The NCAA has once again extended the recruiting dead period and could be a huge blow to Ohio State. With the COVID-19 vaccine beginning to roll out earlier this year, it seems most businesses and other entities are moving closer to reopening. The governing body of college athletics seems to be going in the opposite direction and has once again extended the dead period, this time to May 31.
April 15 was the date that had been set in place to lift the dead period, which gave hope for recruits looking to see some schools during spring practices. Moving the date to the end of May will be a wild card on Ohio State’s chances at one of the best defensive ends in the nation.
We told you a few weeks ago that the No. 1 rated player and defensive end in the 2021 recruiting cycle, J.T. Tuimoloau would wait until later in the spring to make his college decision. The reason? Because he and his family wanted to visit schools to be certain of his choice before committing the next three to four years of his life. That’s actually a very reasonable and mature thing for an 18-year-old kid to be thinking through.
With the NCAA making this extension, if Tuimoloau wants to see Columbus and the Ohio State campus before signing, he’ll have to do it on his own dime and wouldn’t even be able to see the athletic facilities or speak with coaches.
Tuimoloau and his family have been very intentional with this entire process and now they and Ohio State have been handed another obstacle to overcome. Recruiting experts still see Tuimoloau as a Buckeye, but one has to wonder if Ohio State is losing its grip with another dead period extension.
Division I Council extends recruiting dead period through May 31: https://t.co/B89I052c1z pic.twitter.com/eRLyILmMkL
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) February 17, 2021
This can only be seen as a blow to Ohio State’s chances to land Tuimoloau, but it also means that 2022 and 2023 recruits won’t be able to visit in the spring as well. Hopefully, Tuimoloau thinks enough of OSU to still land in Columbus, but we just don’t know. While the recruiting process looks glamorous on the outside, it doesn’t take much to see that the whole process can be very stressful.
Add another dead period extension, and well… it just piles more on top of what has already been a very long year.
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