The rush is his nightly dose of updates to the Ohio state football recruiting route, which controls the latest in commitments and goals across the country.
Bixby not stressed about missing key offseason
For the vast majority of high school prospects looking to raise their profiles and be recruited by large college programs, the most critical time comes during the offseason between their second and second seasons. That’s certainly the case with St. Edward (Ohio) High School four-star defensive end Trey Bixby.
From November and December through July, that period serves as the best time for most to show their growth on camp circuits, be evaluated in person by college coaches, pick up deals, and visit schools to become more familiar with the program and if or not, it’s a good fit.
The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, is making it much more difficult for many prospects to be noticed, and when injury slows it down even further, what Bixby was this summer, it can further complicate matters.
Bixby, who is 6-foot-5, weighs 245 pounds and is ranked No. 213 overall, No. 13 on the defensive end of the strong side and No. 8 in Ohio, sustained a slight sprained shoulder in one game. last season, and aggravated that injury recently. Although it is a rather meek injury, Bixby played it safe and decided to rest. That meant, however, that he lost the Elite Underclassmen Camp on July 11 in Obetz, Ohio, where his recruiting profile could have increased a bit more.
But speaking to Bixby, there really isn’t much concern or frustration at not having a normal offseason during this crucial time. You are only concerned with the next steps and controlling what you can control.
“I know that this next season I will be performing well, and I know it will be enough for many of those schools,” said Bixby. Eleven warriors. “So, not having those camps and things, it’s not really too worrying or too frustrating for me. It wasn’t really my focus this offseason. My goal was to be the best player for my team and to be the best athlete I could be. ”
And as for any pressure to have a productive junior season to get on college radars, Bixby said: “I push myself to perform at my best at all times, as long as I know I’m giving it my all in my sport. and in my off season and my workouts, I know I’ll be fine. ”
While Bixby has spent his only two high school seasons in the Cleveland area, he is not originally from Ohio. He was born in Minnesota, moved to Arizona, then moved to Wisconsin, and finally from Wisconsin to Ohio, where the plan is for him to stay until he finishes his last two years of high school.
He still remembers the exact date he moved to Ohio, June 4, 2018, because it’s his birthday. It was also the day soccer practice started in St. Edward.
To make it an even bigger whirlwind experience, Bixby had a basketball tournament in Iowa the night before, so they actually took the truck from Wisconsin to Iowa to play in the tournament, and then drove overnight to get to Ohio. .
“We were in the moving van, parked the moving van, and then drove to practice,” Bixby said of the experience. “I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t know any of the coaches. It was definitely different. ”
Two years later, he is fully established and says he likes living in the state. However, he does not have the same type of local familiarity or affinity for Buckeyes as most of the recruits within the state who grew up supporting the state of Ohio. So you’re still in the process of learning what it’s all about.
“It’s really been us trying to get to know each other and learn more about the program because I’m not from Ohio,” Bixby said of his conversations with Ohio State coaches, primarily Tim Hinton. “So I really haven’t been on campus, and I really don’t know the culture. All I know is that they produce D-line men like crazy. ”
Happy 16, @ TreyBixby_91 !! #OLineDays pic.twitter.com/FfkHptjd0Z
– Kyle Goblirsch (@ Gobie82) June 4, 2020
And while Bixby says Buckeye’s coaches haven’t detailed exactly what they love about his game, we can deduce what they might see as positive traits about him from coaches like Minnesota defensive line coach Chad Wilt, who He was recruiting Bixby in Cincinnati before he joined the Gophers and loves Bixby’s athleticism and versatility.
“I definitely have the ability to play 3-tech,” said Bixby. “That’s where my main position used to be. It used to be a 3 tech and offensive line. My first year in D-end was first year. I have 3-tech experience, but many of them see me as a strong D-side. But they know that if they want, they can add weight and move me inside. ”
Heading into his second season, Bixby admits he had great difficulties with his career defense. So he spent his entire offseason focusing on improving that area of his game, although it might have been a slight correction.
He lost some of his fast pass movements and a little bit of his speed off the edge, so he says, “He’s really trying to (my running pass) back to where he was before, or even better. That’s what he knew best. “I was mastering the fast pass, and they didn’t think I was going to be a good defender. I had to make sure they knew I could be a defender of the race.”
Now that he has regained some of that hasty pass, Bixby has added about 10-15 pounds this offseason with the goal of reaching around 260-270 pounds by the time he gets to college and aiming to use that extra muscle to break some school records
“My goal from year one was to go down the St. Ed record books as having the most catches, tackles, or time on the field,” said Bixby, who accumulated 75 tackles, 3.5 catches, five tackles per loss and 13 the quarterback rushes as a sophomore. “Any one of those, or all of those, would be extremely happy to do it. And then the most important thing is a championship and the ring. ”
“It’s really been us trying to get to know each other and learn more about the (Ohio state) program because I’m not from Ohio. So I haven’t really been on campus, and I don’t really know the culture. All I know is that they produce D-line men like crazy. “– S t. edward (ohio) defensive end Trey Bixby
As for Bixby’s recruitment, he says he still continues to hear from the same schools he’s been listening to for a while, including calls with Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota and interests from Michigan and Kentucky. She also made a visit to Minnesota on behalf of the family and time, combining a trip to see the family with a brief visit to the campus.
As for the state of Ohio, an offer doesn’t seem imminent, as the coaches “just said they need to see a little more of the movie,” Bixby said.
“The camps this summer would have been a great opportunity to show them again, but that is what happens with quarantine and COVID,” said Bixby.
Bama / OSU battle for No. 1
Since Ohio City’s absurd spring recruiting race became a national story a few months ago, the great belief has been that the Buckeyes were heading toward possibly the largest recruiting class in the history of modern recruiting. Or, in the worst case scenario, they would earn their first recruiting crown in the show’s history.
Ohio State (305.37 points) continues to be the betting favorite for the No. 1 class, with the betting line at something like -120 in this hypothetical Vegas betting scenario. But Alabama is changing as it jumped from the 1960s to No. 2 in the United States (269.24 points).
Once again, the Buckeyes still have a strong lead, but it’s a diminishing lead that looks set to shrink further on Sunday with the impending pledge of five-star product Belleville (Mich.) Damon Payne, the country’s 15th overall player. . and top-ranked defensive tackle, who will likely join the Tide.
That would put Alabama’s total score at 280.65 points with just 16 commitments. There are still a handful of top-tier goals for both Buckeyes and Tide, so it looks like we might be heading towards a tight race between the two recruiting title shows. That would have sounded crazy just a couple of months ago, but that’s how quickly things have changed.
Texas moves forward with fall soccer plan
We recently discussed the potential of Texas to close the high school football season in the fall and the impact it would have on other states.
“If Texas doesn’t have high school football in the fall, the whole country probably won’t,” Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, who will not play high school football in Virginia, told Eleven Warriors. this autumn. .
However, on Tuesday, the University of Texas Interscholastic League announced via Twitter a plan to move forward with high school sports in the fall, with the first day of soccer practice for Classes 1A-4A starting from August 3 and practices for Classes 5A-6A beginning on September 7.
Modified UIL Activity Calendar and COVID-19 Guidelines for the 2020-2021 School Year
Press release https://t.co/sv3boFOD43
Complete risk mitigation guidelines COVID-19 https://t.co/o3qFFIZxrF
More information about COVID-19 https://t.co/lE7fRyRbWY pic.twitter.com/vuWybpYVQ8
– Texas UIL (@uiltexas) July 21, 2020
The schedule changes will only affect a current Ohio state five-star offensive commander, Donovan Jackson, who plays for Houston Episcopal High School at Class 4A level of the Southwest Preparatory Conference.
Top photo: Trey Bixby / 247Sports
