ESPN 300 cornerback Jordan Hancock announced his commitment to Ohio State on Sunday. The No. 102 ranked prospect decommitted from Clemson on July 14, and is now a part of the Buckeyes class.
Hancock is a 6-foot, 170-pound corner from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, and originally committed to Clemson in March over some of the top schools in the country, including Ohio State at the time.
Once he announced his decommitment from the Tigers, Ohio State was the heavy favorite to get his pledge, and he didn’t wait long to jump on board.
“I wasn’t fully all in, so I didn’t want to, if I’m not 100 percent committed I’m not going to stay committed,” Hancock said. “(Ohio State) was very consistent, they never let off the gas. They were the first big school to offer me, I wasn’t even ranked when they offered, so they were the first school to take a chance on me.”
Hancock has also seen the number of cornerbacks and defensive backs Ohio State has put into the NFL in recent years, which is something that factored into his recruitment. Building a relationship with defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, Hancock was reminded of that success.
“Coach Coombs was one of the biggest factors because he’s a great person, great man and definitely a great coach,” Hancock said. “We talked about how he recruits first rounders, first round cornerbacks and that I have that talent. He compares me to (Jeff) Okudah and Denzel Ward, that’s what I remind him of.”
Seeing former first-round picks and the success Ohio State has had at the position made it that much easier for Hancock to see he, too, could make it to the NFL from Ohio State.
Having the opportunity to show Hancock all the past players that made it to the league, rather than just tell him he could make it, was a big help in Ohio State’s recruitment, as well.
“Their vision for me, coming in to play early, playing that slot corner,” Hancock said. “That’s what Shaun Wade is playing and basically three to four years, I could be a first-round pick.”
As the No. 102 ranked prospect overall, Hancock is adding to Ohio State’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class in a big way. The Buckeyes now have 16 ESPN 300 commitments, which is the most of any FBS program.
What’s even more impressive is that Ohio State has 14 commitments ranked inside the top-150 of the ESPN 300. That is still more than any other FBS program has in the entire ESPN 300 with Alabama, LSU and North Carolina all holding 12 each in the top-300.
The Buckeyes have the No. 1 ranked prospect overall in defensive end Jack Sawyer and have 12 prospects committed ranked in the top-10 of their respective positions. That includes TreVeyon Henderson, the No. 1 ranked running back, Kyle McCord, the No. 4 ranked quarterback and Jayden Ballard, the No. 4 ranked wide receiver overall.
With 19 total commitments, Ohio State has already put together one of the more impressive recruiting classes in recent years, and there is still more room to add a few more top recruits.
The Buckeyes are still in on five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau, safety Derrick Davis Jr, ranked No. 28 and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the No. 29 ranked prospect overall, among a few others.