Recapping the 2021 Southern Swing
We were excited to get back out on the road in 2021 after the entire 2020 recruiting season was wiped out with COVID-19, marking the first time since prior to 2013 that we did not have a Southern Swing of some fashion.
This event started off in a humble enough manner, just a week and a rental car back in 2013 covering a couple of states, nothing further away than Georgia.
Then the event grew into two weeks and adding flights and eventually expanding all the way to states like Arizona and Missouri.
Our return in 2021 was a more modest one, we did two weeks, but we took a week back at home between our Texas trip and our SE trip. We did fly to start each of the two trips but no midweek flights to cut miles off. We were stuck in rentals cars with few bells and whistles (no Apple Car Play, no SiriusXM) and Joseph Hastings was forced to listen to all of Kevin Noon's boring stories for the first time on a trip like this.
One thing that was not different however is the amount of top players we were able to get ahold of. We did not get every player that we had planned on, but that happens with personal obligations sometimes knocking our schedule off its marks, but when one door closes, another one opens up and we stayed nimble and managed to adjust on the fly.
When it was all said and done, we ended up talking to six Ohio State commits, even if one of them committed just days after we got back and another committed what may have been just hours before we made it to his school. We saw three-star players and four-star players and five-star players. We say members of the Rivals100, members of the Rivals250 and players that most assuredly will be seeing a bump in their rankings before it is all said and done.
We know not everyone was able to keep track of the entire trip as it was going on, so to wrap things up (we still have one or two more stories left in the tank) we are putting all of our content here, in one easy to find guide to see who we talked to, what they said and where we were.
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Week One
The first week saw us head to the Lone Star State to focus on the cities of Dallas and Austin after taking part in the Rivals Camp Series stop at Coppell (Texas) high school.
We had the opportunity to see a pair of current Ohio State commits including the nation's No.1 recruit for the class of 2022, Southlake (Texas) quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Ohio State QB commit is not one to do a lot of interviews and we were thankful not only for the chance to talk to him during a throwing session but also for the opportunity to see why he sits atop a very talented class of 2022.
We also had the chance to see a player that Ewers will be throwing the ball to at some point, Caleb Burton a receiver out of Lake Travis high school in Austin. Like with Ewers, we had a chance to talk and watch some individual work as Burton is coming off of an injury from last season.
As we mentioned before, the trip started with a visit to the Rivals Camp Series stop in Coppell and there we had a chance to see several Ohio State targets, both within the classes of 2022 and 2023. Several targets for 2022 already have official visits in place and are looking forward to June and a chance to check out Columbus (Ohio) while 2023s are ready for things to open up as well and visits on the unofficial side to take place.
Dewberry ready to visit his childhood favorite
We spent the remainder of the week within the state and had the chance to visit several north Texas powerhouse schools with top players including the likes of Allen, DeSoto, Denton Ryan and Duncanville.
Umeozulu learning more about the Buckeyes
'23 Cook working hard for that Ohio State offer
Four star CB locks in his Ohio State visit
Talented 2023 LB building relationship w/ Al Washington
Week Two
After the end of the Texas trip, we took about a week off the road, catching up on stories and waiting for the start of the Atlanta camp, a great jumping off point for a week.
This was a departure for us, doing Texas prior to our traditional SE run. It is kind of funny how things work out but it was for the best as we happened to be in the state of Florida as certain news was coming to a head and fate smiled upon us.
Much like how we started the first week of the swing, we started the second week at the Atlanta stop on the Rivals Camp Series tour and had a chance to see several major Ohio State targets, including Kojo Antwi, a four-star member of the Rivals100 that has been closely associated with Ohio State among many in recruiting circles.
We had a chance to see a pair of running backs as well with 2022 Damari Alston and 2023 Justice Haynes, two talented players from Georgia that have the attention of the recruiting world.
One other name from the camp stop to keep an eye on is that of AJ Harris, a member of the class of 2023. Ohio State normally does not recruit the state of Alabama but in Harris' case, things might be different here. This is a player you don't want to miss out on.
Kojo Antwi on why Ohio State rates so high with him
2023 R100 RB Justice Haynes locks in visit to Ohio State
Damari Alston talks Ohio State & upcoming OV
Offer meant a lot to '23 star Harris
Our time in Georgia allowed us a chance to check in on the third Ohio State commit of the trip, this time it was tight end Bennett Christian. We talked about a host of topics in this extended interview and you don't want to miss out on it.
Christian addresses McCullough's flip, ready to visit Columbus again
Our trip took us to Cedar Grove high school where a pair of teammates on the defensive line are talking about being a package deal. While those who follow recruiting know that package deals don't always come together, it was an entertaining stop, checking out two bigger than life personalities that both have a strong interest in Ohio State.
Miller locks in his Ohio State official visit
Rounding out the state of Georgia, we talked with an athlete prospect that should end up on the defensive side of the ball but could also end up on the diamond with Jake Pope being part of the nation's top high school baseball program.
Pope excited to start making OV & seeing what Ohio State is about
We then crossed over to the state of Florida and started in Jacksonville and had the opportunity to talk to a 4th Ohio State commit, this time with Jaheim Singletary. Don't look for Singletary to be the leading recruiter in this class, but that does not mean that he is not all-in on his Ohio State pledge.
We then went down the street to check in on one of the biggest names for 2023 with Treyaun Webb, another player who is designated now as an athlete but check out the story to see where schools are projecting him.
The next stop was the greater Orlando area and a trio of talented Ohio State targets reside there, with two of them in the class of 2022 and one in the class of 2023. Payton Kirkland and Markeith Williams are both mentioned as serious targets for the Buckeyes and with visits coming up, who knows what June holds in store.
In 2023 there is TJ Shanahan, a lineman who already has the look of a college player, but still has two more years to go. It is still pretty early here but the Buckeyes have put themselves into a great position on this one.
We moved back out to the Atlantic side of the state and saw players along the coast and down into the Miami area. We had a chance to talk to Ryan Turner just days before his Ohio State pledge and while he was not tipping his hand, we got a great amount of insight on what was important to him in making a decision.
His teammate, Kenyatta Jackson, also is quite interested in Ohio State but might be more of a challenge to pull north. But we asked the tough questions there with him and with a pair of other targets before started to make our way back north.
Pushing for that Ryan Turner commitment
Jackson locks in his Ohio State visit
Finally we went back up the gulf side of the state with stops around the Fort Myers (Fla.) area along with Tampa. The final Ohio State commit that we talked to, when we walked to the locker room, we did not know that he had committed to the Buckeyes but it did not take long to get it out of him. Kye Stokes was a fast riser in the recruiting game and the Buckeyes knocked it out of the park with him and locked up that commitment in short order.
We also met Richard Young, a talented running back from the class of 2023 and a candidate to be the top back in the nation when the '23 rankings finally sort themselves out.
And last but not least, there is offensive lineman Clay Wedin, a player who is still waiting on his first ranking but that is not stopping schools like Ohio State from getting on board.
ANALYSIS: What is Ohio State getting in Stokes?