Recruiting Roundtable: Impact of recent additions, next "must-have" target

After taking a week off from our "Recruiting Roundtable" because of BuckeyeGrove's trip along the mid-Atlantic, we are back with yet another edition of this weekly piece.

At least there was not any important recruiting-related news that happened over the past two weeks, right?

Well, to say significant developments pertaining to Ohio State's efforts on trail transpired would be an understatement. The program not only landed five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers on Thursday, but they also received a commitment from top-30 overall junior Caleb Burton less than 24 hours ago.

In the story below, Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings discuss the implications of Ohio State's recent big-time additions, which position group they need to recruit at an elite level in next year's class and the next "must-have" 2022 target for the program.

Anders: In sports, it never hurts to have momentum, and it can be a snowball effect.

Landing a five-star quarterback and a near-five-star wide receiver in the same month is about all the momentum a team can hope for in the 2022 class at this point. It helps the Buckeyes in three ways.

Firstly, the staff not only gains confidence in the class and gets more decisive on the trail, but it narrows down targets at certain positions so coaches can focus on the players they really want. With Caleb Burton in tow, wide receivers coach Brian Hartline can pare down his shortlist and focus solely on his top names at the position, rather than having to worry about filling out the room.

Quinn Ewers should round out quarterback recruiting in 2022, allowing head coach Ryan Day to focus on other prospects.

Second, those two players now become recruiters for Ohio State. Any fellow prospects Ewers and Burton have a relationship with, you can bet they’ll be in their ear. The two have a great rapport and already were a part of the reason they both committed to the Buckeyes so quickly.

Lastly, even beyond the scope of Ewers and Burton reaching out to potential commits directly, other players across the country notice when teams are building something special. Ohio State’s 2022 class looks like it could easily be the best in America. Look at the reactions of players such as five-star offensive tackle Zach Rice on social media and you can tell that that has an impact.

Hastings: It's difficult to write only a few paragraphs about how impactful these two commitments are for the Buckeyes.

Ewers is an elite quarterback prospect who will only get better over the next year or so of his high school career. His accuracy — whether on deep throws, near the sidelines or in tight coverage — is next-level, the combination of his quick release and velocity on the ball is impressive and the mobility he has to escape the pocket or run down field will make Ewers a dual-threat signal caller in college.

Oh yeah, Ewers will also have an opportunity to throw to one of the top wide receivers in this recruiting cycle. When breaking down his film, Andy cited Burton's long yet fast strides, ability to cut on a dime, high-point skills and how he creates separation as the highlights of the top-five WR's game.

So, Ohio State gets to reload yet again at a position they have a lot of skill at, and they add a quarterback who could be competing for a starting spot as early as his second, potentially even his first, year in college.

On top of that, the Buckeyes have solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Lone Star State for the 2022 cycle. They already hold commitments from two of the top-six juniors in Texas, and are in the running for Armani Winfield, Denver Harris, Kam Dewberry and Keithian Alexander.

As Andy mentioned above, Burton and Ewers will figure to be recruiters for Ohio State, and their connections to prospects around their area could prove to be even more beneficial for tOSU.

Anders: Defensive back. Defensive back, defensive back, defensive back.

Goodness, the Ohio State secondary struggled mightily against Indiana, Rutgers and even some against Penn State. These are third-year players too, mostly, and while Jordan Hancock and Jakailin Johnson are two huge gets for the 2021 cycle at cornerback, it’s clear that the staff needs to build out the future of that room.

There’s a number of quality targets they’re in the mix for. The nation’s No. 1 corner Domani Jackson would be a huge land for Ohio State, and he changed his instagram bio to say “Ohio State football” at one time. Whether that was a ruse or genuine interest remains to be seen, but the Buckeyes are definitely a player in his recruitment.

Four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa is a player I really like and a rare high-end prospect produced by the state of Iowa. He’s considered an Ohio State lean.

Five-star cornerback Will Johnson out of Michigan and four-star Texas native Austin Jordan will also be names to watch, alongside four-star Missouri corner Toriano Pride.

The Buckeyes also made inroads recently with five-star Jaheim Singletary, who announced via instagram that he’ll be committing in January last week.

I’ll be curious to see if their recent struggles against the pass hurt them recruiting the position at all, although Ohio State’s history of NFL Draft picks in the defensive backfield could and probably should override that.

Hastings: I am going with the offensive line for the response to this question.

Ohio State did not have terrible luck recruiting at the position group in the 2021 cycle. Zen Michalski is a four-star tackle, Ben Christman is in the Rivals100 and Donovan Jackson is the No. 16 overall player in his class.

Even so, there are just too many recruits at the position group in next year's class that Greg Studrawa and company need to capitalize on.

I already mentioned Dewberry above, who told BuckeyeGrove a few months ago that Ohio State was his "childhood school." Dewberry also referred to tOSU as one of the best schools in the country, and that he has always loved the football program.

There's also fellow out-of-state prospects Julian Armella and Zach Rice. Rice is definitely the one out of these two that the Buckeyes have the better shot with, and his mom is all on board with him going to Columbus to attend college.

Also, recruits like Addison Nichols, Billy Schrauth, Earnest Greene, Gunner Givens and Kiyaunta Goodwin will be ones to keep an eye on. Even though Tegra Tshabola is committed, Studrawa and the staff losing to Clemson for Blake Miller definitely ups the urgency to land some of the targets mentioned in this section.

Anders: Well, doubling back, I’d say Domani Jackson.

Whether in-game or on the trail, Ohio State needs a win in the secondary. Something to show some promise.

Jackson is a player you’ve developed a rapport with, a player with a solid relationship with the Ohio State staff. Given his talent and the clear need at the position, this is the biggest deal the Buckeyes could close in the cycle.

He fits the Kerry Coombs mold perfectly too -- 6-foot-1 with long arms and wide upper frame to play bump-and-run coverage with. Right now, the two biggest schools competing with Ohio State for his commitment are Michigan and USC.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wolverines have a new coach next season, and at the very least it can’t help their case to be below .500 on the season. USC seems stuck in a rut of mediocrity, although it has opened this season 3-0. Two of those wins are by a combined five points against unranked opponents.

This is a recruitment that could address Ohio State’s biggest need, and it appears it has the inside track. Time to close the deal.

Hastings: I have the same philosophy as Andy, but I'm going with a different player here, and his name is Denver Harris.

Harris would be a massive addition to a class that already holds commitments from nearly a half-dozen players who are top-30 prospects on Rivals. Getting Harris, the No. 3 overall recruit on our network, would be taking things to a whole other level.

In Harris, you are getting someone who Adam Gorney and Mike Farrell have compared to former South Carolina Gamecock Stephon Gilmore.

"An argument could be made that Harris is the best cornerback in this class because he has top-of-the-line feet and speed to run with any receiver, he comes up and hits in run support and he has tremendous hands to pick passes off or knock them down," they wrote last month. "The five-star also does an excellent job of diagnosing plays, trusting his eyes and then coming up to make the tackle."

Not to sound like a broken record, but another top-tier recruit from Texas committing to Ohio State would be extraordinary. It would set an incredible precedent that will allow the program to be in the mix for elite Lone Star State prospects for years to come.

Domani Jackson would be a close second choice for me, but with Ewers now committed, I believe Harris is the next "must-have" 2022 target for Ohio State.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.