Ohio State dips into Texas yet again to land Rivals100 CB Terrance Brooks
It did not take long for Ohio State to add Terrance Brooks to their 2022 class.
The Buckeyes extended an offer to the eighth-ranked cornerback on Rivals.com back on June 14. Exactly one week later, Brooks made his way up to Columbus for his official visit to the school.
Seven days after wrapping up that visit to tOSU, Brooks announced that this would be his home for the next three-to-five years. Here's what the product of Little Elm (Texas) posted on his Twitter account just moments ago.
It's difficult to put into words just how big of a victory this is for Kerry Coombs, Matt Barnes and the rest of the staff. Ohio State went from not being a legitimate option for Brooks at the next level just a few weeks ago to earning a commitment from him less than a month after he was offered.
Also, this is not a case of a prospect being under the radar and the Buckeyes noticing him late before any other major programs. Brooks is a top-50 overall rising senior in the nation, and possesses offers from just over three dozen programs.
In order to win out here, Ohio State had to go up against the likes of Alabama, Florida and Oregon. The top in-state schools of Texas and Texas A&M (where his father played football at) were in the mix here as well.
Not only did the Buckeyes win out in this tough battle in a short period of time, but they also had somewhat of a hurdle to overcome as a result of their depth at the position.
In this class, the program already has commitments from five-star Jaheim Singletary and Rivals250 prospects Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner. So, Ohio State had to sell Brooks on being the fourth cornerback addition to this class, which isn't an easy selling point for someone who was just offered.
As for his game, I see Brooks as someone capable of coming in and competing for playing time early in his collegiate career due to how far along he is fundamentally, his ability to cover inside and outside, and his ball skills. We'll have more on his skill set later on in our commitment analysis.
With Brooks in the fold, Ohio State's commitment total has risen up to 15 in the 2022 cycle. Running back, quarterback, tight end and now, presumably, cornerback recruiting are all wrapped up, so expect the staff to focus a lot of attention on the trenches.
We have not heard of an exact number they're aiming to hit as it's still a fluid situation, but they'll look to land around seven to nine more prospects in the trenches, a couple of more safeties and potentially a linebacker.
There are still a lot of questions as it pertains to which recruits will join the fold, but what is known is that Brooks has continued the program on the path of signing their first-ever No. 1 class. Brooks' commitment today brings Ohio State's total up to 2,406 points, which is nearly 700 more points than the second-place Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
We'll be looking to catch up with Brooks and/or his father soon, so stay tuned for a potential story with them later on.
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.