ESPN 300 cornerback Jordan Hancock announced his commitment to Ohio State on Sunday. The No. 102-ranked prospect decommitted from Clemson on July 14, and is now a part of the Buckeyes’ class.
Hancock, a 6-foot, 170-pound corner from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, originally committed to Clemson in March over some of the top schools in the country at the time, including Ohio State.
Once he announced his decommitment from the Tigers, Ohio State was the heavy favorite to get his pledge, and he didn’t wait long to jump on board.
“I wasn’t fully all in, so I didn’t want to, if I’m not 100 percent committed I’m not going to stay committed,” Hancock said. “[Ohio State] was very consistent, they never let off the gas. They were the first big school to offer me, I wasn’t even ranked when they offered, so they were the first school to take a chance on me.”
Hancock has also seen the number of cornerbacks and defensive backs Ohio State has put into the NFL in recent years, which is something that factored into his recruitment. Building a relationship with defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, Hancock was reminded of that success.
“Coach Coombs was one of the biggest factors because he’s a great person, great man and definitely a great coach,” Hancock said. “We talked about how he recruits first-rounders, first-round cornerbacks and that I have that talent. He compares me to [Jeff] Okudah and Denzel Ward, that’s what I remind him of.”
Hancock said that having the opportunity to see all the past Buckeyes players who made it to the NFL played a big factor in Ohio State’s recruitment.
“Their vision for me, coming in to play early, playing that slot corner,” Hancock said. “That’s what Shaun Wade is playing, and basically three to four years, I could be a first-round pick.”
Hancock provides a big boost to Ohio State’s No.-1 ranked recruiting class. The Buckeyes now have 16 ESPN 300 commitments, which is the most of any FBS program.
What’s even more impressive is that 14 of those commitments are ranked inside the top 150 — more than any other FBS program has in the entire ESPN 300 (Alabama, LSU and North Carolina each have 12).
The Buckeyes have the No. 1-ranked prospect overall in defensive end Jack Sawyer and have 12 committed prospects in the top 10 of their respective positions. That includes TreVeyon Henderson, the No. 1-ranked running back, Kyle McCord, the No. 4-ranked quarterback, and Jayden Ballard, the No. 4-ranked wide receiver.
With 19 total commitments, Ohio State has already put together one of the more impressive recruiting classes in recent years, and there is still room to add a few more top recruits.
The Buckeyes are still in on five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau (ranked No. 4 overall), safety Derrick Davis Jr. (No. 28) and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 29), among a few others.