Ohio State Football: 2020 recruiting class gets defensive focus

One month ago, the Buckeyes were lacking in recruiting on the defense side of the ball. One month later and Ohio State has 5 new commits in the 2020 class. 

In the time since I wrote an article critiquing the lack of focus on recruiting defensive players to Ohio State, the Buckeyes have gained 5 new commitments to the 2020 class on the defensive side alone.

Let’s take a look at those five, starting with a brother of a current Buckeye, and give a special nod to the only commit at the time of my original article, Lejond Cavazos. Along with an acknowledgment of the fantastic job Ryan Day has been doing.

Three-star Strong-Side Defensive End (SDE) Ty Hamilton out of Pickerington, OH may be a familiar name to Buckeyes fans as he is the younger brother of talented fellow defensive lineman Davon.

Standing around 6’3″ and weighing 250, Ty is a prototypical SDE and will hope to emulate the success of players like former Buckeye Nick Bosa and learn from current Buckeye Chase Young.

Second on the list of new guys is three-star Outside Linebacker (OLB) Mitchell Melton out of Olney, MD. Melton has an eye for where the ball is going and has a knack for getting to the ball carrier immediately to bring him down just as quickly.

So far in high school, Mitchell has lined up on the defensive line (DE being the common 3-4 position for OLBs), the traditional OLB spot and has shown promise covering wide receivers out of the backfield in a cornerback-like position.

Melton will hope to emulate Joshua Perry from the 2014 Championship team, who led that team in tackles and helped the Buckeyes on an historic championship run.

Next up is a fellow OLB, four-star recruit Cody Simon out of Jersey City, NJ. Simon is extraordinarily agile and is able to get to the backfield in a hurry to bring down the ball carrier.

Cody’s skill-set reminds me of Darron Lee. If he can emulate Darron Lee and Mitchell Melton can recreate Joshua Perry’s talent, the Buckeyes could be on the road back to having a dominant linebacking core along with the current improving unit.

Four-star DT Darrion Henry out of Cincinnati, OH is an excellent lineman. His raw strength and quick-moving hands allow him to cut through opposing offensive lines like a sharp knife through warm butter.

If Henry’s impressive skill-set transfers over to the college game, he could recreate the talent of former Buckeye Adolphus Washington, who was also a vital piece of the 2014 team.

Rounding out the five newer commits, four-star CB Clark Phillips III out of La Habra, CA is the highest ranked defensive recruit thus far. His lack of height (5’10”) is made up for with an impressive physicality and a “bulldog mentality.”

In a scouting report done by Greg Biggins for 247 Sports, Phillips III is compared to NFL star Casey Hayward who has achieved much in his NFL career.

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In terms of former Buckeyes, Clark’s talent and experience at wide receiver draws similarities to Chris Gamble, who achieved success on both sides of the ball at the college level, which is becoming nearly impossible in today’s game. Phillips III could be an anomaly and bring about a return of the two-way player.

And finally, another nod to Lejond Cavazos, the safety out of IMG Academy who continues to be a staunch recruiter for the Buckeyes. It has been reported his camaraderie with Elias Ricks at The Opening may have contributed to the five-star CB setting up an official visit to Ohio State on November 22, the day before the match-up against Penn State at ‘The Shoe’.

Ricks is currently committed to LSU, but with some prompting from former, current and future Buckeyes, along with convincing from impressive recruiter Ryan Day, the 2020 Ohio State class could rise even higher than fourth nationally.

Whether Ricks switches to Ohio State or not, the 2020 class is still quite impressive. And after addressing the need on defense, the Buckeyes are back in the recruiting game at the same level as the height of Urban Meyer’s tenure, which led to a championship.

Ryan Day has replaced Meyer perfectly, and will hope to achieve a championship even quicker than his predecessor.