Two More 5-Star 2017 Defensive Backs Ohio State Bound?
By Billy George
It would be quite a haul for Urban Meyer and Ohio State.
Ohio State easily had one of the best secondaries in the country in the 2016 season. Highlighted by first-team All-American one year wonder Malik Hooker at safety, Ohio State’s 21 interceptions were good enough for third in the country.
With Hooker and cornerback Gareon Conley leaving early and taking their talents to the NFL, the Buckeyes are looking to reload, as head coach Urban Meyer has grown accustomed to doing. He very well may do that in a big way in this coming week, via his 2017 recruiting class.
The Bucks already have the country’s No. 4 cornerback in Jacksonville, Fl. product Shaun Wade, the country’s No. 5 safety in Isaiah Pryor, and the No. 14 and No. 16 cornerbacks in Amir Riep and Marcus Williamson.
Shaun Wade is a five-star prospect, while the other three are four-stars. Two five-star ball hawks could very well join this talented bunch, and both of them will make their college football decision Saturday January 7, 2017 at 12:00 noon. Their names are Jeffrey Okudah and Darnay Holmes, the top two cornerbacks in the country.
As I have mentioned in previous articles, for Okudah it’s almost not even a question of if he will commit to Ohio State anymore, it’s a question of when? That date, my friends, is this coming Saturday. And if he does choose the Buckeyes, he very well could come with good company in Darnay Holmes.
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For Holmes, he seemed to have lost interest in Ohio State. I heard his name tossed around a lot when this class was young, and then UCLA seemed to be gradually gaining ground on him. As of this moment, however, Ohio State appears to be his leader, and I find it ironic that he and Okudah are going to be announcing their college choice at the same exact day and same exact time.
As I mentioned, both are five-star guys and are ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 cornerbacks in the nation via the 247sports.com composite rankings. Sure, the thought of losing both Malik Hooker and Gareon Conley may be bad news for Ohio State. But the same was said last year, after the early departure of Eli Apple and All-American safety Vonn Bell.
Yet what happened to the Ohio State secondary? It only got better without them.
That is due to the elite recruiting and exceptional coaching of Urban Meyer. The news of Conley and Hooker taking their talents to the next level may be devastating right now. But keep your head up Buckeye fans, it could get just as good (if not, better) in due time.
Must Read: Changes on the Ohio State Offense Didn’t Take Long
Two five-star 2017 defensive backs could join what is already an impressive group of talent in the secondary in the 2017 class, and with the addition of just one of them, Ohio State’s class should jump over Alabama’s as the best class in the country.