Recruiting Roundtable: Grayes, missing on Will Johnson, 2022 RBs

We are continuing our weekly Recruiting Roundtable articles, but with a new name this time around: Carson MacRae.

MacRae will be taking over Andy Anders' spot in this series, and will be contributing to BuckeyeGrove's recruiting coverage as well.

In this edition of Recruiting Roundtable, MacRae and Joseph Hastings share their thoughts on Rivals250 wideout Kyion Grayes' recent pledge to Ryan Day's program. They also discuss the impact of Will Johnson teaming up with Michigan, as well as which 2022 running back target they believe Ohio State will end up receiving a commitment from.

MacRae: Kyion Grayes is a player who’s going to compete hard and bring a winning attitude to Columbus. Kyion’s high school team has had great success since he’s arrived in the program and, make no mistake about it, he is a major part of that.

With his will to win and how he can make plays late in games, he’s the guy you’ll want the ball thrown to late in the 4th quarter. I really like this pickup, and expect him to be a real game-changer in an already elite receiving class.

Hastings: Grayes is an under-ranked wide receiver who is continuing to bolster his stock in the offseason.

At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Grayes combines solid speed, route running and secure hands to make him a problem for any defender. He's attended numerous camps in the offseason, and has been a nightmare for opposing defensive backs.

This has led to him reeling in offers from Auburn, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC and Utah since the beginning of December. That brings me to my main takeaway from his commitment: Ohio State's talent evaluation.

Grayes was not an unknown prospect when he was offered by the Buckeyes in October, but no powerhouse football programs were in pursuit of him at that time. He was committed to Arizona, and had received offers from the likes of Arizona State, Iowa State, Miami and Michigan State.

For Brian Hartline and company to scope him out well before he became more known on the national level is a testament to their ability to scout players who aren't necessarily the highest ranked at the time they offer them.

My other main takeaway here is that Ohio State is simply continuing to lock down their own backyard and win key battles in other states. They beat out Texas for Caleb Burton and Quinn Ewers, usurped Florida to land Jaheim Singletary, and won against Arizona/Arizona State and others for Grayes.

The program is operating on another level when it comes to recruiting in the 2022 cycle.

MacRae: Well, I find it really hard to label this one as a miss.

Any time a class already has a current five-star at the position, it makes it very hard to land another. What I will say is Jaheim Singletary is the higher ranked prospect and there is a reason for that.

Hastings: I agree with Carson on this one.

Look, this was going to be a difficult battle to win from the very beginning. Johnson being a legacy prospect, living roughly an hour away from Ann Arbor, and giving the new coaches on the staff a chance to win him over put Ohio State in a tough position.

Had Johnson not been the son of a former Wolverine and had he lived anywhere else in the Midwest, the Buckeyes likely would have won this one. He even told our own Josh Helmholdt that they were his leader following his visit to Columbus last year.

So, while this was a tough one from the very beginning, Ohio State made a strong push to land the fourth-ranked cornerback on Rivals, and almost succeeded.

I would also like to add that this one is not over whatsoever.

What if Michigan has yet another disappointing season? What if Johnson attends their home game against the Buckeyes, and his future school loses in blowout fashion? Is it possible Johnson still takes his officials?

These unknowns lead to me believe that Ohio State still has a shot here, at least more of a chance than they have of flipping USC pledge Domani Jackson. Landing multiple five-star cornerbacks, especially one over a rival, would be huge for a Buckeyes squad that needs reinforcements in the secondary.

MacRae: With there being three major running backs leading in Nicholas Singleton, Dallan Hayden and Damari Alston, it appears Singleton and Hayden are closer to being ready for a commitment.

With Alford and Day likely only taking one of the backs the Buckeyes have been pressing hard for a commitment, I have Dallan Hayden ending up as the guy to first make that jump and eventually land with the Buckeyes.

Hastings: Once again, Carson and I are on the same page here.

In my opinion, this is going to be a case of "Who wants in first, gets in." All three of the prospects mentioned above are takes for Ohio State, and the only question is if one wants in now and another wants in later this year, would they accept a commitment from the second player?

If we're picking just one player to answer this question, however, then I would have to go with Hayden as well, for a couple of reasons.

First off, Hayden is very high on the Buckeyes. He told me the other day that they remain in his top four, and I think they're in the top half of his final group. The other schools he's considering are Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee, with the Fighting Irish probably being tOSU's toughest competition here.

Also, Hayden is well aware of the recruiting world and how everything operates. During our conversation, he said that he understands recruits are starting to commit earlier because they want to save a spot in this class.

If he's leaning toward Ohio State and does not want to pass up on his shot at joining the program at the next level, then I could absolutely see him jumping on that opportunity.

Singleton is a close second, while Alston's recruitment could really go in any direction. He's seemingly gone back-and-forth on whether or not he will commit soon or after he takes his visits; until a more definitive timeline is locked in, it's tough to say how things will look in Ohio State's class by the time he makes his decision.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.