Penn State '17 PA DB - Lamont Wade (Penn State Verbal)

BIG TIME 2017 DEFENSIVE BACKS IN COLUMBUS THIS WEEKEND

Yesterday afternoon, Lamont Wade, perhaps the top uncommitted defensive back prospect on Ohio State's 2017 recruiting board, dropped the news that he'd be in Columbus this weekend.

Wade has had a busy few weeks. He visited West Virginia at the end of September and checked out Tennessee last weekend. The Buckeyes continue to be right at the top of the list and this weekend's trip will be the first of what should be two visits for Wade this season. He's also expected to be in town on November 21st when Ohio State takes on Michigan State.

 

LAMONT WADE RECAPS HIS VISIT TO OHIO STATE

Ohio State has defensive back commitments in the 2017 class, but how many? That depends on who you ask. Some will say two – Shaun Wade and Marcus Williamson – while others will say "no, they've got four" because the recruiting profiles of guys like Isaiah Pryor and Brendon White say "safety" on them. Whatever the number actually is, Lamont Wade and his father are paying attention.

"We like Ohio State a lot," Carlton Wade, the father of the 2017 four-star defensive back told 11W. "It depends on how many defensive backs they bring in. We enjoyed our visit (this past weekend), it was great."

For Lamont Wade himself, this recent trip to Ohio State was business as usual. He spent time with the Buckeye coaching staff, checked out the academic side of the school and took a look at how the players live on campus.

"It was a good trip," Lamont told 11W. "I spent most of it with my family, being on campus a bit. It was good to see how it was set up, the dorms and things like that."

As for the game? Wade said it's up there with great atmospheres he took in during trips to Penn State and Tennessee.

"I've been to a couple 100,000-plus seat stadiums this year," Wade said. "It was right up there with the rest. I talked to (Luke) Fickell before and after the game. I'll hopefully be back for the Michigan State game."

 

5-star DB Lamont Wade gives the latest https://t.co/AQSqea99gD #WVU #Pitt #OSU #PSU #Vols #UCLA #UNC #LSU #UF pic.twitter.com/yedmfGfAVh

— Adam Friedman (@RivalsFriedman) November 13, 2015

 

DIVING INTO WADE'S RECRUITMENT

Recruiting in 2015 isn't like it used to be. Not only are college coaches running multimillion dollar football programs with 85 scholarship players, they're required to be recruiting around the clock, day-in, day-out. Heck, not only are you recruiting seniors and juniors and sophomores and freshmen but you've even got to know who each of those kids are playing every stinking weekend. It's not easy, but somehow, the nation's top programs stay on top of it.

That is, of course, Lamont Wade, one of Ohio State's top recruiting targets in the 2017 class and just a sampling of the personalized recruiting graphics he received on Friday prior to his playoff game against Avonworth. Wade's Clairton Bears rolled to a 46-21 win, improving to 11-0 on the season despite the four-star cornerback/running back missing significant time with an ankle injury throughout the middle part of the year.

On Friday, back to full health, Wade ran for 225 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns, one of which a 91-yard jaunt for six points. At 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, Wade could be a high-level recruit on offense or defense, in fact two schools – Pitt and West Virginia – have made it clear to the country's 56th-ranked player he could line up on offense and defense if he chose their program. Wade is expected in Columbus this coming weekend and, despite a push from Penn State to visit for their game against Michigan, his father Carlton says that trip is going to happen.

"Yes," Carlton Wade told 11W when asked if they were confirmed for their visit to Columbus. "Even though Penn State is pulling really hard."

Wade visited the Buckeyes in October for their night game against the Nittany Lions and Ohio State returned the favor two weeks ago during their open week: Urban Meyer himself made a trip to Clairton.

 

Five-star Wade takes in Columbus: Five star cornerback Lamont Wade experienced Columbus again for a game day v... https://t.co/Iso0v1xCRv

— Big Me Kickoff (@BigMe_Kickoff) November 22, 2015

 

Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 on No. 20 overall prospect Lamont Wade - Football Recruiting - Scout https://t.co/CaeJ8giSrV

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) December 6, 2015

 

JUNIOR YEAR 🚨🚧🚨🚧🚨🚧🚨🚧https://t.co/DuVigv8lDf pic.twitter.com/Z8ah6JmMPA

— LaMont Wade 🦍 (@Goony_38) December 8, 2015

 

No. 6 player in the 2017 class per Rivals. CB Lamont Wade. https://t.co/33VpKdkAhR

— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) January 25, 2016

 

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LAMONT WADE • 2017 • DB • CLAIRTON (PENNSYLVANIA)

"It was definitely a good trip. I enjoyed the game a lot, and the staff showed me that I was a priority for them."

 

Wade earns 5th star
The 2017 class is already off to a more than impressive start, and the pursuit to have more of the nation's best prospects continues at full speed. On the defensive side of the ball, Lamont Wade of Clairton, Pennsylvania is one of the top targets on the board for Ohio State. Recently, Wade was also one of the names that was awarded a 5-star ranking by Scout.com.

According to Scout, he is the second-best cornerback in the class, while at 247Sports he is ranked as the sixth-best. It's easy to see that Wade is a top prospect regardless of the recruiting service. Fortunately, for Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to host Wade at last weekend's junior day visit in Columbus. While there's a long way to go before signing day 2017, the 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction has Ohio State running away with the lead for Wade's services.

 

On top of #OhioState CB Big Board is 5-Star CB Lamont Wade. https://t.co/AuAPuR3oFN pic.twitter.com/gkWLwqQkLW

— Rivals (@Rivals) February 22, 2016

 

5-Star CB Lamont Wade is #PennState #1 Priority in the Class of 2017. https://t.co/TChDJ3iRwk pic.twitter.com/lAiutJzIyp

— Rivals (@Rivals) February 28, 2016

 

SELLING DRAFT PICKS TO FUTURE RECRUITS? OF COURSE.

Clairton, Pennsylvania's Lamont Wade, a Top-40 player nationally and one of the longer-standing targets in Ohio State's 2017 recruiting cycle, hears all kinds of promises and recruiting talk everywhere he goes.

The talented cornerback, who spent the past weekend at Penn State and Pitt, wrote on RecruitDiaries.com last week about the pitch he gets from the Buckeyes and Urban Meyer, and to say the least, it's effective.

From RecruitDiaries.com:

The funniest coach is low-key Coach Urban Meyer. A lot of people will never see this side of him but he is super funny and always cracks jokes when I’m with him. The best recruiting pitch I have heard is very straight to the point, and really simple. An Ohio State coach told me, “We might honestly have like seven first rounders this year, what other school can say that?”

The Buckeyes are the current leader on the 247Sports.com crystal ball for Wade.

 

No. 2 CB Lamont Wade gets 5-star message at Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt https://t.co/9hD2KajMBs

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) March 6, 2016

 

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