Cincinnati '19 OH DT - Jowon Briggs (Transfer to Cincinnati)

https://t.co/PCHhjWlRBQ

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) July 6, 2017

 

@briggsjowon0 had a good visit with @AlabamaFTBL ! pic.twitter.com/Ufj7fTYR7a

— Gerry Beauchamp (@CoachBeauchamp) July 17, 2017

 

Namely, Cincinnati’s Jowon Briggs, considered by 247Sports as a top 100 player in the Class of 2019. Briggs was expected by the Buckeyes but didn’t show up, underlining the challenge that is coming in earning his commitment. He just isn’t interested in the recruiting process and isn’t likely to show up for a lot of the pomp and circumstance. He skipped Friday Night Lights, skipped Penn State’s “Lasch Bash” and skipped Notre Dame’s “Irish Invasion.”

It’s hard for the Buckeyes to make a big impression on Briggs if they don’t see him, but they’ll continue trying. This is a big-time prospect from Ohio State’s backyard, but it feels like an uphill battle with a Cincinnati-area prospect, which isn’t entirely unusual.

I don’t buy into the idea — at least not like it used to be — that some kids are just “not Ohio State personalities” or that they fit in better at places like Notre Dame, where there’s less spotlight, but it’s obvious the fight for Briggs won’t be easily won just by bringing up football relevance and NFL draft picks.

 

Cincinnati Walnut Hills 2019 4-Star Jowon Briggs is true student-athlete. https://t.co/wrxWTF1U6W @briggsjowon0 #ND #OSU #MSU #UM #BAMA #UC pic.twitter.com/U06utKxLEn

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) August 3, 2017

 

Another stud lineman, @briggsjowon0, plans to be at #OhioState - #Oklahoma game. It will be his first college game https://t.co/vAfhH7I2ft

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) September 7, 2017

 

Ohio’s top defensive tackle to visit Buckeyes this weekend

As Urban Meyer, Larry Johnson and the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff prepare for a major cross-conference showdown with Oklahoma this weekend, they may be taking a little victory lap knowing they’ve won one big battle already this week.

Walnut Hills (Cincinnati) 4-star defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, a 2019 prospect and perhaps Ohio’s best at the position regardless of class, told Land of 10 on Wednesday night that he’s heading to Columbus to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday night. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Briggs is as quiet as they come on the recruiting front, and there’s good reason to believe that he’s favoring Notre Dame over Ohio State.

The Irish host the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, and the decision on which game to attend was not as clear-cut as most Ohioans would like to think.

With Briggs, Cade Stover, Zach Harrison and Zeke Correll all expected at Ohio Stadium, this is turning into a huge weekend for not just the Buckeyes’ 2018 class, but also for the in-state group in 2019.

 

ICYMI - One of the Midwest's top 2019 DLs visited #OhioState: 4-star DT Jowon Briggs recaps his #Buckeyes visit. https://t.co/WSEkR7NHUo

— Buckeye Sports Bulletin (@Buckeye_Sports) September 13, 2017

 

D-tackle Jowon Briggs at #UnderArmor Camp Series. Holds #OhioState offer pic.twitter.com/LUTaRWfw21

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) February 18, 2018

 

Top Ohio D-tackle @briggsjowon0 sees greatness in #OhioState, talks return to OSU and more VIP https://t.co/DkiunBxTIm

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) February 20, 2018

 

4* Ohio DT Jowon Briggs continues to take his time with the recruiting process, comments on Coombs' departure https://t.co/zljO59nZvb #Buckeyes

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) February 27, 2018

 

Cincinnati Walnut Hills 4-star Jowon Briggs talks about academics and his recruitment. Very impressive student-athlete. https://t.co/5UjyjDqgSj #VOLS #OSU #UM #ND pic.twitter.com/6dwcOrMbtc

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) April 6, 2018

 

Blue-chip DT Jowon Briggs updates recruitment, Ohio State interest #GoBucks https://t.co/8KNauHNR61 pic.twitter.com/NxvcYv13Ep

— Landof10 Ohio State (@Landof10OSU) May 5, 2018

 

2019 OH DT Jowon Briggs with the long arm. pic.twitter.com/W4gjdQALrb

— Dave Lackford, Esq. (@DaveLackfordESQ) May 6, 2018

 

995380882260267010 is not a valid tweet id

 

⭐️ Welcome to the #Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge ⭐️
DT Jowon Briggs (@briggsjowon0) is #5StarBound‼️

RIVALS PROFILE: https://t.co/ztQRT7edQB#RivalsChallenge @rivalsmike @JoshHelmholdt @adidas @ncsa @izellreese @WillMcNeeley pic.twitter.com/KEzRiuGEfW

— Rivals (@Rivals) June 6, 2018

 

Jowon Briggs has final 10 schools
Ohio State and Notre Dame were at one time considered the top two schools to land Cincinnati Walnut Hills defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, but only of them are among the programs listed on Tuesday by Ohio’s second-ranked 2020 prospect.

If you’ve read any of my previous work at Land of 10, you know that Briggs isn’t the stereotypical football player. He’s extremely introverted, highly intelligent and far more focused on his life outside of the game than most kids his age are — let alone one with his talent. Last summer at the Cleveland regional for Nike’s The Opening, I thought he was the best interior defensive lineman in attendance. But over the course of the last year, he’s stayed about as low-key with his recruitment as any player in the nation.

The Buckeyes do not have a defensive tackle committed yet in 2019, but there’s been almost no discussion about Briggs since his last public visit to Columbus back in January for a junior-day recruiting session.

As it stands right now, despite the Buckeyes inclusion on Briggs’ list, I’d consider it quite an upset if he ended up at Ohio State.

 

OLD HEAD
Late Monday night — a bit after my bed time — Cincinnati Walnuts Hills four-star defensive tackle Jowon Briggs included Ohio State in his Top 10 alongside Alabama, Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee and Virginia. The most interesting part, though, is that Notre Dame didn’t make the cut.

The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Briggs is considered the fifth-best defensive tackle and No. 59 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 45 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, six sacks and two forced fumbles for the Eagles last season. He’s also an extremely introverted and level-headed kid who wants to major in computer science or programming in college rather than someone who is going to be swept up by the recruiting process or constant contact from coaches.

In fact, Briggs hasn’t been to Ohio State since late January — or any college, for that matter, since March. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a strong bond with Buckeyes’ defensive line coach Larry Johnson, since the two chat occasionally, but it’s long been clear the typical recruiting pitch isn’t going to work.

Because of their academic standards, the Fighting Irish were believed to be the overwhelming favorite in Briggs’ recruitment — which somewhat mirrors that of Cincinnati Anderson four-star offensive guard Zeke Correll’s. But where he ends up now is anyone’s guess.

Just don’t expect it to be Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are only looking to take one defensive tackle this cycle, with Hawaii five-star Faatui Tuitele and Florida four-star Tyler Davis seemingly ahead of Briggs on the priority chart — and I don’t anticipate they’ll miss out on the latter.

 

4* DT Jowon Briggs commits to #UVA great pick up. https://t.co/XQlZxmK9fQ

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) June 22, 2018

 

Virginia sophomore defensive tackle Jowon Briggs is in the transfer portal. He was the No. 75 ranked prospect in 2019 out of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Briggs has 20 tackles and three sacks for Virginia this season.

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) November 17, 2020

 

Source: Former Virginia DT Jowon Briggs is transferring to Cincinnati. This will be a homecoming, as he hails from Cincinnati and attended Walnut Hills HS.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 26, 2020