Ohio State recruiting: Lejond Cavazos timeline, Buckeyes lead for local 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. Today’s update has a commitment date for Lejond Cavazos, a top 10 list for one of the country’s best defensive linemen and a pair of Ohio prospects with the Buckeyes at the top of their lists.

Lejond Cavazos has set new commitment date

A date is set, and we’ll know within two weeks if Ohio State has done enough to prove to former commitment Lejond Cavazos that Columbus is still the best place for his college football future.

I will be announcing my commitment to one of these six schools on April 12th at 6 pm EST. pic.twitter.com/bjbNKHzFMW

— Lej (@lejondaryy) March 31, 2019

Cavazos visited Ohio State for the first time since his December decommitment over the weekend of March 22, and there’s been a surge of optimism that he will return to the fold. But long-time interests like Georgia and Oregon remain very much in contention, as do the Miami Hurricanes, a program he’s visited this spring.

Ohio State has zero defensive commitments in the Class of 2020 and adding Cavazos back into the mix would be a major win for Ryan Day’s first full recruiting class.

Deamonte Trayanum talks Ohio State, timeline, position

Many people, including Deamonte Trayanum himself, thought his recruitment would be over by now.

That’s not the case, and if Ohio’s seventh-ranked prospect is taken at his word, it could still be a while before any decision is reached in his recruitment.

“I wanted to make a decision by the end of next month,” Trayanum said Sunday at The Opening. “But how things are going, that’s going to have to get postponed probably.”

New schools are popping up on the radar for the now 6-foot, 220-pound Trayanum. He visited Notre Dame on Saturday and called his first trip to South Bend an “awesome visit.” Still, the Buckeyes have been in the mix from the start and remain at the top of his list.

“Right now Ohio State and Wisconsin are the frontrunners,” he said. “Right behind them, creeping in is Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan.”

This week, Trayanum will visit Penn State, and he’s eager to get a visit set to Wisconsin and Michigan after that. He does not have any other visits set yet to Ohio State and intends to set up all of his official visits before scheduling another round of unofficial trips, so there’s no plan for a spring game trek set yet. On Sunday, Trayanum worked at running back and defensive back, an interesting twist to his recruitment because it appears he is now allowing for the thought of playing defense in college.

“I came in not knowing, I was like ‘Hey, let’s get some DB work in,'” Trayanum said. “I’ve showcased both on my film, so I just wanted to come out here and compete.

“Defensive back feels natural. I played strong safety and corner during the regular season and I played corner the whole game of the [state] championship game. It’s pretty fun out there. Everyone is saying I can play whatever I want to play, but whoever wants me as a strong safety honestly has a shot.”

Ohio State makes top 10 for Braiden McGregor

On Sunday, Port Huron (Mich.) Northern standout defensive end Braiden McGregor was in Massillon tearing up The Opening regional camp as one of the most dominant athletes in attendance. After his performance, McGregor spoke with Lettermen Row about his recruitment and the Buckeyes efforts.

In that video, McGregor mentioned he was set to release a top-10 schools list on Monday, which he did:

Thank you to all of the schools that have recruited me. By no means was this easy to narrow my list. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to build relationships with everyone that has recruited me. With that being said, here are my top ten schools. pic.twitter.com/DTq7JQVNWE

— Braiden McGregor (@BraidenMcgregor) April 1, 2019

The Buckeyes are going to get probably one more shot at the 6-foot-5, 250-pound McGregor, and that’s coming in the next few weeks when he and his family make a trip to Columbus. Ohio State has been a consistent player in the recruitment of the country’s 11th-ranked strongside defensive end since he first camped there in the summer of 2018. He’s been reluctant to ever name an actual leader in his recruitment — but Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State have been in the battle since the start and will likely be the teams that fight to the end for him.

Expect a decision by the start of the summer, if not sooner.

Mike Drennen has Buckeyes at top of the list

Ohio State is, as expected, the team to beat for Dublin Coffman 2020 athlete Mike Drennen II, the state of Ohio’s third-ranked prospect.

“I talk to Coach Day almost every day,” Drennen said Sunday at The Opening. “Ohio State is the one to beat, and I think they’re going to carry on the traditions from [Urban] Meyer. Coach Day is really chill, but I sense a different level of intensity there. I would say Kentucky is definitely pushing, though, and so is Florida and Penn State. I’ve also been hearing more from Alabama and Georgia.”

Drennen is a local kid, and he’s been to Ohio State more times than he can count. But he’s trying to figure out the best fit for him on the field and off of it. Though he worked at running back on Sunday, Drennen has a host of schools recruiting him to play more of a wide receiver role.

“I have 33 offers right now, about half are recruiting me as a running back, and half as a slot guy,” Drennen said. “Ohio State, I see myself like a Jaelen Gill and K.J. Hill in the H-back situation. If I have the hands, I may as well use them. [Running backs coach Tony] Alford has talked about that a little bit.

“My freshman year, I played in the slot so I know that makes me different than a lot of the guys out here. I’m already very comfortable running routes and stuff. That makes me more dynamic than everyone else.”

Talking to the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Drennen, it’s easy to notice that he’s handling his recruitment the way he handles everything else: laid back. He’s not allowed the stresses of the recruiting process to take over his life.

“I try not to think about it that much,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m 17 years old. Whenever it gets overwhelming, I just click my phone off and put it face down. I’m only 17 once.

“I’m going to make a [top-schools] list late spring or early summer. I plan to take some officials in the summer and maybe two in the season. I probably won’t take an official to Ohio State since I’m so close and I’ve been there so many times.”