Give it time, and things will surely work out. One of the things that the Ohio State Buckeyes have done better than seemingly everyone under Ryan Day's watch is recruit the best wide receivers in the country. It does not matter what part of the country they hail from, Ohio State is always closing. Yes, it absolutely helps that offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is the very best at what he does in this, too.
One such player the Buckeyes seem to a keen eye on is an unranked 2027 recruiting prospect from Minnesota in David Mack. The Moorhead, Minnesota native will be playing for a Class 6A State Championship on Friday night in Minneapolis. After helping the Moorhead Spuds win last Friday night, he made his way to Columbus to see the Buckeyes demolish the UCLA Bruins during Big Ten play.
With him getting a photo op with his primary recruiter Hartline, could this mean Mack is now well on his way to Columbus in 2027? Then again, what happens if Hartline gets to lead his own program before the time Mack can enroll in college? Let that sink in... Regardless, Ohio State showing interest in a recruit who only has offers from home state Minnesota and South Dakota State speaks volumes.
Clearly, the big winner in all this is Mack, who could use this Ohio State visit to his advantage here.
Ohio State has a reputation for being Wide Receiver U in college football
For a program like Ohio State that tends to know what it is doing when it comes to evaluating a certain position group, to the victors go the spoils. In a way, maybe the Buckeyes used the Minnesota offer Mack had as a way of knowing that he can play in this league? It stinks for a team like Minnesota, as the Golden Gophers just are not as well-resourced as Ohio State. Then again, who really cares?
What Ohio State appears to be doing in courting an unheralded prospect like Mack is nothing new. Other juggernaut programs like Alabama, Georgia and Texas will find ways to swoop in and get a player of Mack's caliber before he ever really gets onto the national recruiting radar. It is what it is. Minnesota and South Dakota State identified him, only for teams like Ohio State to harvest the crop.
In the end, we can trust Day and Hartline's evaluations here at this key position group. They seem to have a better idea of what is going on at wide receiver than pretty much any other program in the country. For now, Mack has a state championship to win and another year of high school football ahead of him. He remains uncommitted, but he is certainly starting to gather some interest of late.
Mack seems to be destined to play in the Midwesterner footprint, but time is certainly on his side.