Defensive Prospects: Ohio State Football Camp 6/1/22

There were a number of offensive players who stood out as I wrote yesterday. Today I will be chronicling several defensive players who stood out to me on the day. The defensive line especially performed well on the day. It may just be my perception, but it really seems like Ohio State is focusing on recruiting Ohio kids this offseason as much as I can remember in any recent offseason. That pursuit led to few offers that I’ll talk about later. First, however I want to talk a few kids who I liked who I got to see for the first time in person. [caption id="attachment_353938" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/Noah-Patterson-crop-2191x1438-1654355896.jpg"><img class="wp-image-353938 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/Noah-Patterson-crop-2191x1438-1654355896-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="354350" first="Noah" last="Patterson"][/caption] 2024 DL [player_tooltip player_id="354350" first="Noah" last="Patterson"] (Ironton) 6’3 250- I really like what I saw from Patterson. He plays with heavy hands and is country strong. He has a good get-off that he transitions to power well. I like him as a strong side defensive end in a 3-4 or a rush tackle in a 4-3 at the next level. I really expect him to start getting D1 mid-major attention this offseason. 2026 OLB Cam Thomas (Lakota West) 6’0 190- Cam has chosen to transfer into Lakota West high school from Kentucky. Thomas shows great burst off the ball. Not only does he win with his quickness, but he shows high level hand usage for an incoming freshman. He’s just a really solid athlete who’s a hard worker and he gets it. I’m very excited to see what the future holds for Cam Thomas! 2024 EDGE [player_tooltip player_id="284547" first="Elias" last="Rudolph"] (Taft) 6’4 220- I’ve been writing about Elias since he was coming out of his freshman year, and he just keeps getting better. He has great length, burst, and athleticism. I could see him either as a weakside DE or as a Joker at the linebacker position in college. He came out of camp with a prized offer from DL Coach Larry Johnson and the Ohio State Buckeyes. I expect this to be the start of the D1 blue blood offers. It’s going to be a big camp season for Elias and then the start of narrowing things down. By the time all is said and done, I expect him to be a 30-scholarship kid. [caption id="attachment_353947" align="alignright" width="333"]<img class="wp-image-353947 " style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/bralen-boone-e1654356239406-300x171.jpg" alt="" width="333" height="190" /> Bralen Boone[/caption] 2023 DE Bralen Boone (Ontario) 6’2 215- The first thing that popped out to me about Braylen was his get-off. He has a solid bull rush and a good motor. What I’d like to see more of from Bralen are more violent hands and technique. He tends to want to play into the body of the offensive linemen which negates his athleticism. I like Bralen as a low D2 to high D3 prospect. 2023 CB [player_tooltip player_id="274818" first="Jermaine" last="Mathews"] (Winton Woods) 6’0 180- Mathews is another who picked up an vaunted Ohio State offer. He has an elite combo of size and speed. He ran a blazing 4.35 at the camp, which at 6’0 180 is elite speed. He’s not just a speedster he’s a competitor. Every rep he could get himself into, he was in. He’s not the type of kid to back down from anyone. Those are the type of physical tools and mentality that elite college football programs are looking for. Jermaine will have a lot of offers and thinking to do heading into his senior season. He’s told me he has no timeline for when he’d like to commit. 2024 Garrett Stover (Big Walnut) 6’2 200- Stover is a plus athlete. He’s a fluid runner who runs downhill. Because of his physicality and athleticism, he’s the kind of hybrid linebacker that is all the rage in this pass happy age of football. The coverage skills are a work in progress, but he’s very coachable and you could see him catching onto and implementing the teaching of the OSU coaches. Stover also picked up an OSU offer on the day. His attitude and ability to take coaching should be a lesson to all camp goers out there and it paid off for him big time! 2023 DT [player_tooltip player_id="189492" first="Will" last="Smith"] (Dublin Coffman) 6’3 268- I talked to Will, who committed to Ohio State earlier this offseason, and he said he’s now up to 268 pounds. He said the plan for him at OSU will be to slide down and play Defensive Tackle. I’d say he’s added 20 pounds of good weight since last year when he camped at OSU. He’s explosive and he’s stout at the point of attack. In my opinion he’s a 3 star that’s flying a little under the radar at this point. I think he’s someone that could come in and surprise people. Probably not in year one, but at some point. This is NOT just a legacy offer. [caption id="attachment_353950" align="alignleft" width="280"]<img class="wp-image-353950 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/Brian-Robinson-e1654356601896-300x212.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="198" /> Brian Robinson[/caption] 2024 EDGE Brian Robinson (Austintown Fitch) 6’4 230- Brian or "B Rob" didn’t come out with an OSU offer, but I thought he had a great day. He showed of that great combo of size and athleticism. I’ve seen him live a couple of times now and what stood out to me this time was his fluid hips and ability to turn and run. I kind of had him pigeonholed to the DE position, but I really think he’d be an excellent fit as a WIL backer in a 3-4 scheme with his ability to come down and play the run or drop and cover TE’s. I think he’s in for a big June camp season. 2023 LB [player_tooltip player_id="284446" first="Owen" last="Davis"] (North Union) 6’3 215- Davis is another guy I love who can rush or cover. He plays downhill, but he also plays well in space and has great ball awareness. He does a great job of turning his hips and getting quick depth. He can cover ground for a big LB. He’s picked up offers from Purdue and Duke recently and has a ton of mid major interest. I can’t wait to see what is to come for Owen this summer!