The official and traditional signing day for college football is quickly approaching, and although Ohio State has signed almost its entire class already during the early signing period, there’s still one big fish still out there that head coach Ryan Day and staff would love to land.
Four-star athlete Cameron Martinez verbally committed to the Buckeyes back in early July, but he decided to delay his signing until February to keep his options open.
It can all be traced to former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley’s departure from the program. He was the lead recruiter that had established a relationship with Martinez, and the news of Hafley taking the head coaching job at Boston College gave the MLive’s two-time Michigan high-school player of the year pause.
Since that time, it’s been a busy, flurry of activity for head coach Ryan Day and Ohio State. There was the whole lead up to Fiesta Bowl and the College Football Playoff to deal with that took everyone’s focus and time.
But now, it’s time to get back on the trail and try to let Martinez know he made the right decision in the first place. On that note, Day and special teams coordinator and assistant secondary backs coach Matt Barnes were on the recruiting trail, battling bad weather and travel to watch Martinez play in a high school basketball game over the weekend.
There are reliable sources pointing towards former Ohio State defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs coming back to Columbus to fill the spot left vacant by Hafley’s departure, and that would be a great hire to fill the void. Either way, Day’s selling of the program would likely revolve around him bringing in one of the best defensive backs coaches in America, and the virtues of what the program can offer.
According to a story by MLive, the visit did indeed strike a chord with Martinez.
“It meant a lot to me and also showed a lot,” Martinez said in a text to MLive.com. “They had a busy day and for them to come to the game and then come over (to the house) with the weather being bad, I really appreciated it. I haven’t seen them in a while, so it was good to catch up with them as well.”
So we’ll keep a watch on this and any news regarding a pending hire of sorts. With all the unknowns at the defensive back position, and the need that will be there after this year, getting Martinez, an athlete that could factor in there or at another position down the road will be key.
