'The first beer is going to taste good.' After whirlwind day, Buckeyes retain top recruits
Ryan Day looked to the back of the room, got the good news, and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. The Ohio State coach shook his head a couple of times before his knees literally buckled, only partly for dramatic effect.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the top prospect nationally in the 2024 recruiting class, had announced he would stick with his Ohio State commitment instead of signing with his hometown Miami Hurricanes.
National Signing Days have always been fraught with drama, but in the name, image and likeness era, coaches’ stomachs are in knots all day. Relationships built over years can be set aside if a school swoops in with a big enough last-minute NIL enticement. At the very least, the fear of that is ever-present.
“There’s a lot of variables in place now that weren’t in the past so there’s a little bit more unknown than previously,” Day said. “You’re not always sure of all the details of everything that’s going on.”
For Ohio State, keeping Smith was only half the battle. The Buckeyes were also in danger of losing Buford, Georgia, five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston. Recruiting analysts reported Wednesday morning that Houston, who committed four months ago, was leaning toward Alabama.
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As good a prospect as Smith is, losing Houston might have been as devastating. Ohio State had already lost five-star lineman Justin Scott to Miami last week and has lost several blue-chip linemen at the wire in recent recruiting cycles. Three-star end Eric Mensah is the only other defensive lineman who signed Wednesday with the Buckeyes.
Speculation about Larry Johnson’s future has been one of the issues. Johnson is considered perhaps the best defensive line coach in college football history given the number of star players he has recruited and developed. But he is in his early 70s – he’s been reluctant to divulge his age – and other programs have used that against him in recruiting.
When asked about Johnson, Day took the opportunity to give a vigorous endorsement. He said Johnson still has plenty of energy and passion for coaching and that his players love him.
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When Day was asked if he expects Johnson to return for another season, he answered, “Yes.”
“This is a guy who’s developed unbelievable players,” Day said. “Some people can talk about how they develop. Larry has actually done it. There’s a body of work there. Also, he’s got a lot of wisdom to him. When you’re going into a room every day with somebody, you’re counting on them to mentor your young man. I think that’s where families feel comfortable with that when they hand their son over to Larry Johnson.”
Back in Georgia, Houston must have gotten word about Day’s comments. A few minutes later, Day paused the press conference to take a phone call from Houston. Seventeen minutes later, Day came back to the lectern with a smile on his face.
Like Smith, Houston would become a Buckeye, after all.
“I’m really, really excited about Eddrick,” Day said. “Larry worked hard on this one. He comes from an unbelievable program in Buford. We feel he’s an impact player Day 1. It was a long process to get to signing day. But we identified him early as someone who was a difference-maker. That was a big one for us.”
Houston’s commitment had been considered shaky lately. Smith’s had been regarded as relatively firm. But at his announcement, Smith had hats for both Ohio State and Miami and said his decision “came down to the last two minutes.”
He said the lure of playing in his hometown was strong, but Ohio State’s long success in producing top receivers prevailed.
“It was tough, but I went with my gut, and that was Ohio State,” Smith said. “It was where I felt I would be better developed as a receiver. Ohio State was just the best fit for me.
“They produce first-round receivers, and I want to be the next first-rounder to come out of Ohio State.”
Ohio State hadn’t received the letter of intent for Smith by the end of Day’s press conference. It arrived late Wednesday evening, so Day wasn’t permitted by NCAA rules to comment on him.
The Buckeyes did have one committed player flip on them. Four-star receiver Jeremiah McClellan signed with Oregon.
That was a disappointment, but nothing compared to the sky-is-falling talk that would have come if they’d lost Smith and Houston. It’s been a tough month for Ohio State with the loss to Michigan and the transfer of quarterback Kyle McCord.
Significant signing-day losses would have continued a negative narrative about the Buckeyes. Instead, Smith and Houston stuck to their commitments.
Asked what Wednesday had been like for him, Day smiled.
“I mean, the first beer is going to taste good,” he said.
“When you have really good players, it’s going to come down to the wire, and that’s how it goes. It’s the most competitive environment there is when it comes down to signing day and you’re trying to get the best players in the country. But I’m excited we’ve added some big pieces here.”
And didn’t lose two of the biggest.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Whirlwind signing day ends with Ohio State retaining Smith, Houston
