Welcome to ‘Eyes on the Trail’, our Monday-Friday Ohio State recruiting notebook from the recruiting staff here at BuckeyeHuddle.com. Keep it locked in here for the latest in all things Buckeye recruiting.
Brew becoming a national recruit
Ohio’s 2025 class is showing great promise and Clayton Northmont athlete Dorian Brew is right at the top of the list of top rising juniors in the Buckeye State. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect holds an early offer from Ohio State and is starting to see his recruitment go national.
“My recruiting has kind of skyrocketed,” Brew told BuckeyeHuddle.com this week. “I had about five offers in December and now I have 19 so I’m pretty blessed about that.”
Brew visited Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas during the spring and found something to like about each one.
On Ohio State: “Everybody was playing hard, it was very physical,” Brew recalled. “It’s just the best of the best out there. I could see myself playing there.”
On Michigan: “Michigan is a great place,” he said. “The facilities were beautiful. The coaches treated me great.”
On Notre Dame: “Notre Dame has been recruiting me since my freshman year,” he started. “It’s a great school. Building a great relationship with the coaches. Coach Mickens and coach Freeman are both from this area so that’s pretty nice. It’s a good connection there and I know that they would take care of me.”
On Texas: “I didn’t get to watch practice, I was with the defensive backs and the defense didn’t practice that day,” he said. “So I stayed with the defensive backs and watched film and everything and got a good feel for how their coach is. The coaches coach very hard and take their job seriously and they have great talent.”
Brew burst onto the scene as a young receiver prospect, but his future in college is likely coming on the defensive side of the ball and that is where he is putting a lot of his focus right now during the off-season.
“I’m getting recruited more as a defensive back, so I’m really trying to hone in on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “Just learning the ins and outs. I feel like I did that as a receiver and now that I’m getting recruited more as a corner, I want to perfect that part of the game.”
Ohio State has made Brew an early priority and the Top 100 prospect is building a strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Tim Walton. Walton stopped by the school this week to watch Brew and his teammates work out.
“I’ve been talking to him every day,” Brew said. “I’ve been up there three times already so I’m building a good relationship with them. Coach Walton is a good guy and a good coach. He coached Jalen Ramsey in the NFL. He knows what he’s doing, Jalen Ramsey is one of the best corners in the NFL.”
Powers putting his recruiting plan together
Ohio State has a lot of irons in the fire in the secondary, including offers to a few in-state targets. Centerville (Ohio) safety Reggie Powers is one of those in-state targets holding an offer from the Buckeyes, picking that up this spring. Now the 6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect is starting to put his recruiting plan together.
“I have a couple of officials scheduled,” Powers told BuckeyeHuddle.com this week. “It’s not fully scheduled yet, but I’ll probably put something up on Twitter soon about where I’m going. I’ve got Ohio State and Pitt scheduled so far.”
Coaches from both Pitt and Ohio State were out on Monday to watch Powers and his teammates work out as part of the GWOC college showcase day. Pitt has been recruiting Powers as hard as anyone.
“I like their defensive scheme and the coaches always show love,” Powers said of the Panthers. “It’s a great place, a beautiful campus.”
With the Buckeyes, getting that offer earlier this spring was a huge moment in his recruiting process.
“It was big,” he said. “I’ve been an Ohio State fan all of my life.”
Powers is a versatile player at Centerville and he’s being recruited by Ohio State at a position that requires that type of versatility.
“They are recruiting me to play the bandit position,” he said. “You come down in the run fit but also play some high safety too. It fits good for me because I’m good in the box too.”
A decision will likely come down soon after official visits have been completed. Powers is comfortable with the coaching staffs that are recruiting him, but wants to use these opportunities in June to get a better idea of the culture around each respective program.
“I know the coaches but I kind of want to get to know the guys on the team more,” Powers explained. “Just to see if I fit in and stuff like that.”
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