Scarlet Sunrise: Priority Ohio State target sets commit date

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.

Priority Ohio State target sets commit date

Ohio State has been recruiting Derrick Davis Jr. for years. Now, that recruitment appears to be coming to a close.

The Buckeyes seem to be on the outside, looking in, in Davis’ recruitment. They’ll find out where Davis will continue his football career soon. The talented four-star safety from Monroeville, Pennsylvania has set a commitment date of Nov. 7, up a week from his previously announced commitment date.

Ohio State is unlikely to land the dynamic athlete, but there’s still a chance to impress Davis before he announces his college choice. The country’s No. 53 overall player is expected to choose the Buckeyes Big Ten rival Penn State, adding to the Nittany Lions class that could be the second-best class in the Big Ten.

For now, the Buckeyes will continue to recruit Davis until that Nov. 7 decision is made. But as that decision now looms, the Buckeyes might be on the outside.

 

Buckeyes stay put in last poll before game

In the last poll before game action, Ohio State checked in at No. 5 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll on Sunday afternoon, receiving two first-place votes. Clemson retained the top spot in the poll. The Tigers are followed by Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State.

Some coaches and voters in the AP Poll continue to only rank teams that have played a game this fall, but many added the Big Ten back into the rankings ahead of its opening weekend of games. Some will continue to keep the Buckeyes and other Big Ten teams off their ballots until the Oct. 25 polls are released, skewing the results and rankings in the polls. Once the Buckeyes kick off on Saturday at noon against Nebraska, they should be back into the top three or four with Alabama, Clemson and others, assuming the Crimson Tide and Tigers remain undefeated.

For the full poll, click here.

Coaches Poll and AP Poll (Oct. 18)

No. 1 – Clemson

No. 2 – Alabama

No. 3 – Notre Dame

No. 4 – Georgia

No. 5 – Ohio State

Buckeyes heavily favored over Nebraska

The Buckeyes will have no crowds, fewer typical traditions and fewer games this fall. All of that is different from the past. But the sense of normalcy comes from the field, where the Buckeyes are picked to win the Big Ten in runaway fashion. And they’ll start the season as a heavy favorite over Nebraska inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

Ohio State is a 26-point favorite over the Cornhuskers, according to the folks at BetOnline.ag, in the Big Ten opener set for Saturday at noon on FOX. The first game of the year is the first hurdle on the Buckeyes path to another College Football Playoff appearance.

Ohio State was 9-5 against the number last season when it had a historically dominant team on its way to the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes covered the spread last season against the Cornhuskers and were 7-2 against the number in Big Ten play a season ago.

Weekend Kickoff presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems

Lettermen Row Weekend Kickoff presented by Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems: The Whatever It Takes Pregame Show will be back at Urban Meyer’s Pint House this Thursday to preview the weekend full of college football games, including the Buckeyes season-opener against Nebraska.

The next edition of the show will be Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., and there will be plenty of Ohio State guests on hand to break down the latest developments and preview the weekend of football ahead. Come out to see Urban Meyer, Zach Boren, Anthony Schlegel, Michael Bennett and other former Buckeyes greats give their insight about the upcoming games and how they think the Buckeyes will fare against the Cornhuskers.

Get set with the panel of former Buckeyes with analysis, stories, delicious food from Urban Meyer’s Pint House in Dublin and some cold Coors Light. Don’t miss the next show this Thursday at 7 p.m.

Download Lettermen Row’s free app

Want an easier way to get free premium content from Lettermen Row?

The Lettermen Row app is here! Get all of the Ohio State news, analysis, videos and everything else you’ve come to expect from us in one free, convenient spot. It’s now available in both the App Store and Google Play — check it out!

The Lettermen Row app can be found for free here:

• Apple app store
• Google Play

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