Ohio State '20 WA WR (SR) - Emeka Egbuka ('22 Second Team All-BIG)

EGBUKA TIDBIT
The latest I’ve heard on Egbuka is that he had planned to make a mid-October decision, but the dead period extension threw a wrench in those plans. As of now, I’m told Egbuka is still wanting to make a visit to Oklahoma before he makes a decision and that he’s hoping to make the visit to the Buckeye Bash in late October.

As we’ve said before, Egbuka is afforded however long he wants to wait since 1) He’s the best receiver in the nation 2) He doesn’t plan to enroll early, as he plans on playing his senior season in the spring to break some records and get another crack at winning a state championship.

 

Film Review: Emeka Egbuka is labeled as the top-ranked wide receiver on @Rivals, and for good reason.

In the piece below, @JosephAHastings takes a look at his skill set and what makes him a coveted pass catcher in the 2021 cycle.

STORY: https://t.co/qddUt7X5hw #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Hr1JW8Le1z

— Big Me Kickoff (@BigMe_Kickoff) October 1, 2020

 

“It’s more like a top three.”

The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver @emeka_egbuka talked with @BrandonHuffman about the latest in his recruitment (VIP)https://t.co/d2iG7gzV7v pic.twitter.com/N58oMEiawz

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) November 16, 2020

 

The Hurry-Up: Five-star WR Emeka Egbuka is down to three schools as he still looks to visit Oklahoma, speaks with several OSU players and plans on signing in December. https://t.co/3ehWIE8WS3

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 17, 2020

EGBUKA DOWN TO THREE, PLANS TO SIGN IN DECEMBER
Ohio State remains in the pole position for five-star receiver Emeka Egbuka, the nation's No. 1 player at the position in 2021, and one team has fallen off his list of contenders.

Egbuka, who released a final four of Ohio State, Oklahoma, Washington and Clemson in mid-May, is now down to just three schools as he has eliminated Clemson, he told 247Sports' Brandon Huffman:

“It’s more like a top three,” said Egbuka. “Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington.”

“I haven’t talked to Clemson in a long time, so it’s really just those three schools,” said Egbuka.

For several months now, Egbuka has been attempting to make a visit to Oklahoma, the only one of those three programs he has yet to visit in person.

“I kind of figured that I’d have to visit Oklahoma by my own means, since it’s the only place I haven’t been,” said Egbuka. “I figured I’d go with my dad or go with my mom and check out Norman and see what it’s about. So that hasn’t changed that aspect. My dad and I have some airline points to redeem since we had to cancel before so I’ll probably do that at some point.”

While Egbuka doesn’t have a date locked in yet, he knows he wants to see Oklahoma with their quarterback commit, Caleb Williams.

“If I do go, I’ll definitely contact Caleb so he’ll be there too.”

Egbuka said he’s not ready to make a decision on where he’ll sign and a big reason for that is his reluctance to make a choice without seeing Oklahoma.

“I’m pretty sure that by the time I make a decision, I’ll have taken a visit to Oklahoma,” said Egbuka. “I won’t have made a decision on any school without seeing them.”

The Sooners continue to prioritize the nation’s No. 1 receiver.

“Seeing Oklahoma will be pretty key for me and they continue to recruit me hard,” said Egbuka. “I talk with coach (Dennis) Simmons maybe 2-3 times a week and I talk with coach (Lincoln) Riley all the time, and I think maybe I talk to him more than coach Simmons.

Though the recruiting dead period is soon going to be extended through April and despite the fact that Egbuka has not yet visited Oklahoma and doesn't want to make a decision until he gets to Norman, the nation's No. 8 overall player is still planning to sign early:

“I kind of have a timeline in my head, but nothing official,” said Egbuka. “A lot of it is based on my high school, how many games we’ll play, when we play, if we play at all. If we don’t end up playing, then I’ll look to enroll early. My plan right now is that I will sign in December, but I guess it’s possible I could wait till February. I think by that time, we’ll have most of the details on a season, if we have a season or a small amount of games

When it comes to Ohio State, Egbuka says that he speaks with Brian Hartline “at least five times a week,” speaks with Ryan Day about a once a week and talks with several different Buckeye players:

“I talk mostly with coach (Brian) Hartline and coach (Keenan) Bailey and I also talk to coach (Ryan) Day,” said Egbuka. “I talk to a lot of the players too- I talk with Gee Scott, he’ll coach me up on some things and send me clops. I talk with Julian (Fleming), Jaxon Smith-Ngijba, Chris (Olave), Garrett (Wilson) and Justin (Fields) too. It’s pretty cool to get on the phone with him and talk with him. I also talk with CJ Stroud.”

The Buckeyes still hold eight of the the nine Crystal Ball predictions that are in for Egbuka, with one prediction having him slated to pick Oklahoma.

 

“Emeka Egbuka is a name you need to know in college football and beyond. “@bartonsimmons takes a look at the film of the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation @emeka_egbuka #AAB21 🇺🇸#AllAmericanBowl 🏈 @adidasFballUS https://t.co/PvY2sxAW6d pic.twitter.com/SPotiPiwT3

— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) November 23, 2020

 

Yep. He is going to visit Oklahoma but that has always been the plan.

 

Five burning questions on the recruitment of the nation's No. 1 receiver, Steilacoom (Wash.) five-star Emeka Egbuka https://t.co/vEBJcLQHQm pic.twitter.com/5GICeo0DhX

— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) November 30, 2020

 

The Hurry-Up: Five-star WR Emeka Egbuka will reportedly visit Oklahoma this weekend, and a pair of Ohio State commits are featured in new five-star rankings. https://t.co/M5rqKe7PG3

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 1, 2020

EGBUKA CONFIRMS OKLAHOMA VISIT
Well, we just talked about it on Wednesday, but the news is finally here. Five-star Steilacoom (Washington) receiver Emeka Egbuka is going to make his long-awaited visit to Oklahoma this weekend, as reported by 247Sports' Brandon Huffman:

He had originally set up an official visit to Oklahoma for April to see the Sooners' spring game. Then he was supposed to visit for the Sooner Summit, but that didn't happen. But he was determined to get out to Norman before he makes a decision, and this weekend, the Sooners will have their shot. Receivers coach Dennis Simmons has been the point man on his recruitment. He's gotten close with Caleb Williams, the Sooners quarterback commit in the 2021 class, who will be in Norman this weekend to guide Egbuka around town and campus. It's uncertain if he'll be able to see the Sooners game with Baylor, but he'll at minimum, be in Norman for a game weekend. It will be the first time Egbuka visits and he'll be joined by his dad on the visit.

It will be a massive weekend in Egbuka's recruitment, as a visit to Norman has been the No. 1 thing holding him back from making a college decision – one that Huffman says could either come during the early signing period or perhaps not until February's National Signing Day.

As Hufman discussed in that piece, which is something we have all been talking about now for months, the Buckeyes are still the current favorite for Egbuka, and a huge part of that stems from his relationships with Brian Hartline and Ryan Day (which he has had for nearly three years ever since the two of them stepped foot into the Steilacoom hallways when Egbuka was a sophomore) and some of the current Buckeyes and their 2021 commits (notably Jaylen Johnson). Plus, Day's explosive offense and what looks like a concerted effort to move the Buckeyes to more of a pass-heavy offense with the quarterback and receiver recruits the program is bringing in.

 

My gut tells me Oklahoma...........

 

The family and kid visit Oklahoma on their own dime...........

It's over.

 

The Hurry-Up: Jack Sawyer says he is “more explosive and faster than I’ve ever been in my life” heading into his Ohio State career, and Emeka Egbuka has set his commitment date. https://t.co/BR9sznb3yB

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 8, 2020

EGBUKA SETS COMMIT DATE
We finally have a set date on when five-star receiver Emeka Egbuka – the No. 9 overall player in the country, the No. 1 receiver in America and Ohio State’s highest-priority offensive target remaining in the 2021 class – will be making a decision.

Egbuka gave an announcement of an announcement on Tuesday, saying that he will be letting the public know of his college decision at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.

We have been told that Egbuka is likely to sign during the early signing period next week, but we are not sure yet if he plans to enroll early.

When speaking with a pair of Ohio State commitments in the 2021 class, there is zero optimism. Just as is the case with Tristan Leigh, Egbuka rarely talks with the Buckeyes’ commits, and they believe he is headed toward Oklahoma.

That does not necessarily mean Egbuka has chosen the Sooners. He’s been keeping this close to the vest for a long time, and he’s continuing to do so right down to the wire. He speaks with Brian Hartline every day, and he has had a strong relationship with both Hartline and Ryan Day for about two years, which we’ve written about that extensively in the past.

That has been keeping the Buckeyes as the leader for that same amount of time, as both Ohio State and Oklahoma have similar offerings in terms of an NFL pathway for receivers, an offense that can lead to healthy production for its wideouts and the comfort of knowing there is going to be a dangerous quarterback throwing the ball to him between the two schools fighting to be QBU.

That relationship battle may still be won by the Buckeyes as they remain the overwhelming Crystal Ball favorite – notably from 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman, who has the best line to this recruitment over anyone in the country outside of Egbuka’s own camp – despite a relationship with five-star quarterback Caleb Williams that grew during Egbuka’s visit to Oklahoma over the weekend.

In the end, it appears that Egbuka will be picking the Buckeyes on Friday. But buckle up.

 

I hope you are right............tonight I am not optimistic but these things are fluid..........

Hartline is a superstar.........