Norman.

"Ohio State was one of Jordan‘s early offers and I’m told the staff still has genuine interest in him. I’m also told that communication has not been totally consistent from both sides… There’s a lot to still uncover, but I like the Big 12 teams.”

With Domani Jackson and Will Johnson committed elsewhere for now, along with Denver Harris eliminating Ohio State from his recruitment, tOSU’s cornerback board has definitely narrowed down recently.

Other noteworthy names, besides Jordan, are Toriano Pride and Ryan Turner, with the latter seemingly the one the Buckeyes have the best chance to land at this juncture.

1. Where do things stand between the Buckeyes and Rivals250 DE Jihaad Campbell

On Tuesday, Ohio State received good news when it comes to their pursuit of IMG Academy's Jihaad Campbell.

Campbell is in possession of over 30 offers, but decided it was time to narrow down his recruitment this week. The No. 10 weakside defensive end on Rivals released a top eight that featured the Buckeyes, along with Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers and Texas A&M.

It's not a surprise that Ryan Day's program made the cut for Campbell as he previously listed them as one of the schools sticking out to him in his recruiting process. He cited the culture and football program in Columbus as a couple of things that had been catching his attention.

Campbell, who intends on committing before his senior campaign begins, has not even been in possession of an offer from the Buckeyes for four months, but they made a strong impression on him right away. Here is what the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder told me during a conversation we had just over a couple of months ago.

"Just the culture," Campbell previously said of why OSU is sticking out. "And also, the guys they put into the league is a tremendous number. It's like everybody that goes to that school is coming out to be a great, successful man.

"Chase Young was just drafted. Coach Larry Johnson, he did a really good job with him. Along with the other d-ends... Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa. All those d-ends, he really did a good job in just teaching them the game and a lot of fundamentals. I feel as though that can definitely help."

The Buckeyes should be optimistic about their pursuit of Campbell for several reasons.

For one, Larry Johnson's resume is unmatched when it comes to developing defensive ends for the NFL. Ohio State likes Campbell at that outside linebacker/d-end role, but Johnson's history of developing pass rushers like himself has made the school an appealing option for him.

Also, the program has done an excellent job of recruiting in the Northeast with Ryan Day at the helm.

Over the past few years, the Buckeyes have signed several prospects from the region, including Cody Simon, Kyle McCord, Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr. Campbell plays in Bradenton, Florida, now, but he is originally from New Jersey; more specifically, he played for Timber Creek in Sicklerville, New Jersey.

They have a great track record in the area, and I believe the staff has a strong chance of continuing that in this cycle with the likes of Campbell and Nicholas Singleton.

For another, the Buckeyes have had some success at IMG Academy recently. In fact, they are viewed as the leader for three-star offensive lineman Aliou Bah.

Getting Bah on board could certainly assist with Ohio State's pursuit of Campbell. Teammates talk with one another about the schools they're considering or committed to, and Bah heaping praise on the Buckeyes benefits them for players like Campbell, Nick James, Tyler Booker and Kaytron Allen.

I believe Ohio State is in the top three here, with Clemson probably being their toughest competitor at this time.

2. What do we make of Ohio State's 2022 wide receiver recruiting following Kyion Grayes' commitment?

Back on Sunday, I made a small note about where things stand with the Buckeyes when it comes to recruiting wideouts in this cycle.

Some people had questions about this topic as Kyion Grayes' commitment to Ohio State raised questions about whether or not they will continue recruiting the position. This line of thinking had some reasoning behind it as the program has one of the best pass catching rooms in the country, and they already have two of the top-16 wide receivers on Rivals committed to their program.

To clarify things, I reported in our Skull Session that Ohio State was indeed not done recruiting wideouts in the 2022 class. I also noted that Rivals100 wide receiver Kojo Antwi was the main player at the position to pay attention to.

I still stand by that report, and Antwi is definitely the top guy Buckeye fans should be watching out for.

This is not to say that I believe Antwi is going to wind up in Columbus at the next level. I said recently that Georgia and Texas A&M were the ones that probably were in the best position for him at this time, though I do believe Ohio State is in that top three or top four range.

I'm not ready to put in a FutureCast on Antwi's profile at this time, but I wanted to clear the air and reiterate that he is indeed still on tOSU's radar.

First of all, I don't believe there's any reason to be worried about Caleb Burton or Kyion Grayes.

Both of these wide receivers are locked in with the Buckeyes, and are ready to make the move to Columbus at the next level. The only concern here would be that Quinn Ewers decommits, but nothing has led me to believe that this will eventually transpire.

So, for my prediction to be correct, Brian Hartline and Company need to add another wideout between now and next February.

Some don't view this as a necessity, and I tend to agree with those in that camp. The last need for Ohio State is additional pass catching weapons, and the primary focus in this class should be on the defensive side of the ball.

On the other hand, however, what's the problem with building upon your strengths? The Buckeyes are attempting to establish themselves as "Wide Receiver University," and you earn that moniker by collecting as much elite talent at the position as you possibly can and then producing them to the NFL.

Ohio State has signed at least three wideouts in the past two cycles, and I believe they will do the same this time around. Whether it's adding Antwi, pulling a surprise by flipping Luther Burden or luring CJ Williams out of California, or even offering a prospect late, I am in the camp that they will add another pass catcher before it's all said and done.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.