Tate Martell is already recruiting the top receivers to come to Ohio State
There are a bunch of benefits to getting a commitment from a highly touted quarterback recruit early in the process. An obvious benefit is that they can recruit other top-flight skill players to join them.
Ohio State has that in Tate Martell.
A day after the nation’s top-dual threat-quarterback announced his commitment to the Buckeyes, he’s already hitting the ground running. That, of course, involves recruiting some big-time skill players.
Martell tweeted about the possibility of locking down three of the top-five receivers in the country, all of whom have major interest in the Buckeyes:
Y'all wanna see a scary sight…
• @TrevonGrimes7
• @tyjonlindsey
• @dpeoplesjones2017 Ohio State Buckeye WR's
— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) June 13, 2016
Naturally, that got plenty of response. Buckeye fans liked it, as did the guys Martell mentioned.
Five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones is the No. 1 receiver recruit in the country, according to the 247sports composite. The Cass Tech (MI) product answered Martell’s tweet with a pair of pro-Buckeye responses.
— Donovan P. Jones (@dpeoplesjones) June 13, 2016
?????? #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/u6ZyPLXCyl
— Donovan P. Jones (@dpeoplesjones) June 13, 2016
Tyjon Lindsey, a four-star receiver from Corona, Calif., has the Buckeyes in his final nine choices. The No. 5 receiver in the 2017 class has a close relationship with Martell, which was evident when he made the announcement on Sunday night.
OMM I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS COMING..? CONGRATS TATE MAN NO MATTER WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS BROTHERS, TOGETHER OR NOT. Love u https://t.co/fs6kw8Z08x
— Tyjon A. Lindsey ® (@tyjonlindsey) June 13, 2016
Lindsey won’t be making his announcement until Aug. 22, so Martell still has a couple months to make his pitch.
And the third player mentioned by Martell, No. 4 receiver Trevon Grimes, has already been retweeting his fair share of Ohio State edits and more. The 247sports crystal ball has Ohio State as the 93 percent favorite to land the St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) product after he named them his favorite in April.
Will Martell’s recruiting ways work? That remains to be seen.
We do know that the Buckeyes don’t have a single receiver committed in their No. 1-ranked 2017 class. We also know that Martell is one of the most high-profile players in the 2017 class, and he knows players across the country from his various showcases.
He’ll definitely have his fair share of competition. The top quarterback recruit in the country, five-star Michigan commit Dylan McCaffrey, has been making similar pitches behind the scenes. He admitted he’s been talking plenty with Peoples-Jones among others since he made his commitment during the spring.
It’s not news that Michigan and Ohio State are fighting over top recruits. It’d be news if they weren’t.