Donald Holl, coach of 2021 Ohio State football target Derrick Davis Jr., speaks on four-star safety’s recruitment: Buckeyes Recruiting Roundup

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State football team already has five defensive backs committed for the class of 2021, with four-star athlete Denzel Burke also expected to play in the secondary.

But as the Buckeyes come off the recent commitment of four-star cornerback Jordan Hancock, they are in position to possibly snag another defensive back, one who has an Ohio connection. Enter four-star safety Derrick Davis Jr., who plays at Gateway in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Davis’ father played at Glenville under revered coach Ted Ginn Sr.

The Buckeyes are in Davis’ top seven, along with Clemson, USC, LSU, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Georgia. Donald Holl, Davis’ high school coach, told cleveland.com he doesn’t know if Davis is anxious to make a decision.

But he does know Davis’ interest in the Buckeyes is legitimate.

“He’s been lowkey about a lot of things, but I know that clearly they’re in the mix and a school that he’s high on,” Holl said.

Holl said Davis had spoke about possibly committing before his senior season, but he isn’t sure if Davis will hold onto that deadline because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis has been on unofficial visits to each of his top schools, but because of the pandemic, official visits have been out of the picture.

Davis is the No. 2 safety in the nation on 247Sports and the No. 52 player overall. He might not be headed to Columbus, though, considering he has four crystal balls pointing him to Penn State. The Nittany Lions currently have four defensive backs in their 2021 recruiting class.

Holl said Davis can play as a single-high or double-high safety, along with playing in the box. Holl also said Davis can cover. With that multi-faceted skill set, Davis would be a nice addition to the Buckeyes.

Holl noted that Pennsylvania is on schedule to have a fall football season amid the pandemic, so as of now Davis will have a senior season. Holl said Davis does want to be an early enrollee wherever he commits, though.

Though recruiting can sometimes be overwhelming, with coaches across the country trying to sway recruits to their program, Holl has provided solid advice to Davis about the process.

“Enjoy it,” Holl said. “You can be overwhelmed by this thing and let it consume you and stress you out, or you can just take it for what it is. A reflection of you doing a good job and being a coveted athlete that a lot of people want and kind of enjoy the ride and make a decision that suits you both in terms of timing and your ultimate choice.”

Tristan Leigh of Robinson Secondary High School.247Sports

2021 five-star offensive tackle will announce top five Thursday

The ultimate decision has not arrived yet for 2021 five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh, but the schools who have a legitimate chance at earning his commitment will dwindle Thursday.

Leigh tweeted Wednesday that he will announce his top five schools Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. During May, Leigh released his top 15, which consisted of Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, Virginia, LSU, Florida, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Penn State, Oklahoma, Maryland, UCF, Alabama and USC.

Ohio State taking a spot in Leigh’s top five would be significant, especially considering the strength of some of his other suitors. It would also help the Buckeyes’ efforts in being one of the best recruiting classes ever. Leigh would bring the Buckeyes up to 312.20 projected points, according to 247Sports; Florida’s 2010 recruiting class is the best one ever with 324.62 points.

Scott Vossler, Leigh’s high school coach, told cleveland.com’s Stephen Means that once JC Latham committed to Alabama, the Buckeyes started recruiting Leigh more. Ohio State has used more of its coaching staff in its efforts to help land Leigh.

247Sports has Leigh as the No. 11 player in the nation and the No. 3 offensive tackle in its composite rankings. He has eight different crystal balls, with five for Clemson and one each for Penn State, Oklahoma and LSU.

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