Dotting the 'Eyes: Texas sophomore likes Ohio State, Buckeyes will host Massillon duo
Stay in touch or be left out because Ohio State recruiting is a 24-hour, seven-day-per-week obsession. What’s the latest news as the Buckeyes build for the future? Get that and more Sunday through Thursday on Lettermen Row.
Massillon 2021 standout Jayden Ballard will visit Ohio State
It’s game week in Columbus, and that means nearly every single day we’re learning about new players who are intending to visit Ohio State.
One of this weekend’s biggest visitors is Massillon (Ohio) Washington 2021 wide receiver Jayden Ballard, one of just two in-state prospects in the sophomore class who already holds an offer from the Buckeyes. The visit was confirmed to Lettermen Row by Tigers head coach Nate Moore.
Ballard figures to be a very important target for the Buckeyes program moving forward, along with Pickerington North’s Jack Sawyer. A 6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect, Ballard is the only in-state receiver in the 2019, 2020 or 2021 classes to have an offer from Ohio State.
TreVon Morgan is name to watch for Ohio State
Another Massillon wide receiver standout will be making the trip to Columbus with Ballard, per Nate Moore. That is 2019 prospect TreVon Morgan, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound wideout that could project at tight end or even linebacker at the next level.
Morgan, Ohio’s 76th-ranked player in the class of 2019, is fully recovered from a broken collarbone that kept him off the camp circuit this summer. He has six offers currently, but some of the bigger schools in the region are waiting to see how his senior season unfolds — including Ohio State. He’s trying to not let recruiting be his focus, as it can only interfere with his team’s goals.
“Schools are waiting to see how explosive I am this year,” Morgan told Lettermen Row. “I’ve got six offers, but really I’ve been focused on my team.”
New Buckeyes wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is aware of Morgan.
“They told me that they have another wide receiver spot,” he said. “He said that if I give some good film it could possibly be me who gets it.”
Talented 2021 prospect from Texas likes Ohio State
Moving back to the Class of 2021 but all the way down to Austin, Texas, let’s introduce a big-time prospect who has big-time interest in the Buckeyes.
Landyn Watson, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive end at Hutto (Texas) High School, has offers already from Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State and Houston. He’s got key visits scheduled to Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame — and wants a chance to head to Columbus and see the Buckeyes.
“I want to get an unofficial visit set up to Ohio State,” Watson told Lettermen Row. “My friend Garrett Wilson told me a lot about it, the environment and the success in their program, how many athletes they are putting in the NFL.
“I talk to Garrett a lot. … We are pretty close.”
Wilson is probably Ohio State’s best recruiter when it comes to the peer-to-peer stuff, so it doesn’t do any harm to have them on the case here. Watson isn’t your typical Texas kid, either. Like Wilson, he’s originally from Big Ten country.
“I am from Wisconsin — Milwaukee — and I moved when I was 7-years old,” he said. “So, I’ve somewhat been a Texas fan, but growing up I was a diehard Badgers fan. I’ve been a huge Buckeyes fan recently.”
When recruiting outside of Ohio, any little bit helps. The Buckeyes no doubt will spend some time getting to know Landyn Watson.
Dotting the ‘Eyes schedule change
As football season hits, there will be a slight change to the Dotting the ‘Eyes schedule, and I just wanted you all to be aware of it.
Starting Friday, Aug. 31, there will no longer be Dotting the ‘Eyes on Friday nights. Rather, the column will run from Sunday through Thursday.
Thank you for your understanding.
Working visitor’s list for Ohio State and Oregon State
So it’s game week and there’s no Dotting the ‘Eyes tomorrow night. Because of those two factoids, we’re going to start adding the weekend’s confirmed list of visitors to the Thursday night edition.
Got it?
Here’s a list of some of the bigger names that are expected at Ohio State on Saturday.
This isn’t complete, and it’s not a guarantee that others won’t be added or that some won’t be removed, but it’s a good starting point for what could be a return to normalcy for the Buckeyes program.