Ohio State recruiting expert reveals details on Jakob Witherspoon misleading program, how much North Carolina spent to flip him

Yahoo

2 days ago

It seems that stud high school recruit Jakob Witherspoon kept Ohio State in the dark about the threat of North Carolina luring him away.
This hasn't been the sort of recruiting year OSU hoped for. While they have the ninth-best recruiting class in the country, they have missed on some big talents. One example of that happened this week when four-star defensive back Jakob Witherspoon decommitted and instead chose to take his talents to the Tar Heels to play for Bill Belichick.
It was another stunning example of the program not being able to keep a talented prospect from Ohio. On Friday, OSU recruiting expert Jeremy Birmingham was on The Fan 97.1's 'T-Bone and Tyvis' and offered up new details on recent 'red flags' surrounding Witherspoon.
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'He's a kid who grew up dreaming of playing for Ohio State. He was one of the earliest commitments in this class. He plays a position of need. Is a guy they really prioritized over the last year. But there were signs they could have paid a little bit more attention to,' Birmingham said. 'Sometimes, when it comes to in-state prospects, they just brush them off.
'He did make a couple of visits to North Carolina and Penn State. Did it without telling the Ohio State staff. And from what I understand, when he was asked about it, he was not entirely truthful about taking the visits,' he added. 'That was a red flag that Ohio State had several concerns about. They had conversations with Jacob and his group last month when he was in town for his official visit. But they felt like they had cleared that hurdle. '
North Carolina offered half a million more than Ohio State to flip Jakob Witherspoon?
Without a doubt, playing for the legendary NFL coach likely played a role in Witherspoon's decision. However, in the era of NIL and schools now having to pay players, Birmingham claimed it simply came down to cold, hard cash. And the Tar Heels were willing to pay much more.
'It does come down to NIL in a number of ways,' said Birmingham. 'Ohio State will not prioritize players the same way North Carolina or Purdue will, or any school that is trying to get its way out of the middle of the pack.
'… I've heard. And I can't verify it. The people I've heard from, I trust. But I've heard the difference in dollar amount is somewhere close to half a million dollars for one year,' he revealed. 'For a player who is not going to play at Ohio State next year. It is difficult to justify spending that kind of money on a player who is not going to play for two years.'
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