Ohio State Recruiting Round-Up: Shaun Wade

Ohio State has another teriffic defensive back in Shaun Wade.

You can smell it in the air as the anticipation for National Signing Day heats up. College football season is over and fans across the country eagerly wait for High School studs to announce where they will enroll in college. Ohio State fans are particularly interested as Urban Meyer tops off the 2017 recruiting class.

It is hard to predict which young players will thrive and which will falter, but this looks like another strong Ohio State class that will surely have a few studs. We have highlighted a few of my favorites earlier in this series and today we will focus on yet another defensive play-maker.

Player: Shaun Wade

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6-1

Weight: 177 lbs.

Ranking: 5 Stars

Chose Ohio State Over: Alabama & Virginia Tech

The future of the Buckeye defensive backfield looks bright with Jeffrey Okudah and Wade both enrolled early and digesting the playbook, while already taking part in an elite college lifting program. These two stars have the potential to play now without the extra semester’s worth of help, but now that they are participating in spring ball the sky is the limit.

Wade has gained attention due to the fact that he was the one that almost got away. Before deciding on Ohio State, it was thought that Wade might have ended up with the Crimson Tide.

Strengths: It is not very often you see corners over six feet tall and at 6-1 Wade has the size to match up with any receiver on the outside. Tall corners are extremely desirable and this is an unteachable trait, which makes him an extremely valuable piece to the puzzle.

With his excellent height comes length, with long enough arms to pluck the ball out of the air even though the defender has a step on him. Wade also appears to be a technically sound corner who knows more than most high school defensive backs.

Weaknesses: Wade is a phenomenal talent and finding flaws in his game is really splitting hairs, but his athleticism does not exactly scream dominance. He does not have elite speed or strength, but time in a college weight room should improve those factors especially given the fact he has an impressive frame to add bulk on.

Even in high school there were times when Wade was beaten by pure speed, but his length allowed him knock down the pass and make up for those deficiencies. His agility will also need improvement, because I can picture him getting beaten by quick routes in the Big Ten if it doesn’t.

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Comparison: Eli Apple, 2015: This is a rough comparison, because all though Apple was one of the best corners we have seen in recent years he left before really tapping into his potential. I believe Wade is a bit better and will have an opportunity to hit his potential faster.

Apple was a large corner who played with physicality, but was athletic enough to hang with the best. If Wade develops like he has shown he can, he can be the same type of contributor.

Overall: Wade has made a name for himself during The Opening and ended his amazing high school career as an Army All-American. I fully expect Wade to compete for time immediately, whether it be covering the slot or on the outside. He has shown he has the skills to be a special player.

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Wade and Okudah should become stars sooner rather than later, and again I can not reiterate enough how much of an advantage they have now that they enrolled early.

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