Ohio State has churned out some stellar recruiting classes over the last several years, and that trend doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon as the Buckeyes landed the commitment of Evan Pryor on Monday evening. Not to show any complacency, four-star defensive back Andre Turrentine followed suit pledged his services to coach Ryan Day's program on Tuesday morning.
Pryor, a 5-foot-10, 190-pounder from William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, is a four-star prospect and the No. 85 player in the Class of 2021 according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Buckeyes edged out some heavy-hitters to secure Pryor's commitment, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami (FL), Michigan and Oklahoma, among others.
"The history of the school is great," Pryor told 247Sports. "They always compete for titles and put their players in the NFL."
Pryor has created quite a buzz in the recruiting world, including a comparison by 247Sports national writer Charles Power to former Alabama star and current New England Patriots running back Damien Harris.
"Has a compact build that has begun to fill out late in his high school career," Power wrote. "Has the frame to carry over 210 pounds at the college level. Has shown very good speed on the track with track verified 100 meter times in the 10.8 second range entering his junior season. Is a loose runner with a natural gait and body lean. Has the ability to change directions without losing much speed and shows high-level lateral agility. Looks like one of the better pass-catching running backs in the 2021 cycle. Productive and skilled in the pass game on Friday nights and in the 7-on-7 setting. Will need to keep showing high-level production consistency as a runner on a snap to snap basis. Projects as a multi-year starter at the Power Five level with the upside of developing into an early to mid-round NFL Draft pick."
Turrentine is a 6-foot, 175-pounder from Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the sixth-ranked safety in the country and the No. 136 overall player in the Class of 2021. He chose the Buckeyes over several SEC powers including Alabama, LSU and his home-state Tennessee Volunteers. Barton Simmons, director of scouting for 247Sports, is impressed with the highly-recruited star.
"Versatile defensive back body type capable of projecting to safety or cornerback but not an imposing body in either role," he wrote. "Playmaker on film. Flashes in game settings and was often the best player on the field as a junior amid high quality competition and teammates. Shows great tackling instincts and ability. Takes good tackling angles. Tackles in space and on the perimeter effectively. Brings physicality from the safety position in a frame more typically suited for cornerback. Quickness and lateral ability flash. Disruptive in coverage but has a limited interception count. Ball skills show up on offense in limited touches. Not an elite athlete. Will need to improve in man coverage settings and is going to win more with instincts and effort than with traits and athleticism. Projects as a Power Five starter with enough football instincts to track towards a mid-round NFL Draft pick.
The Buckeyes have also secured commitments from No. 4 cornerback Jakailin Johnson and three-star defensive back Devonta Smith over the last 48 hours, and have pulled away from Clemson in the race to land the top recruiting class during the current recruiting cycle. They have 14 commitments and 268.81 points compared to Clemson's 10 commitments and 220.98 points.
