OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The explosion of offers and attention was overwhelming enough for Brandon Harris when spread over four months.

But it was nothing compared to the 72-hour window a week ago that essentially offered confirmation that the four-star quarterback (Bossier City, La./Parkway) has arrived on the national scene and isn’t going away.

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The nation's top-ranked Class of 2014 recruit, Jahlil Okafor, cut his list to eight schools Wednesday, with Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State remaining in the mix for the ridiculously talented center. But like every other great post, Okafor will be dependent on a player -- primarily the point guard -- to deliver the post feed or drop-off pass on time and on target for him to be in the best position to score.

Let’s take a look at how the eight finalists may sell Okafor on how he’ll receive the ball in their half-court sets.

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Last weekend in Minneapolis at the fourth and final session of the Nike EYBL, No. 1 junior Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young) spent a lot of his free time with two friends and fellow top-10 prospects in the 2014 class: Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) and Justise Winslow (Houston/St. John’s).

There has been a lot of talk that those three elite recruits could choose to play together in college. On Wednesday night, Okafor tweeted that his final eight consists of -- in no particular order -- Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Why did he decide to narrow his list now? What were the factors in determining the finalists? Which programs were the toughest ones to leave off? How serious is the talk of a possible package deal with Jones and Winslow? And what exactly makes Okafor such a special, highly sought after prospect? Let’s examine.

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FRISCO, Texas -- Soso Jamabo (Plano, Texas/Plano West) would have liked to be a part of this weekend’s Nike EYBL series playing with the Texas Titans. With a sling on his right shoulder, however, the 2015 two-sport star was reduced to watching the Titans on the bench, offering instruction to teammates and being the team’s biggest supporter.

For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.

“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”

Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.

Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.

Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Two prospects with scholarship offers from Southeastern Conference power programs said they’re following through with plans to look hard at schools in other parts of the country.

Safety Mattrell McGraw (River Ridge, La./John Curtis) and outside linebacker Petera Wilson (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) hold offers from Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Wilson has also been offered by Florida, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State; McGraw by Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

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Texas has yet to pick up a verbal pledge from a member of the highly-touted class of in-state 2014 defensive backs. Following his junior day visit, though, it seemed John Bonney was a safe bet to be the first one to give the Longhorns a commitment.

More than a week has passed since Bonney received his UT offer during the program’s first junior day, and the Houston Lamar safety prospect still has a few things he wants to see before he’ll be ready to make a commitment.

Here’s the latest on where Bonney’s recruitment stands and which out-of-state powerhouse he’d like to check out in the near future.

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Houston Lamar safety John Bonney's trip to Texas for its first junior day of the year started out well.

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If fans are looking for Tommy Sanders (Cordele, Ga./Butler Community College) this weekend, he’ll be in Columbia, S.C.

Butler coach Troy Morrell indicated Friday morning that his star outside linebacker was taking his official visit to South Carolina this weekend after meeting with Buckeyes assistant coach Luke Fickel on Thursday.

The latest development, however, is that Sanders now has an offer from Ohio State.

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The Tommy Sanders (Cordele, Ga./Butler Community College) to Ohio State talk took a turn Wednesday night when rumors circulated that the junior college standout committed to the Buckeyes.

Those rumors were put to rest Thursday morning when the 6-foot-2, 215-pound outside linebacker indicated he had not committed via text message.

There is mutual interest even though Ohio State hasn’t tendered an offer just yet. In fact, both sides remain in contact as the mid-term signing day nears for junior college players -- it begins Dec. 19.

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Ohio State’s pursuit of a linebacker has taken the Buckeyes to the junior college level, where the squad is eyeing one of the key members of the national runner-up Butler Community Grizzlies.

Outside linebacker Tommy Sanders of Cordele, Ga. will join the likes of Gareon Conley (Massillon, Ohio/Washington), Mike Mitchell (Plano, Texas), David Dawson (Detroit/Cass Tech) and Donovan Munger (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) on an official visit to Ohio State this weekend .

“I’m looking to meet the coaches and players and see what they have to offer,” said Sanders, who doesn’t have an offer from the Buckeyes just yet. “I’ll be looking at the academics and the community, and how well the program is being supported.”

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