Good morning, Ohio State fans, and Welcome to Scarlet Sunrise. Soccer will always be our focus, but every day we will cover news, notes and analysis from all Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to catch up on all the lost in the world of Ohio football, recruiting, basketball and more.
Damon Arnette bets for himself, signs a multi-million dollar deal
Damon Arnette had one foot out the door after the 2018 season, ready to leave Ohio State and move into the NFL. But he finally chose to return to the Buckeyes, and it was certainly worth it. Literally.
Arnette was a first-round pick for the Las Vegas Raiders in the April NFL draft, and on Saturday he signed his rookie contract. The details of the contract, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, are four years for $ 13.4 million and a signing bonus of approximately $ 7.3 million.
Arnette returned to the state of Ohio to demonstrate that she could play cornerback at an elite level and win a selection in the first round of the draft. He gambled on himself by returning to the Buckeyes for one more season. And on Saturday, the bet was officially worth it. Arnette is the last cornerback in the state of Ohio to sign a for-profit deal. It probably isn’t your only multi-million dollar deal.
Buckeyes looking to reload in high school
Kerry Coombs has a lot of work to do in his first season in the state of Ohio. The secondary is loaded with potential stars, but the potential only goes so far. Coombs has a job to help the Buckeyes replace Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette, and Jordan Fuller.
Okudah and Arnette were first-round picks, while Fuller was captain of the Buckeyes. Replacing them won’t be easy, but Coombs has a proven talent leader in Shaun Wade and plenty of young talent to work with.
But all the talented players in the room cannot play at once, or at all. Defensive Backs Week at Lettermen Row is complete, but we make sure to break down who a time lock is in high school, who can be in the mix to contribute, and who can wait for a red jersey or be found on the bench.
Find the projection of the depth table here.
Buckeyes continues to fight for the nation’s largest receiver
The Buckeyes have made sure to prioritize 5-star catcher Emeka Egbuka ever since the prominent two-sport sport from Steilacoom (Washington) high school first visited the campus in March 2019. That trip firmly made Ohio State a the leader in his recruiting, and since then it has been a slow burn between the Buckeyes and the No. 1 receiver in the country. He visited Columbus a second time last October and had both a spring and summer visit scheduled for this year, including an official visit in June.
Those trips did not happen, obviously. That turned out to be unfortunate for the state of Ohio because the widespread belief was that if Egbuka made those trips, he would probably already be committed to the program. But instead, it seems like the really intriguing part of your recruiting is still ahead.
Now Oklahoma is looking to give a push to land Egbuka. And the Sooners are not making this recruiting easy for the Buckeyes. What’s the latest between Egbuka and the state of Ohio? Lettermen Row recruitment expert Birm has more information here.
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