Ohio State Buckeyes CB coach Tim Walton has a bigger-picture victory than Princeton/former Cincinnati Taft corner/quarterback Monsanna Torbert's potential commitment would bring to the 55-year-old's resume.
Per Cleveland.com's Andrew Gillis, "Should he choose the Buckeyes, he would give the secondary a massive boost as it searches for its first cornerback commitment. With another strong class, Tim Walton would solidify the pipeline he’s got built."
Walton has done an exemplary job since being hired in 2022, bringing in-state studs like Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, Jermaine Mathews Jr., and Cody Haddad. Of course, a few of those have moved on, but Walton has done a tremendous job in the high school ranks. Torbert would continue that dominant trend and bring life to a 2027 class that hasn't seen any blue-chip defensive backs join the cause.
Still, there's a very formidable opponent on the recruiting trail that's gunning for Torbert, who recently de-committed from the Indiana Hoosiers, within the Big Ten. Closer than that. Within "The Game" rivalry.
TTUN is a formidable roadblock for Ohio State to land Monsanna Torbert, but the Buckeyes are still the favorite
Just like the Buckeyes haven't begun building their secondary, the Wolverines are still looking for an addition to the 2027 class lining up out wide. Kyle Whittingham and Jernaro Gilford, who joins TTUN from the BYU Cougars, are serious about marching into Cincy and stealing a remarkably athletic recruit from both the defending champions and the Scarlet and Gray.
Oftentimes, you'll see posts talking about recruiting someone "over" another school, when in reality, there was never a true battle anyway. This one is different. Both sides of "The Game" rivalry want to get one on Curt Cignetti's emerging juggernaut. And now the greatest rivalry in sports is the new final two, with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish having been eliminated. Torbert's recruitment is as dramatic as it gets.
Torbert will be in Ann Arbor this weekend and in Columbus from June 12-14. The bidding war will be brutal. The Wolverines get a chance to make an impression that lasts longer, while the Buckeyes get a chance to one-up it.
Torbert got swept up in the hoopla of IU's national championship run in January. It only took half a year to have his doubts about whether there was something sustainable in Bloomington. It's notable that he immediately targeted OSU and TTUN. Even turning down Notre Dame could be a statement about how Torbert feels about Marcus Freeman's future in South Bend.
Could Torbert similarly come to find that the stability he thinks might be there with the Maize and Blue after hiring Kyle Whittingham is merely a facade? Whittingham built something meaningful over decades with the Utah Utes. The Wolverines are barely his product right now, besides what he did in the transfer portal this past January.
Ryan Day inarguably has the deepest roots where he is among Torbert's remaining contenders. Torbert has the deepest roots in O-H-I-O. There's a reason most view the Buckeyes as the team to beat in this race.
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