Ohio State Recruiting Round-Up: Jeffrey Okudah
By Josh Keatley
Ohio State defensive back Jeffrey Okudah has a chance to be special.
With signing day right around the corner, everyone is getting excited to see all of the new weapons. We want to breakdown some of the newest Ohio State players, evaluate what they can bring to the table immediately and what they might develop into.
Obviously the five-star studs are the ones everyone is paying attention to and we want to place the focus on one of the more highly anticipated play-makers.
Player: Jeffrey Okudah
Hometown: Grand Prairie, Texas
Position: Cornerback / Safety
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190 lbs.
Ranking: 5 Star
Chose Ohio State over: Florida State & Georgia
Ohio State snagged another star from the state of Texas in Okudah and he is widely regarded as the gem of the class and he has the potential to see the field early. Okudah was an Army All-American and was also a stud at The Opening, and him enroling early will only help maximize the huge potential he has displayed. Anyone who hasn’t seen this kid’s highlight video should check it out.
Strengths: When watching Okudah play the first thing you notice is that he is a straight up athlete following in the mold of past Ohio State recruits, his size and athleticism make him a dangerous weapon. He also displays great awareness, which is evident in the way he baits offenses into throwing to his side of the field and his ability to read the run and beat blockers. Okudah has the mixture of athleticism and awareness to potentially play a few different spots in the defensive backfield.
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Weaknesses: Like any great recruit, Okudah was more often than not the biggest, strongest, and fastest player on the field and this has led him to rely more on his athleticism than technique. His tackling is superb, but he goes for the big hit too often and this causes him to tackle too high.
When playing in the Big Ten, Okudah will see some larger opponents and he will not be able to man handle them like he did the opposition in high school. His ability to bait offenses is impressive, but this will be another adjustment Okudah will have to make in college, because passes will come faster and the receivers will fight for the ball harder.
Comparison: Vonn Bell, 2015: One of the most famous quotes from Urban Meyer in regard to Vonn Bell was “He has the skill set of a corner. How many safeties can cover a number two receiver?”
That is what we can expect from Okudah and it would not be surprising if he surpassed that. Bell was a little faster than Okudah coming out of high school, but Okudah plays with a tad more polish and that should help him succeed early. Just like Bell, look for Okudah to see the nickel spot before starting at safety.
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Overall: Buckeye fans should be extremely excited a player like Okudah has decided to enroll early and participate in spring practices. There will always be hype around the skill positions, but Okudah is the real gem of the class and he should see time early and often with his rare mixture of athleticism the sky is the limit with how good he can become. Being able to contribute and learn the playbook will be extremely helpful to his early development.