Ohio State 2018-2022 WR - Kamryn Babb

No. 1 • Kamryn Babb • WR • St. Louis (Mo.)
Ohio State has had for much of its 2018 recruiting cycle just one receiver target. That has been and continues to be Kamryn Babb.


Kamryn Babb was a top 5 receiver in Oregon at The Opening finals. (Jeremy Birmingham / Land of 10)
Babb will appear in most lists of top receivers at The Opening finals. He was smooth, consistent and explosive as one of the main options on team Mach Speed, which rolled through Nike’s 7On tournament without much of a challenge.

After talking to Babb, there are a few schools still trying to wiggle their way into his decision. But the Buckeyes have been at the top of the list for a while and it’s hard to see that changing. I don’t know that Babb will end his recruitment on July 21 at Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights camp, but I know he’ll be there. Last summer, 5-star defensive end Chase Young came to Columbus for FNL and left as a commit. Will the same thing happen here?

 

Country's No. 2 WR will soon be back at #OhioState, talks #Buckeyes and more; was there a surprise at @TheOpening? https://t.co/qKjwhvWWkF pic.twitter.com/gMEpB75K2j

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) July 7, 2017

 

Buckeyes getting backup in Kamryn Babb pursuit

Ohio State has made 4-star wide receiver Kamryn Babb its top 2018 wide receiver target for much of the last year. The Buckeyes, led by Zach Smith’s recruiting efforts, are the heavy favorites to land the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Babb whenever he decides to end his recruitment.

A senior-to-be at Christian Brothers College (it’s a high school) in St. Louis, Babb has had a few talks about Ohio State with an unlikely person: Buckeyes senior walk-on Zach Turnure. Turnure played lacrosse at CBC and is one of the leaders of the Ohio State special teams unit.

“We’ve talked a couple of times,” Babb told Land of 10. “He’s just worried about my future, like all alums would be, and he’s not just trying to get me to Ohio State. He wants to see me succeed as a person.”

Of course, Turnure is at Ohio State, so Babb is able to get a little insight into the program and the school.

“I mean, yeah, he goes to school there and plays ball,” Babb said. “It really helps to get me a great picture of what Ohio State is really like, not just what the recruiting stuff says. It’s valuable to have that kind of knowledge.”

Babb will get his next chance to see what’s what at Ohio State on July 21 when he returns to the school for Friday Night Lights.

 

Very tough news for Ohio State WR target Kamryn Babb, senior season in jeopardy :: https://t.co/2BbTFQHaKU

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) August 7, 2017

 

Kamryn Babb sees senior season in doubt

Ohio State’s top wide receiver target in the Class of 2018 — Christian Brothers College (St. Louis) 4-star standout Kamryn Babb — may miss his senior season following a knee injury suffered in practice over the weekend.

The initial report came from StlToday.com’s David Kvidahl, who mentioned that this will be the second straight high school season in which the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Babb will miss significant time due to injury.


This is the second consecutive season Babb has sustained a significant injury. In six games last season he caught 45 passes for 784 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns. He was injured against Jefferson City and missed five games before returning for a few plays against Blue Springs in the Class 6 state semifinals.

Babb’s injury — if he misses his entire senior season — would be the latest in a string of high school career-ending injuries that have befallen Ohio State commits and top targets in recent years. In the Buckeyes’ 2016 class, both Nick Bosa and Malik Barrow lost their final season of prep eligibility to injury. In the 2017 class, Trevon Grimes and J.K. Dobbins suffered the same fate. In the spring of 2015, Ohio State signee Dremont Jones tore an ACL while playing basketball just two months after signing his letter of intent with the Buckeyes.

Jaelen Gill, a 2018 commit, missed his junior season with a broken leg. He is back to full strength heading into his senior season.

There is no official word on Babb’s injury, but there’s no reason to expect it to impact his recruitment or his future spot on the Buckeyes roster, if he decides that Ohio State is the school he wants to attend.

Earlier this summer, defensive lineman Greg Emerson suffered an unfortunate injury while participating in Nike’s The Opening in Oregon. The prospect from Jackson, Tenn., committed to Tennessee the next day, choosing to focus on his recovery and rehab. I’m not suggesting Babb is going to do the same thing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he opts for an early commitment date.

 

This is the scene from @CBCFootball's practice right now. @kamm_o has a positive mindset after an MRI today confirmed he has a torn ACL. pic.twitter.com/01x5TInt2j

— Audrey Dahlgren (@AudreyDahlgren) August 7, 2017

 

ICYMI It has been confirmed that #OhioState WR target @kamm_o has a torn ACL https://t.co/0zxF43A3Zl

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) August 8, 2017

 

No. 1: CBC's Babb remains upbeat despite season-ending injury https://t.co/4WcSdB9deR via @stltoday

— Jackson (@JacksonWorkman) August 17, 2017

 

CAN'T LOSE YOUR SPOT DUE TO INJURY

Despite the fact he's expected to miss his entire senior season with a torn ACL, St. Louis Christian Brothers College four-star wide receiver Kamryn Babb — Ohio State's top target at the position — was recently named the No. 1 player in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Super 30, a countdown of the area's top senior college football prospects.

At 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, Babb could have been sculpted by Michelangelo. With the ball in his hands he's a Bugatti roaring down the open highway. Babb ran the third leg on CBC's school record and state championship 400-meter relay in the spring. He's the defending state long jump champion, too.

This combination of size, power, speed and pure athleticism made Babb one of the most sought-after recruits in the country.

I couldn't have said it better myself, to be honest. When healthy, he's a man among boys.

Of course, Babb could easily be frustrated with missing time for the second-consecutive season. But he's remained upbeat and involved in practices leading up to the Cadets' season opener against Miller Career this evening.

“I'm focused on getting healthy and helping the team in a positive way. Just being there for them,” Babb said. “Just encouraging the whole team. I know a lot of guys think I'm a big part of the team, which I am, but I never did it by myself. I had a whole group of guys behind me.”

Babb doesn't have a timetable for surgery, nor has he made public plans to make a decision on his future any time soon. But it's clear the two-time team captain, injury aside, will still make an impact for Christian Brothers this season — one which could bookend his high school career with state titles.

 

Good news for #OhioState WR target @kamm_o who had successful surgery today https://t.co/GCsQthCf0q

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) August 23, 2017

 

Kamryn Babb continues recovery from ACL injury

Ohio State has long been viewed as the leader for St. Louis Christian Brothers wide receiver Kamryn Babb, a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2018, according to the 247Sports composite. Things have gone a bit quiet since Babb tore his ACL, but his hometown newspaper recently provided some updates in a profile.

After Babb tore the ACL in his right knee in early August, he called the schools recruiting him to inform them of the injury — and dialed the Buckeyes before any other program. Though he had concerns, his injury hasn’t impacted interest in him.

“It’s been pretty good, no change or anything like that,” he told the Post-Dispatch. “All the same schools that were talking to me before the injury are still talking to me. … So I’m just taking one day at a time, giving them an update on my rehab. It’s going pretty good. Nothing’s changed.”

Babb has not yet used any official visits, but he plans to be at the Buckeyes game against Penn State.

 

BACK TO THE LOU

Wide receivers coach Zach Smith, meanwhile, was in St. Louis Thursday morning to check on Christian Brothers College four-star wide receiver Kamryn Babb, who is on the mend after tearing his ACL in a practice prior to the season.

The visit is important, as the 6-foot-1, 189-pound Babb — who narrowed down his list of 30 scholarship offers this summer to Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss and USC — is set to return to campus for the Penn State game next weekend. It'll mark his first time in Columbus since he attended (but did not participate in) a one-day camp back in June.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a wonderful article on Babb Wednesday, detailing his lost senior season and rehab. It also mentioned how Babb called coaches from each one of his top nine schools the moment he found out the extent of the injury to make sure his scholarship was still on the table.

For what it's worth, he placed the first call to Ohio State.

Not surprisingly, the heavyweights of college football are still interested in the speedster the Post-Dispatch ranks as the top football prospect in the 2018 class. He plans to start taking official visits soon.

“It’s been pretty good, no change or anything like that,” he said of recruiting. “All the same schools that were talking to me before the injury are still talking to me, so I’m just taking one day at a time, giving them an update on my rehab. It’s going pretty good. Nothing’s changed.”

Kamryn is focusing on rehabbing his knee and helping his teammates from the sidelines these days.

He has also drawn inspiration from his father’s vow to go through the same running exercises with him once he’s cleared to do agility drills.

I've been fortunate in getting to know Babb's parents through this process, so it's no suprise to hear how helpful they've been in getting him back to 100 percent. Here's to hoping the Cadets can finish out the season strong and bookend Babb's high school career with a pair of state championships.

 

St. Louis Christian Brothers Top247 WR Kamryn Babb receives his @ArmyAllAmerican Bowl jersey today: https://t.co/drufFVfGdq pic.twitter.com/OA2ztIIQgP

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) October 25, 2017

 

2018 4-star WR recruit Kamryn Babb pic.twitter.com/6siGcWmEZJ

— The Ozone (@theozonedotnet) October 28, 2017

 

Kamryn Babb has not committed to Ohio State, but there’s no reason to panic or feel like things aren’t where they need to be. Sources close to his recruitment have said that the Buckeyes top wide receiver target wants to make a couple other visits before announcing his college choice, with LSU and USC the likeliest options to receive them.

 

The "brotherhood" within the #OhioState football program is what stands out to Top247 WR Kamryn Babb. He talks visit https://t.co/aX1gsu497F

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) October 30, 2017