Ohio State Football Recruiting
Dotting the ‘Eyes: Mekhail Sherman bonds with Urban Meyer, new offers out
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, including today’s notes about 5-star linebacker Mekhail Sherman and a couple new Ohio State offers.
Mekhail Sherman has solid bond with Ohio State
One of the country’s top 2020 prospects has unfortunately seen the end of his junior season as the result of a torn ACL.
Prayers & Blessing will be appreciated as I Undergo Surgery Tomorrow.🙏🏽 Love My Fans.
— Mekhail Sherman🌹 (@JuicedUpK9) October 17, 2018
“I blew out my ACL,” Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High School’s Mekhail Sherman told Lettermen Row on Tuesday night. “I got hit. Really bad.”
On Wednesday, Sherman underwent surgery to the repair the knee. On Thursday morning, one of the first people he reached out to after the procedure was Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
“Urban Meyer was one of the first people I called right after my surgery,” Sherman said. “Just him being there for me.”
Asked how many other college coaches Sherman tried to connect with as he emerged from the surgical haze, Sherman was quick to reply.
“Nobody else except for my high school coaches,” he said. “Other coaches did text me, though.”
Sherman is the country’s No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2020. He visited Ohio State for the first time last summer and instantly hit it off with Meyer and linebackers coach Bill Davis, a trip that led to all four current 247Sports.com crystal ball predictions on his profile having a slant for the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound linebacker doesn’t hide the fact that he’s long held serious reverence for Ohio State.
“It is crazy [having that relationship],” Sherman said. “Especially because Ohio State was my dream school growing up.”
The 5-star 2020 prospect expects to be back to full strength by April, and he will likely visit Ohio State in November, when the Buckeyes host Michigan during the last weekend of the regular season.
Michigan prospect Ian Stewart enjoys Ohio State trip
The Buckeyes offered Michigan 2020 wide receiver Ian Stewart on Sept. 25, and on Oct. 13 he made the relatively short drive from Rockwood to Columbus to check out what the program had to offer for the first time.
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete, Stewart is Michigan’s ninth-ranked player in 2020 and has already collected offers from Michigan and Michigan State along with Ohio State among his 20 early ones. The trip to Columbus was a big one for him.
“Ohio State was a great visit,” Stewart told Lettermen Row. “It was everything and more than I expected.”
The Buckeyes are near the top of the list for Michigan wideouts Rashawn Williams and Devell Washington already, and Stewart is another name to keep watching. Expect that all three of those players make their way to East Lansing this weekend as Michigan and Michigan State square off.
Ohio State offers a pair of Florida defensive backs
Ohio State is standing pat when it comes to defensive back recruiting in 2019, but the Buckeyes have turned up the activity a bit when it comes to the Class of 2020.
On Tuesday and Wednesay, a pair of Florida defensive backs were offered by the Buckeyes, including Miami Hurricanes commitment Jaiden Francois.
Extremely blessed to receive an offer from Ohio state #Dbu⭕️ 🙅🏾♂️@CoachTonyAlford @Andrew_Ivins @rudyjo821 @MiamiImmortals @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/1TFR8JeEKr
— 2️⃣✈️ (@jHumble22) October 16, 2018
Francois is a 3-star prospect ranked as the country’s No. 26 safety in 2020. He has 11 scholarship offers at present, and the Buckeyes offer was quickly followed up by one from Penn State. The 6-foot, 185-pound Francois has six interceptions so far in his junior season.
On Wednesday evening, it was the Ohio State staff following the lead of the Nittany Lions and offering Deland, Fla. 4-star safety Avantae Williams.
BLESSED TO BE OFFERED BY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/7PdIUS6H3k
— Tae Williams (@SlowDownBoy7) October 18, 2018
Williams is the country’s second-ranked safety in 2020 and now has 24 offers, including Alabama, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and others. So far, that has made him one of the country’s most sought after 2020 defensive backs.
Chimere Dike hearing from Ohio State, talks visit
Waukesha (Wisc.) 2020 athlete Chimere Dike made a trip to Ohio State on Oct. 6 and saw the Buckeyes handle the Indiana Hoosiers.
Great game day visit at THE Ohio State University! Thanks to the coaches for having me down. @OhioStateFB @WestonZernechel pic.twitter.com/kEOPudOo2b
— Chimere Dike (@chimdk11) October 7, 2018
A 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect, Dike was contacted by the Buckeyes a few weeks ago after the coaching staff came across game film.
“I was contacted pretty recently by them,” Dike told Lettermen Row. “I’m not sure how [they found me] exactly. I’m pretty sure they watched my game film from this year. It was shortly after that when I was invited to a game.”
The Ohio State staff was only able to spend a little time with Dike, who is still waiting on his first offer, but overall the trip was absolutely a success.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I really liked the atmosphere of the game and the people. It’s definitely something I’ll remember. The stadium was huge and you could feel how much the fans cared about the game. It was a really cool atmosphere for sure.”
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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.
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