CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The state of North Carolina continues to produce top collegiate talent and the class of 2020 seems to have a bumper crop of high-end defensive linemen. One of the big names is Kedrick Bingley-Jones out of Providence Day School in the greater Charlotte area. The four-star linemen is a member of the Rivals250 as the No. 132 player in the nation and has more than major offers, including one from Ohio State.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder committed to Florida for a brief spell but decided to open things up and keep looking around and teams have been in hot pursuit of the talented lineman.
Ohio State has had Bingley-Jones on its radar for a while now and had him up at Friday Night Lights in 2018.
Bingley-Jones worked out for defensive line coach Larry Johnson and started to build a strong relationship with the Ohio State coach.
"It was great," Bingley-Jones said. "It really stood out to me because originally I was not going to do the camp until I sat down one-on-one with coach Johnson and he broke down my film, that encouraged me to do the camp."
As with all prospects that come into contact with "Coach J", the admiration for the longtime coach is strong.
"He is a great man overall," Bingley-Jones added. "He keeps it real with you and tells you what to get better at and he tells you what you do well. He is a great coach overall."
Bingley-Jones has a date in mind for when he would like to commit and for this one to end his recruitment. August 3rd is his grandmother's birthday and he would like to honor her by making a final decision.
That means official visits will need to happen in short order. The Buckeyes already have one set up for June 21st. The only official visit that Bingley-Jones has set up currently.
"I just want to see what the players go through on a daily basis," Bingley-Jones said. "I want to see what campus life is about, what classes are like."
He also wants to spend time with current players so he can get the inside information on what it is really like to be a part of the program. He knows that coaches are there to sell the virtues of their program, but the players have more latitude to talk about what daily life is like, something that is important to Bingley-Jones.
The class of 2020 is an interesting intersection for this Ohio State program with many of the players first being contacted by the Urban Meyer-led staff and now dealing with the Ryan Day-led staff. Defensive players saw a major shift in coaching personnel with only coach Johnson being held over from the previous staff.
Does this shake-up make Ohio State any less attractive to Bingley-Jones?
"It is way different and obviously in a positive manner," Bingley-Jones said. "Before I did not talk to Urban Meyer but ever since coach Day got the job, I have been talking with him constantly."
The Buckeyes will certainly have a shot to pull off the upset and bring another North Carolina player into the program. Last year they landed Jaden McKenzie and the Buckeyes have had some sporadic success out of the Tar Heel state. With the depth and quality out of North Carolina, if there ever was a year to land one, or more, this would be the year. Fans may not have to wait too long to find out if Bingley-Jones will be the guy with a decision date only a few short months away.
