Recruiting Roundtable: Buckeye Bash, Billy Schrauth, Derrick Davis decision

We are just four days away from the beginning of Ohio State's 2020 season, which is a statement that I did not think I would be typing a few weeks ago.

After a stressful endeavor that featured a schedule being released, then the postponement of the season to the spring, protests, involvement from the President of the United States and finally a shortened schedule being agreed upon, the Buckeyes will take the field against Nebraska on Oct. 24.

The main focus for Buckeye Nation will be on this matchup, but the upcoming recruit-organized summit is also generating interest. In the piece below, Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings discuss their realistic expectations for the Buckeye Bash, where Ohio State stands with 2022 OT Billy Schrauth and the program's chances with Derrick Davis, who is set to commit soon.

Anders: At this point, it seems as though the Buckeye Bash is primarily a bonding experience for players already committed in the class of 2021.

Thus far, it only appears that one uncommitted prospect, five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh, is going to be in town for the summit, with a couple of other “maybes” in the mix. While this is a key visitor and the class could make some huge headway for Ohio State this weekend, he could be the only one.

The event appears exclusive to 2021 recruits as well. No 2022 prospects will be in attendance.

Now, should Leigh be the only non-commit there, that doesn’t mean the event isn’t advantageous in other ways. Developing chemistry with future teammates is never a bad thing. The opportunity for certain commitments to visit campus who haven’t in awhile is another positive.

But, suffice to say, unless something changes, this won’t be the large-scale expo for top uncommitted 2021 targets we were originally expecting.

Hastings: I have to agree with what Andy wrote above.

After seeing the turnout for the Sooner Summit in Norman, Oklahoma, and the Tiger Turnout in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I thought the Buckeye Bash would be able to somewhat replicate that success in terms of getting top 2021 targets on campus.

Leigh visiting should not be overlooked, but the hope was that at least two of their other top targets in this cycle – Derrick Davis, Emeka Egbuka and J.T. Tuimoloau – would also be in attendance. It seems unlikely that any of those three will make it to Columbus, with Davis being the most likely to attend.

To be fair, LSU only had 18 commits and Oklahoma had 14 pledges when the events were hosted by their commits, so there were more targets on the board for those programs. It also does not help the Buckeyes' commits that Egbuka and Tuimoloau live over 2,000 miles away from Ohio State's campus.

We'll probably see just one, maybe two, 2021 targets at the Buckeye Bash, but it could still be effective. The worst-case scenario is that a multitude of Ohio State pledges will get an opportunity to bond with one another and create chemistry for when they arrive on campus in a few months.

Anders: Right now, it appears Notre Dame and Wisconsin are Schrauth’s leaders -- but I wouldn’t count the Buckeyes out just yet.

Schrauth was a noted Notre Dame fan growing up and has visited South Bend, Indiana, three times already. His relationship with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn is strong.

Wisconsin always does great recruiting in-state, and has put itself in a good position here.

The four-star guard is a priority target for Ohio State, with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and graduate assistant Kennedy Cook taking the lead on his recruitment.

I think the Buckeyes have a certain benefit of time here as well. Schrauth is only a junior, after all, and may want to take additional visits. Of course, that isn’t a possibility until in-person contact is allowed again.

Hastings: Unfortunately for Ohio State, this could play out in a similar fashion to an offensive guard prospect's recruitment in the 2021 class: Jager Burton.

Like Burton, Schrauth is high on the in-state program (Wisconsin), but is also strongly considering a school in the same conference (Ohio State) and a college outside of that conference (Notre Dame). For Burton, he was high on Kentucky, though SEC powerhouse Alabama was in the mix and looking outside of the SEC, the Buckeyes were also a serious contender.

Unfortunately for Buckeye Nation, the dead period caused Burton to commit to the Wildcats, and I can see something similar occurring with Schrauth. If the dead period is extended yet again, which I would not rule out, the borderline Rivals100 could opt to commit soon to the in-state Badgers.

I am hoping to catch up with Schrauth soon, but a top four indicates to me that he could be close to a decision. Ohio State is a dark horse here, so I would not rule them out just yet.

Anders: Chances are slim to none in my estimation, unless the Buckeyes can get Davis back on campus for another visit.

Davis visited Ohio State back in February, but his recruitment has trended toward Penn State over the past several months. The Nittany Lions seem to be the clear-cut favorite to me, although Joseph is closer to the situation than I am and believes Ohio State is still in the hunt.

If Davis gets on campus for the Buckeye Bash -- and that’s a big if -- the Buckeyes have a real shot. There’s no time to secure another visit otherwise with Davis announcing his commitment Nov. 7.

Should Davis not make the Buckeye Bash, it’s hard to see him ending up at Ohio State from my perspective.

Hastings: I've maintained that Penn State is my pick for Davis, but the Buckeyes are a lot closer to the Nittany Lions than most believe.

What I find interesting is that Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, who has been tracking Davis' recruitment for a while, has yet to submit a FutureCast prediction on his profile page after recently speaking with him. Friedman did, however, submit one in favor of Oklahoma for Leigh after a conversation with him last week, so that stood out to me.

Penn State is seen as the favorite given their location, but let's not forget that Davis' father was born in Cleveland and that there are family ties to Ohio. In fact, Davis Sr. informed me last month that they have visited Ohio State's campus almost as many times as they have gone to State College.

Another interesting note is that Ohio State and Penn State are set to face off on prime time on Oct. 31, which is a week before Davis will announce his decision. If the Buckeyes get a huge victory over their Big Ten East foe with the nation watching, could that sway Davis to choose Ryan Day's program?

We'll see.

I think there is still too much up in the air here, hence Friedman's decision not to put in a FutureCast prediction just yet. I'm leaning Penn State 55-45 here, and may switch that in favor of Ohio State if Davis goes to the Buckeye Bash.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.