Recruiting Question of the Day
Is Ohio State in danger of losing 4-star cornerback commit Jordan Battle?
Have a question about Ohio State recruiting? This is the place for you, five days a week. Submit your questions on Twitter or on the Lettermen Row forums. Check in daily to see what’s on the mind of Buckeyes fans all over the country, like today as the discussion looks at Jordan Battle.
Ohio State Recruiting Question of the Day
We’re one day closer to the end of the Urban Meyer mess in Columbus, but no matter what the outcome is this week, there are going to be questions about the impact on Ohio State recruiting for the next handful of weeks and months.
It is inevitable. Those who wish to use this Zach Smith fiasco as means to damage Meyer’s legacy are going to do just that, whether he stays at the helm for the Buckeyes for 20 more years or 20 more hours. Negative recruiters will highlight at every turn whatever issue will speak the loudest to a recruit and his family.
It’s going to happen, every single day to every single Ohio State commit. There is almost certainly going to be a decommitment or two when all the smoke clears, even if Meyer is reinstated.
Today’s question is one that could be asked in perpetuity from this point, so long as you swapped out the name in question.
Some recent Florida crystal ball for Jordan Battle, should we be worried?
— Bleveland Bavs (@SaintLilRonDon) August 20, 2018
So right now, it’s Jordan Battle, the 4-star cornerback from Ohio State hotspot St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There have been a few recent predictions linking Battle and the Florida Gators. It should be noted that one of those predictions is from an LSU-affiliated writer, while the other works primarily for burnt-orange Texas audience.
Why Florida? I can’t rightly say. The only team that was in the running to upend the Buckeyes at the time of his commitment was Miami, and that is still the team I’d flip my crystal ball to in the event of a coaching change in Columbus.
Battle has consistently been a top priority for cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson. Johnson and safeties coach Alex Grinch have picked up the slack on the communication end with Battle and his family since the firing of Zach Smith, who was the primary recruiter for South Florida and St. Thomas Aquinas. The Buckeyes are also hoping that relationships with current cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Shaun Wade, as well as Nick Bosa, help keep the waters calm as Meyer’s fate is hashed out.
Should there be worry about Jordan Battle? Yes, of course. There should be worry about every single commit, no matter what they’re saying publicly. That worry should grow exponentially if Urban Meyer is let go by Ohio State this week. It’s an uncomfortable but obvious truth that Buckeyes fans need to prepare for, because there is no sure way to know what is going to happen later this week.
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Birm is Lettermen Row's Director of Recruiting and the site's primary Ohio State sports photographer. A Toledo, Ohio native, Jeremy has been in similar roles for elevenwarriors.com and Landof10.com and has been covering the Buckeyes for seven years.
