Rivals Recap: Stars shine in Ohio playoffs

The state playoffs have started in Ohio, and week one featured several Division I prospects taking the field. Friday night it was Pickerington Central defeating Springfield in a matchup where both teams featured a pair of four-stars. Saturday saw Columbus St. Francis DeSales roll over Thornville-Sheridan 55-7.

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Few prospects in Ohio have done as much to boost their stock as Booth this season, and Saturday’s film is certainly going to help his cause for even more college attention. After coming off the field limping early in the first quarter, Booth quickly worked out his issues and ripped off a 59-yard touchdown run. He would come back with three more touchdowns before the clock ran out, including a 73-yarder. For such a big back, Booth has outstanding feet. He combines that with patience and vision and all the benefits his 235-pound frame provides.

This game featured two of the top six tight end prospects from the 2018 class, and Gillison lived up that lofty billing. He made four receptions for 56 yards, but three of those receptions were highlight quality, including a one-handed snag on a pass thrown behind him that would make Odell Beckham Jr. proud. Gillison showed tremendous concentration through the catch has an exceptional pair of hands. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds on the roster, but he does not look quite that big. At the next level he likely will be able to fill that flex tight end role.

Even on a field that featured as much talent as Friday night’s game did, Davis’ athleticism stood out. The Rivals250 senior makes it look easy and effortless, even though it was obvious from the outset that Pickerington Central’s game plan was to limit Davis’ impact. They kicked away from him and always had a safety stacked on top of a cornerback over him. Springfield used Davis as a decoy as a result and he finished with just two receptions, but they went for 86 yards and a touchdown. Davis lined up at running back for a few plays, but his offensive line was unable to open up running lanes for him.

Van Fossen and fellow 2018 teammate Brian Asamoah bring similar repertoires to the table from a size and skill standpoint. Asamoah had a good game and could have made the cut here, but Van Fossen was especially impressive. In one half of play the 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect had six tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Physically Van Fossen is between a safety and a linebacker body right now. Most likely he will grow some and become a WILL linebacker at the next level, where his speed and nose for the football will be taken advantage of.

Michigan State’s first commitment in the 2018 class, Henderson book-ended his night with spectacular plays. The cornerback prospect lines up as a free safety in Pickerington Central’s defense, and showed his closing speed early in the game when four-star wideout Danny Davis beat the cornerback and went streaking down the sideline. Henderson, though, arrived with the football and knocked it out of Davis’ hands. Henderson would finish by intercepting a fourth quarter pass, then coming back on the subsequent offensive possession to catch a 72-yard touchdown pass.

It might be a stretch to put a senior in this category, especially one who has already landed several Division I offers. Corkrean, though, is not particularly well-known on the recruiting scene and he tends to get overshadowed by some of the bigger names on that DeSales team. Friday night Corkrean was not overshadowed, though, with a big catch-and-run 53-yard touchdown and an interception he almost returned for a touchdown. Corkrean has good size for the linebacker position and he can run. His offers have come from Air Force, Columbia and Davidson, but he should be generating Mid-American Conference attention by now.

Springfield’s four-star senior, Danny Davis, is in the midst of a closely-watched recruitment, and after Friday’s game he listed the five schools which have the best shot to land his services: Wisconsin, Oregon, West Virginia, Kentucky and Penn State. An official visit to Wisconsin is planned for the Nov. 26 weekend, while Oregon and West Virginia are also locked in to host Davis officially after the season. Davis could take this decision all the way out to National Signing Day.

DeSales athlete Brian Asamoah has been one of the hottest class of 2018 prospects in the Midwest over the last month-and-a-half, reeling in his first seven offers in the last six weeks. On Friday he had a solid all-around game, which included a touchdown run. Asamoah’s night ended early, however, when he went down awkwardly on a carry in the third quarter. He spent the rest of the game on the trainer’s table with his left ankle taped, though he assured me it was not serious.

Rivals100 2018 tight end Trenton Gillison holds 15 offers, but one he does not have is Ohio State. Gillison is in regular contact with the Ohio State staff and visited for a game earlier this year. They have told him thus far that they are interested, but want to wait until after the season to consider an offer further. For his part, Gillison has no favorites and is in no rush to make his college selection. He has made game visits so far to Michigan and Michigan State and plans to make return trips to Michigan State and Ohio State this month of his schedule allows.

Among the newest offers for three-star DeSales fullback Alonzo Booth is Boston College, which was his first from a Power Five program. Booth visited Boston back in June and currently lists the Eagles among his top two. The other program in that top two is Marshall, and their close proximity to his central Ohio home is a plus. It will be interesting to watch what happens with Michigan, though. The Wolverines have been regularly contacting Booth after he made a visit to one of their home games last month. The Wolverines are evaluating the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Booth for the position currently manned by Khalid Hill.

Rivals250 class of 2018 jumbo athlete Leonard Taylor ended a nearly five-month commitment to Michigan just before the start of his junior season, but said Friday night he maintains a strong relationship with the Wolverines and talks with defensive line coach Greg Mattison regularly. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior was arguably the most physically impressive prospect on the field Friday night, but offered little clarity on which position he will play in college. He looks closer to 270 pounds and likely grows too big to play a skill position in college.

Three-star running back Morgan Ellison got a late start to his recruiting process after missing most of his junior season, but the 6-foot-1, 220-pound back has made up for it with a big senior campaign, which included two touchdown runs on Friday night. Power Five schools have mostly addressed their running back situations, though, and Ellison has been unable to land a scholarship offer from that level despite showing clear Power Five-level ability. So on Friday, before Pickerington Central’s opening round playoff game, Ellison announced a commitment to the Ohio Bobcats. He still maintains contact with several Power Five schools, including Indiana, and it will be interesting to see if a late Power Five offer would affect his Ohio commitment.

Class of 2019 cornerback Moses Douglass is the next big thing emerging at Springfield, but he has been out since week 2 with a broken leg. Surprisingly, though, Douglass returned to the field Friday night after missing just nine weeks. He saw only spot duty as he was eased back into action, but showed no tentativeness. Douglass is up to 10 scholarship offers already, including Power Five programs Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Purdue, Rutgers and Syracuse.

Army 2017 linebacker commit Kieren Douglas tends to get overshadowed by all the young talent on Pickerington Central’s squad, but Friday night No. 14 proved to be the heart and soul of the Tiger’s defensive unit. I do not have his exact tackle stats, but after a string of plays where Douglas was responsible for bringing down the ball carrier, the Springfield offensive coordinator yelled out, “someone has to block No. 14.”