Scarlet Sunrise: Where does Ohio State football stand with defensive line recruiting?

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.

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Welcome to Year 2 of Lettermen Row

In honor of the start of our second year of Ohio State coverage at Lettermen Row, here’s an excerpt of a letter from Letterman Row founder and publisher Will Crall:

A full year of coverage is in the books, and Lettermen Row is just getting started.

To everybody that read a story, watched a video, followed a social-media account, listened to a podcast or claimed some Lettermen Row gear, we sincerely appreciate all the support during our first year. And for those just getting on board and everybody sticking with us, we have a lot planned in Year Two and can’t wait to share some new features with you.

If you are a regular viewer, you’ve probably noticed the addition of legendary former Columbus Dispatch reporter, Tim May. Tim has been covering Ohio State football for decades and continues to loom as an authority on the program. We are lucky that Tim became a free agent and decided to join us because his reporting, insight and wit are unmatched. If you haven’t already, check out his podcast and articles.

One last new new feature: Lettermen Row iPhone and Android apps. We hope to roll this out sometime in September. Stay tuned. The best part of all of this? It’s available for free, without a subscription. You can help us continue to provide premium content for free by doing these things:

Subscribe to our daily email newsletter, Scarlet Sunrise.

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Advertise with us. We are always looking to partner with businesses who want to reach a highly engaged, local audience. Feel free to email me directly: [email protected]

Ohio State DL recruiting update

Here’s Birm with the latest update on how things are looking for Ohio State’s defensive line recruiting efforts in the 2020 class:

So, with Hardy off the board and the Buckeyes no longer in the running for North Carolina 5-star prospect Desmond Evans, where are they going to turn on the defensive line in 2020?

That’s becoming as important of a question as any remaining in this recruiting cycle, but there do not appear to be any obvious answers in play. Larry Johnson is one of the country’s most patient recruiters, and most of the work he’s doing on the recruiting trail stays silent because he handles himself meticulously and privately. That being the case, the names to know aren’t really out there publicly, and that’s why it’s so important to pay close attention to who actually visits Columbus this season and when they do it.

Last season, when Jaden McKenzie visited the Buckeyes in late November, most that cover Ohio State recruiting hadn’t even heard of him. Nobody believed or expected that he’d leave North Carolina for school, and yet three weeks later he was signing with Ohio State. That’s the way Johnson works, building relationships quietly with kids and their families and not being worried about stars or publicity.

The Buckeyes are hoping to find two more defensive linemen in the Class of 2020, and a couple of the guys who remain on the board like Jacolbe Cowan and Tyler Baron have been talked about previously. The other names are going to pop over the next month or two.

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

Darrion Henry on latest Birminology

Since arriving at an early June camp in Columbus, things have gotten back on track for Darrion Henry. He’s changing his body thanks a rededication to eating properly, something teammate and fellow Ohio State commit Paris Johnson deserves an assist for his input. And Henry is working overtime to show that he is the type of prospect who deserved his early top-40 national ranking.

“I’ve got to show them how I got there in the first place. It really humbled me more than anything, really,” Henry said. “The rankings don’t make me. It’ll be noticed by how I play this year.”

Healthy, humble and with an eye on the future, Darrion Henry discusses his plans to enroll early at Ohio State, what he and his family like about Ryan Day and much more in the latest episode of Birminology on Lettermen Row.

New episode of Lettermen Live

This week on Lettermen Live presented by Byers Auto, senior writer Austin Ward was joined by Tim May and Zach Boren to preview Ohio State’s season opener against Florida Atlantic. The guys talked defensive expectations, Justin Fields, offensive line play and more. Game predictions are in, too.

Jeremy Birmingham also joined for a recruiting update and to give his pick for this week’s game.

Counting down

• Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic (season opener): 4 days
• Ohio State at Michigan: 95 days

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