Rashons Momma says he is visiting Notre Dame. Get Rashan and his Momma on campus and we have a shot. Beat Ohio State and I say all hands on Deck !!
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five-star defensive end Rashan Gary of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic begins his official visit to Mississippi on Friday, next weekend he's taking one to Auburn and in January he's going to USC.
Given he's already visited Michigan, Gary, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, only has one more official visit available. Who is still in the mix for that final spot?
• Rashan Gary: Seeing the top-rated '16 prospect up close explains why he's Ohio State's ideal defensive lineman
"It's more than one, I'm afraid to say," Jennifer Coney, Gary's mother, told cleveland.com. "I want to say Notre Dame, Kentucky, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia ... I don't know what we're going to do."
There's no question Ohio State has been seemingly trending downward in the race for Gary. Expert recruiting analysts haven't included the Buckeyes as a realistic destination for the 6-foot-5, 293-pounder.
But when Coney was asked if the Buckeyes were still alive for Gary, she was taken back by the notion that it's even a question or that they weren't communicating with the Buckeyes.
"We communicate with Ohio State. Who thinks we weren't communicating with Ohio State?" Coney asked. "As a matter of fact, we just talked to Coach (Larry) Johnson a few days ago. Coach (Johnson) and Rashan text all the time."
Rashan Gary At ParamusFive-star DT Rashan Gary caught up with Cleveland.com earlier in the week after practice.
In a recent interview, Gary was listing off programs in which he's still very interested, and Ohio State wasn't one of the ones he listed. Coney said that's because he's a kid who's excited about the process and it probably accidentally slipped his mind.
"Just because he's not screaming Ohio State, doesn't mean he isn't interested in Ohio State," Coney said. "He doesn't acknowledge all of his schools. I don't think it means anything. Remember, Rashan is a kid. He's a kid. I try to block him from the stress and the pressure, I do, but it's getting serious now."
Coney said the biggest misconception people are making is relating Gary's interest level based on which official visits he takes. But she said that it's entirely possible that Gary chooses a school that didn't get an official visit.
"Just because we only have five officials doesn't mean we can't go and look at other schools," Coney said. "We just want to visit our options and Rashan is blessed to have many options. We're not just going do Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. And just because we can't take an official doesn't mean we can't go see the school.
"For example, Clemson. We want to go to Clemson, but I don't know if we're taking an official there because my brother lives 15 minutes away. We can stay at my brother's, use the family car, spend the day at Clemson, go back to my brother's house and do it again.
"We're just trying to use all of our options. When Rashan makes this decision, he's going to be fully informed. It's not like Ohio State isn't in the mix. We may stop by Ohio on the way to Notre Dame. ... Official visits are about financial convenience for Rashan, so we have to make the best of that."
Enjoy reading about Gary for the next week or so.
Because in DEcember, Coney and her son are going underground.
"He's taking off the entire month of December," Coney said. "He has the ACTs he has to prepare for and the the holidays, we just want to relax and not think about the whole recruiting process.
"We're shutting everything down in December. We're not taking any calls, we're just going to enjoy the holidays. Because at the end of the month, after Christmas, he's going to the All-American game in Florida. Then in January we'll pick it back up."
As of now, don't expect Gary to come to a decision before February.
But Coney has a message for Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five-star defensive end Rashan Gary of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic begins his official visit to Mississippi on Friday, next weekend he's taking one to Auburn and in January he's going to USC.
Given he's already visited Michigan, Gary, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, only has one more official visit available. Who is still in the mix for that final spot?
• Rashan Gary: Seeing the top-rated '16 prospect up close explains why he's Ohio State's ideal defensive lineman
"It's more than one, I'm afraid to say," Jennifer Coney, Gary's mother, told cleveland.com. "I want to say Notre Dame, Kentucky, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia ... I don't know what we're going to do."
There's no question Ohio State has been seemingly trending downward in the race for Gary. Expert recruiting analysts haven't included the Buckeyes as a realistic destination for the 6-foot-5, 293-pounder.
But when Coney was asked if the Buckeyes were still alive for Gary, she was taken back by the notion that it's even a question or that they weren't communicating with the Buckeyes.
"We communicate with Ohio State. Who thinks we weren't communicating with Ohio State?" Coney asked. "As a matter of fact, we just talked to Coach (Larry) Johnson a few days ago. Coach (Johnson) and Rashan text all the time."
Rashan Gary At ParamusFive-star DT Rashan Gary caught up with Cleveland.com earlier in the week after practice.
In a recent interview, Gary was listing off programs in which he's still very interested, and Ohio State wasn't one of the ones he listed. Coney said that's because he's a kid who's excited about the process and it probably accidentally slipped his mind.
"Just because he's not screaming Ohio State, doesn't mean he isn't interested in Ohio State," Coney said. "He doesn't acknowledge all of his schools. I don't think it means anything. Remember, Rashan is a kid. He's a kid. I try to block him from the stress and the pressure, I do, but it's getting serious now."
Coney said the biggest misconception people are making is relating Gary's interest level based on which official visits he takes. But she said that it's entirely possible that Gary chooses a school that didn't get an official visit.
"Just because we only have five officials doesn't mean we can't go and look at other schools," Coney said. "We just want to visit our options and Rashan is blessed to have many options. We're not just going do Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. And just because we can't take an official doesn't mean we can't go see the school.
"For example, Clemson. We want to go to Clemson, but I don't know if we're taking an official there because my brother lives 15 minutes away. We can stay at my brother's, use the family car, spend the day at Clemson, go back to my brother's house and do it again.
"We're just trying to use all of our options. When Rashan makes this decision, he's going to be fully informed. It's not like Ohio State isn't in the mix. We may stop by Ohio on the way to Notre Dame. ... Official visits are about financial convenience for Rashan, so we have to make the best of that."
Enjoy reading about Gary for the next week or so.
Because in DEcember, Coney and her son are going underground.
"He's taking off the entire month of December," Coney said. "He has the ACTs he has to prepare for and the the holidays, we just want to relax and not think about the whole recruiting process.
"We're shutting everything down in December. We're not taking any calls, we're just going to enjoy the holidays. Because at the end of the month, after Christmas, he's going to the All-American game in Florida. Then in January we'll pick it back up."
As of now, don't expect Gary to come to a decision before February.
But Coney has a message for Ohio State
