Take Two: Bresee is a beast - but will he become a Buckeye?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.
MORE TAKE TWO: Will Fisher lead Texas A&M to top five recruiting class? | Who will be Clemson's starting quarterback to open the season?
THE STORYLINE
Ohio State is one of the front-runners for 2020 five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound superstar who is also looking at Penn State and some SEC schools. He recently released a top 15, as he stays pretty wide open in his recruitment.
The Buckeyes have done a phenomenal job landing high-end defensive linemen, especially since coach Urban Meyer’s arrival in Columbus, and then developing them into quality professionals. Joey Bosa comes to mind when talking about Bresee’s potential, and Bosa’s brother, Nick, is primed for another big season as Ohio State looks to return to the College Football Playoff.
Bresee, out of Damascus, Md., is currently ranked as the third-best prospect in the 2020 class, behind only Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and Upland, Calif., linebacker Justin Flowe. Joey Bosa ended up No. 47 in the 2013 class; Nick Bosa was a five-star and No. 21 in the 2016 class.
Is Ohio State the team to beat for Bresee? And can the five-star defensive end be next in line - like the Bosa brothers - to be a special edge rusher for Meyer’s club?
FIRST TAKE: ADAM FRIEDMAN, RIVALS.COM MID-ATLANTIC RECRUITING ANALYST
“Ohio State is a major contender for Bresee, but the Buckeyes aren’t alone in that group. Penn State, Alabama and Georgia have made huge impressions and should be getting him back on campus in the not-too-distant future. He has a great relationship with Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson, but he’s not the only coach that Bresee and his family have developed strong bonds with.
“Each of the schools at the forefront of Bresee’s recruitment have a history of producing excellent defensive linemen. They’ve turned underrated prospects into draft picks, refined extremely talented players into first-round picks, and know how to put these players in the best possible position to raise their stock in the NFL Draft. The defensive line tradition at Ohio State does help the Buckeyes, but it may not stand out as much among the rest of the schools near the top of Bresee’s list.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“I don’t know if you can compare him to the Bosa brothers. Those guys were freaks, and they had a pedigree with their father - who was a very, very good player that not a lot of people heard about, but was an All-American.
“This kid is big and talented, for sure. Wherever he ends up, he’s going to be a star. It’s just hard to use the Bosa name with anybody, especially with how well those kids have played. Ohio State has a great shot with Bresee, but I wouldn’t count out Penn State and some SEC schools, too.”
