Daniel Harris sets Ohio State official visit, talking to Buckeyes regularly
COLUMBUS — Ohio State remains one of the schools recruiting Daniel Harris the hardest.
The country’s No. 4-ranked cornerback according to On3.com, Harris is a long, athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound cornerback from Gulliver Prep (Miami) and a player that Buckeyes cornerbacks coach Tim Walton has identified as a top target for Ohio State.
Harris says he and the first-year Buckeyes assistant are speaking regularly. He chatted about Ohio State with On3.com’s Joseph Hastings on Friday.
“I reach out and talk to him a lot,” Daniel Harris told On3.com. “Like every day.”
Those conversations have been all about the Buckeyes cornerbacks history and why Walton is the man to keep that going in Columbus.
“I’ve been building a relationship with Coach Walton, and he tells me about how he coached all of the best defensive backs,” Harris said. “He’s coached Denzel Ward and Jalen Ramsey. Denzel Ward, he just got the highest-paid contract, and he’s from Ohio State.
“He said they’re producing the best defensive backs and I like what I saw.”
Ohio State has a commitment from Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson and would love to add Harris to him in the Class of 2023. He’ll make his first visit to Columbus on the weekend of June 11, an official visit with the Buckeyes.
“Basically I’m looking forward to seeing campus,” Daniel Harris told Hastings. “See how the coaches are, how the environment is and see if it fits me. I want to see if it feels like [being] at home for me. Could I play there the next three, four years?”
Buckeyes safeties coach Perry Eliano has played a role in the recruitment of Harris as well. He began recruiting the South Florida standout in his time at Cincinnati. The combination of Walton and Eliano are putting Ohio State in a good position. The next step is making sure the defensive mentality lines up. So far that seems to be the case.
“I like how they run their defense,” Daniel Harris said. “They prefer long, tall defensive backs, too. That’s what Coach Walton was telling me. He feels like he can coach me, produce me and put me in the league.
“I feel like I could fit in there. I can go into the program and produce and help change the defense and shut down my side of the field, playing man, playing zone, covering the [other team’s] best receiver.”
Ohio State, Georgia and Penn State have official visits scheduled with Harris.
The Buckeyes will get the first crack at him with the hope no other visits are necessary.
