It wasn’t all good news for Ohio State on Wednesday morning as the Early Signing Period for the 2022 recruiting class opened up. As the Buckeyes were receiving LOI’s from their long time commits, one was announcing his intentions to go in a different direction. Little Elm (Texas) cornerback Terrance Brooks committed to Ohio State over Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M (where his father starred), among many others back in the summer.
But in recent weeks, the University of Texas had made a second run at the Top 100 cornerback prospect. While Ohio State sources were still feeling good about signing Brooks on Tuesday evening, it became clear early on Wednesday morning that it may not be happening. Just after 10 AM eastern on Wednesday, Brooks confirmed the rumors and issued a Signing Day flip to Texas.
Brooks is a consensus Top 100 prospect among the recruiting services and this adds a little extra sting to it for the Buckeyes who had missed on safety target Xavier Nwankpa and are expecting to also miss on Top 100 safety Zion Branch later today who is projected to sign with USC.
It’s a tough stretch for an Ohio State defensive backs class that once looked like it could number as many as six prospects. The Buckeyes signed a very talented trio of prospects today in Cincinnati area star Jyaire Brown and Florida standouts Ryan Turner and Kye Stokes, but the loss of Brooks is significant and now the Buckeyes will likely be looking to add a defensive back during the late signing period and will certainly be monitoring the transfer portal closely this winter. The reclassification of five-star Pickerington (Ohio) Central standout Sonny Styles also provides some help for the Buckeyes in the short term, though Styles could be headed for the linebacker position.
