Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State delivers with Buckeye Bash, now waits for results

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise! Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.

---

Ohio State gives Cam Martinez plenty to think about

Muskegon (Mich.) 3-star athlete Cam Martinez is one of the country’s best football players, and that’s the message the Buckeyes tried to deliver to him on his official visit this weekend in Columbus.

“I had a great time this weekend,” Martinez told Lettermen Row. “It was good to see the coaches again and interact with them. Also the players, I haven’t really hung out with the players. So it was good to spend time with them.

“Coach Day told me he thinks I’m one of the best athletes in this class. He just wants me on the team, no matter what position I play.”

That’s why Martinez, who was hosted by Buckeyes receiver Kamryn Babb, met separately this weekend with Brian Hartline and Jeff Hafley. He got to know each coach along with Day because Ohio State believes Martinez could be an All-Big Ten type talent on either side of the ball.

The Buckeyes don’t care where Martinez plays on the football field as long as he’s doing it in Columbus.

For more on Ohio State recruiting, check out the Sunday edition of Dotting the ‘Eyes.

Kourt Williams enters decision mode

The Buckeyes’ top target at the new Bullet position is Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco 4-star prospect Kourt Williams, who also made his official visit over the weekend. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound linebacker prospect thinks that plan fits his talents very well.

“The visit was great,” Williams told Lettermen Row. “It was just the whole tradition there. The whole plan and goal they have for their program. They have a really-highly ranked recruiting class this year and I can see why. I feel like that Bullet position is the perfect position for me to utilize my skill set.

I absolutely felt comfortable there. I just felt it inside the program, how the coaches and players treated me and my family.”

The Jayden Ballard impact

Massillon (Ohio) Washington Class of 2021 wide receiver Jayden Ballard was one of two players to commit to Ohio State on Friday. Here’s Lettermen Row recruiting czar Birm on Ballard’s impact:

It’s very early in Jayden Ballard’s athletic life but it’s clear to see, no matter the arena he performs in, that he’s a rare physical talent.

What is going to separate Ballard from his peers is the coaching he’s receiving at Massillon Washington and the chances ahead of him to receive not only practical football advice from Brian Hartline and the Ohio State staff, but to mentored — closely — by Hartline over the course of the next two years from a stone’s throw away from Ohio Stadium.

Zach Boren on Ohio State LB struggles

The Buckeyes obviously need that step forward from the linebackers as well if they’re going to defend the Big Ten title again this season. And business will really pick up in August when training camp opens and Washington gets his hands on a hungry group of defenders again.

So, what exactly went wrong last season for Ohio State on defense? Where can the Buckeyes potentially find some simple solutions? Who should be on the field the most for Al Washington at linebacker? Former Ohio State linebacker Zach Boren was in the Lettermen Row film lab again looking back on the problems from last season — with an eye on the future for a revamped defense.

WATCH: Zach Boren explains Ohio State LB problems and solutions

Counting down

• Big Ten Media Days: 25 days
• Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic (season opener): 69 days
• Ohio State at Michigan: 160 days

Sign up for the Scarlet Sunrise newsletter

If you enjoy the Scarlet Sunrise posts, please consider having our newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Click here to sign up!