Pair of five-stars discuss recruitments, interest in the Buckeyes

In the span of less than a year, Ohio State has been able to add a trio of five-star prospects to their 2022 class.

In-state target CJ Hicks teamed up with the program all the way back in May 2020, with Jaheim Singletary and Quinn Ewers both committing over the past three months. For context, the Buckeyes hold pledges from nearly half of the eight junior five-stars that are currently committed.

Ryan Day and his staff are still looking to add more elite prospects to the fold, with a pair of those targets being Travis Shaw and Will Johnson. Both Johnson and Shaw spoke with a couple of Rivals analysts last week about where things stand in their recruitment and their interest in OSU.

Shaw unveiled a top 13 back in September, but those types of expansive lists are not too surprising with highly coveted players who have a number of options at their disposal.

Since then, however, Shaw has yet to narrow down his recruitment, and does not appear to be close to committing any time soon.

While speaking with Adam Friedman last Wednesday, Shaw says he is still focused on his top 13. Some noteworthy schools here are the presumed favorite Clemson Tigers, the in-state North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and, of course, Ohio State.

Shaw says that communication between him and OSU, which offered him over two years ago, continues to remain strong.

“It’s up there, too,” Shaw said of the Buckeyes. “They had one of the most productive, one of the most disruptive d-lineman last year in Chase Young. So, obviously, he knows what he is doing, Coach Larry Johnson. I talk with them a lot, too. Coach Larry Johnson, Coach Day.”

As is the case with most top defensive linemen, Shaw is obviously familiar with Johnson's reputation for developing players in the trenches at the next level. The third-ranked defensive tackle on Rivals is also impressed with what he has seen from Ohio State in general recently.

“They know what they’re doing. The coaching staff knows what it’s doing,” Shaw said. “They’ve got a real tough team… they’re something special.”

Clemson currently holds 100 percent of the FutureCasts on Shaw's profile, though it's important to note that only three predictions have been made thus far. Shaw did not say when he intends on taking his visits or if he'll shave a few schools off of his list, so there could still be some time left in this one.

Will Johnson is definitely an interesting target for the Buckeyes as he appears to be much closer to making his decision than Shaw is. In fact, Johnson told Rivals.com's Josh Helmholdt that the three programs standing out to him right now are Michigan, Ohio State and USC.

The product out of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, has made it known that he wants to commit soon, and we were expecting that to transpire after his visit to USC a couple of weeks ago. With recent changes on the Wolverines' coaching staff, however, it appears, at least for the time being, that Johnson wants to give the new coaches a chance before announcing his decision.

Michigan is viewed by some as the likeliest destination for Johnson, but the fourth-ranked corner on Rivals says Kerry Coombs' reputation has led to Ohio State being high on his radar.

“I really like the fit,” Johnson said. “Obviously, Coach Coombs does really well with producing long corners, and I think that’s what I am. I know he’s a great cornerbacks coach and I can see myself fitting in very well with the program. I think they can get me to where I want to go in the future. So, that’s big on that program.”

Johnson was able to get on Ohio State's campus back in December, but he could not interact with the coaches face-to-face due to the dead period. This unprecedented dead period definitely has had an impact on contact between programs and their targets, with Feb. 1 marking the first day coaching staffs could even initiate phone calls with recruits.

Even with this hindrance in communication, Johnson has been able to create a strong relationship with Coombs and Day himself.

“I think they, just from the start, Coach Day and Coach Coombs have always wanted to talk to me and have always kept it real," Johnson said. "I’ve been able to get on Zooms with them, and I think that’s still going to keep picking up, too. Coach Day and Coach Coombs have been heavily involved, and I think they’ve wanted to make it known I’m a priority for them.”

No commitment date has been locked in yet, but it would definitely be surprising if Johnson is not committed by or during the spring.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.