Ohio State Football: The hits just keep on coming for Ryan Day
When Urban Meyer stepped down as head coach there were concerns top recruits may not come to Ohio State. Not a problem.
Those who wondered if Ryan Day and his revamped Ohio State defensive coaching staff could recruit at a high level aren’t now. The hits just keep on coming as another four star recruit joined the Buckeyes’ 2020 recruiting class today, and he was a player the coaches coveted.
Kourt Williams, from Bellflower, CA committed to play for the Buckeyes today. Williams is listed at 6 ft. 1, 216 pounds and is the No. 12 outside linebacker and the No. 163 player overall in the 247Sports Composite.
From the things I have read, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Al Washington envision him to play the “Bullet” position they are installing. With Williams’ size and athleticism he appears to be a good fit for the LB / S position.
It’s interesting defensive backs / co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is listed as the lead recruiter for Williams. Does this guy ever miss on a recruit he is after?
I have to admit, I wondered if a guy coming from the NFL could be successful on the recruiting trail. In his short time at Ohio State coach Hafley has proven to be one of the best recruiters in the nation.
Ryan Day knew that before most of us did.
Taylor Lehman of Eleven Warriors wrote a very nice article on what safety Jordan Fuller and Ryan Day had to say about Jeff Hafley when he was a college coach years ago.
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Here is what coach Day said about his secondary coach as reported in Mr. Lehman’s article.
"“Jeff has always been a tremendous recruiter,” Day said. “People ask me if he can recruit, and I think that is one of the best things that he does. Now, because he was in the NFL, I think seven years, people don’t know that. But when he was at Pitt, when he was at Rutgers, he was one of the best recruiters in the entire country. He was recruiting some of the best players to those schools. I knew that about him from a long time ago, and when we worked together at the 49ers, I told him that he was going to be an unbelievable head football coach someday. I believed in him from the get-go.”"
The 2020 recruiting class began top-heavy on offensive but things are beginning to even out with 9 of the 22 commits being on the defensive side of the ball, and one is a kicker.
The Ohio State class is currently ranked No. 3 behind Clemson and Alabama, but not far behind either.
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Coaches who thought with Urban Meyer stepping down Ohio State recruiting would take a step back were wrong. Ryan Day and his staff have kept things rolling. And don’t expect that to change anytime soon.