Recruiting Roundtable: Most impactful 2022 commit, Nolen, Al Washington

BuckeyeGrove is back again with another Tuesday edition of our Recruiting Roundtable.

In the piece below, the tandem of Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings share their responses to a trio of Ohio State-related recruiting questions. They share their thoughts on who is the most impactful commit for the Buckeyes, what it would mean if Ryan Day and company land five-star Walter Nolen, and how important it is for Al Washington to have been kept on the staff.

Anders: While there’s no doubt in my mind that five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers is the best player in America when it comes to the junior class, five-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary is my choice for the most impactful Ohio State commit for 2022.

The secondary is issue No. 1, 2 and 3 for Ohio State football right now after the unit collapsed in on itself like a house of cards against Alabama in the National Championship Game, and earlier in the season against then-No. 10 Indiana.

They addressed this need somewhat with an impressive 2021 defensive back haul that included four-stars Jakailin Johnson, Jordan Hancock and Andre Turrentine, but while those three and the other commits Ohio State brought on last year are great talents, none of them are quite on the level of Singletary.

Singletary is everything defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs looks for in a corner.

He’s 6-foot-1 with a 74-inch wingspan, with elite ball skills that turn 50/50 throws into near-impossible tasks for wide receivers. He’s sure-handed too, giving him ample opportunity to create turnovers.

Singletary is excellent at jumping routes, very instinctive and extremely athletic.

All the makings of an electric, game-changing corner are there. And that’s something Ohio State has missed since the departure of Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette.

Hastings: Whether people like it or not, quarterback is the most impactful position in football. It is the position that is the highest paid, on average, at the professional level, and they are usually one of the leaders of their team’s class.

So, for this reason, I am going to go with Quinn Ewers for this section. This was a tough choice as I wanted to go with CJ Hicks, who is known as “Captain Buckeye,” but I just believe Ewers being committed will have more of an impact down the road.

Let’s start off with the easy part: Ewers is the No. 1 overall junior in the nation, and is rightfully deserving of that title. There is also a really good shot that he will finish as the top-ranked quarterback in this class as the next closest one is Gunner Stockton, who is No. 30 overall on Rivals.

Ewers can make every pass in the book, tosses dimes near the sidelines with ease, throws one of the best deep balls I have seen from a high school quarterback, and is very mobile. I believe he can challenge for a starting position early on in his collegiate career, which is a key reason why I see him as the most impactful commit.

Also, Ewers resides in a state that is a hotbed when it comes to football talent: Texas. Here are some of the players Ohio State is pursuing in the Lone Star State in this class alone: Five-stars Denver Harris and Kam Dewberry, Bryce Anderson, Omari Abor, Cameron Williams and Jaylen Early.

Ewers’ commitment led to top-five wideout Caleb Burton announcing his pledge to the Buckeyes a few days later, so his impact in the state cannot be overlooked.

Given his position, the program-changing talent he is, and the potential for him to make waves in Texas, I am going with Ewers as the most impactful 2022 verbal commit.

Anders: Whenever Ohio State lands a five-star quality defensive lineman, it carries huge weight because the team has one of the best in the business at developing such prospects.

Larry Johnson produces high picks in the NFL Draft easier than Hershey’s cranks out chocolate bars, and placing a player as talented as five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen into that factory is a near-guarantee that he’ll turn into something special.

He already squats 585 pounds.

Nolen is an explosive, run-plugging, pass-rushing, quick, lean, mean 300-pound interior line machine. This is a recruit with the size and strength to play one-technique defensive tackle but also dominated as a rush end in high school.

Of course it’ll be a battle to get him into the fold. Nolen is a rare top prospect from Tennessee, and all the usual players from the SEC -- along with Tennessee itself -- are hot on his trail. Florida, Auburn, Alabama and LSU were all included with the Buckeyes and Volunteers in his top 10.

So too was Clemson, Michigan, USC and Oregon. All the biggest players want in on the Nolen sweepstakes, and only one can come out on top.

But what would it mean for Ohio State to land him? I believe he could have more of an impact than any Ohio State defensive tackle since perhaps Dre’mont Jones. His ceiling is as high as any DT I’ve seen on film.

Hastings: Through really no fault of their own, Ohio State’s football staff missed out on Tywone Malone as a result of the baseball program not recruiting him.

They can make up for that loss in a big way, however, if Walter Nolen winds up committing to the Buckeyes.

Nolen, the No. 4 overall prospect on Rivals, would immediately come in and make a contribution along Ohio State’s defensive line. He is shifty and athletic enough to even line up at defensive end, but I imagine he’ll be best suited anchoring down the middle of the d-line.

Not every day will you find a 6-foot-5, 300-pound DT who is explosive off the snap, throws o-linemen to the side with incredible power, and absolutely wreaks havoc in the backfield.

That’s what you’re getting in Walter Nolen.

Also, Ohio State is in desperate need of interior defensive linemen. The program has signed just three DTs dating back to the 2019 cycle, so they’ll need to add at least two to three more at the position in this class.

Adding a guy like Nolen gets the team back on track when it comes to recruiting defensive tackles. If Nolen is in the fold, maybe it influences another top DT to join as well to take more pressure off of each other in the trenches at the next level.

I don’t believe getting Nolen to commit/sign would be a game-changer like Ewers was, but it would be, both literally and figuratively, a massive get for the staff.

Anders: On the recruiting trail, it’s huge.

Linebackers coach Al Washington has reeled in three of the nation’s top four linebackers for 2022, and his recruiting prowess is such that he’s helped recruit other positions for the Buckeyes.

Washington is something recruits tend to gravitate toward. He’s younger for a coach, energetic, loves the game and coaches with an aggressive mindset. At a naturally hard-hitting position such as linebacker, players enjoy that mentality.

That is one of the things I believe has led to the success he’s had in 2022 thus far.

It also helps in terms of stability. Position coaches are responsible for developing a rapport with incoming recruits, and Washington leaving would not have only impacted the Buckeyes’ ability to pull in new prospects at linebacker, but perhaps keep the existing ones they have or were going to get.

On the team side, the results speak for themselves when it comes to the former Michigan coach’s ability to develop talent. Ohio State had one of the best run defenses in the country in 2020, and part of that is because Washington took players such as Pete Werner and Baron Browning, talented players who struggled earlier in their careers, and made them forces to be reckoned with.

Retaining Washington is the biggest coaching “hire” head coach Ryan Day made this offseason.

Hastings: Al Washington staying is absolutely huge for the Buckeyes.

One thing I always hear from recruits is that Ohio State is appealing to them because of the consistency on the coaching staff. Players want to sign with a program that they know will have the coaches on the staff that they developed strong relationships with throughout their recruitments.

So, Washington staying instead of taking a defensive coordinator position at Tennessee proves once again to targets that the Buckeyes’ staff members are committed to making the team better and winning championships.

This also is significant for tOSU commits CJ Hicks, Dasan McCullough and Gabe Powers.

Look, do I think it is more likely than not that they would have signed with the Buckeyes even if Washington left? I would probably say yes.

But, you never want to take any chances, and there is always the possibility that the new linebackers coach would have not meshed with them as well as Washington did. Now, with Washington staying, there are no fears about either of these three commits reopening their recruitments as a result of a staff change.

Also, Washington is an excellent recruiter on the trail, and replacing him would have been difficult.

On top of manufacturing strong relationships with prospects and their family members, Washington’s youth is an advantage here. He has a lot of energy to recruit, and has his finger on the pulse of what’s trending nowadays, allowing him to have conversations that are not always entirely football-based.

I’ll note as well that Washington was a player himself, and that resonates with recruits. Him staying with the Buckeyes is huge for Ryan Day, and it will allow them to continue the great momentum they have when it comes to recruiting linebackers in the 2022 class.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.