In the middle of March, the corner Devonta Smith of Cincinnati (Ohio) La Salle announced that he had committed to the state of Ohio. Today Smith has announced that he has been released from the Buckeyes. Smith posted the announcement on his Twitter account.
Ohio state staff did not fight to keep him engaged or to change his mind, and Smith will now look for other options with Alabama, apparently the most likely possibility.
The 6-foot-0, 185-pound Smith also had a list of offerings that in addition to the state of Ohio included Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, and many others. Alabama has been recruiting Smith for the past few weeks.
Smith obtained a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes on March 12. The offer came from the Ohio State defensive coordinator and defensive coach Kerry Coombs who had returned to the state of Ohio after several years in the NFL as a secondary coach for the Tennessee Titans. It was on March 16 that Smith announced an engagement with the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes have recruited the Cincinnati La Salle program well since Ryan Day took over the Ohio state program. Now former kicker of La Salle Jake Seibert of the class of 2020 signed with the Buckeyes in December at the beginning of the early signing period, and the safety of 2021 Cincinnati La Salle Jaylen Johnson committed to the state of Ohio in early January.
Smith is a 3-star prospect at 247Sports Composite. It is the country’s No. 400 general prospect, No. 30 cornerback and No. 12 prospect in Ohio.
The Buckeyes are in great shape with their 2021 defensive draft. They have five committed defensive backups and they are all very talented prospects. Coombs and Buckeyes also have a very realistic shot at elite security. Derrick Davis Jr. and we’re trying to change Clemson’s cornerback engagement Jordan Hancock who Ryan Day and Coombs speak often and who is listening to them.
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The five defensive endorsements now committed to the state of Ohio include a mix of outstanding talent and versatility. Jakailin Johnson He is an elite cornerback. Denzel Burke He is a 4 star corner. Andre Turrentine He is a talented defensive runner who will likely play safely initially for the Buckeyes, but could move to cornerback. Jantzen Dunn he has the ability to play in safety or cornering for Buckeyes. And Johnson is the top security prospect in the Ohio class of 2021.
Even with Smith’s departure, the Ohio state recruiting class 2021 remains the No. 1 class in the country in the 247Sports Composite team’s recruiting rankings with the Buckeyes still maintaining a significant advantage over No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Tennessee.
