Buckeyes making Davis an early priority

The 2021 class is shaping up to be a strong one for several key areas within the Ohio State recruiting footprint. The Pittsburgh area has perhaps one of the nation's best rising sophomores in Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway athlete Derrick Davis.

The 6-foot, 175-pound prospect already holds an offer from the Buckeyes after an outstanding freshman season. Davis was back on campus on Friday during the Buckeyes' first one-day camp of the summer.

"It felt good today," said Davis after camp. "I learned a lot. I took a lot of mental reps, looked at some film, it felt good."

During his time on campus, Davis was able to sit down with Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer's message to him wasn't so much a recruiting pitch as it was personal advice for the young rising star.

"We just talked about staying focused," Davis recalled. "We talked about how this is a big opportunity for me and just mainly staying focused and to keep working hard."

Davis is on a very, very short list of class of 2021 prospects with an early offer from Ohio State. The list of prospects that the Buckeye staff is prioritizing in that class right now is even shorter.

"It's a good vibe and it means a lot to me (to be recruited hard)," he continued. "I don't let it (get to my head), I just focus on me and trying to get better."

Davis says he hasn't put much thought into top schools at this point with so much time left to figure things out. Ohio State has made a good early impression, however, and has received multiple unofficial visits to this point.

"Ohio State is a really good school," he said. "I like the education there, education is first. My mom is a teacher so that is a big thing for me. The football team is real good and I like the coaching staff and everything."

A big question with Davis moving forward will be which position fits him best. There are legitimately three or four positions that Davis could play or grow into before he hits the collegiate level.

While some young players stubbornly dig their heels in about playing a certain position, Davis shows maturity beyond his years and is keeping an open mind about the whole situation.

"Right now, not really," he said of his future position. "I'll go to linebacker, corner, safety, I still have three more years so I don't know what my body is going to do. I could stay this height or I could grow more. I'm really open-minded about it, I'll play anywhere I need to."

Davis holds approximately a dozen early offers, including Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia.