“Dear University of Michigan Community, I write today to share that I have been selected as the sole finalist for the presidency of the University of Florida.” This was Michigan’s president, Santa J. Ono, who recently departed for Florida after three years at Michigan. While at the surface the move may look usual, it may be motivated by ‘tax’ reasons, but one can’t read too much into this, right? Well, Joel Klatt, in his latest episode, talked about Ono’s departure and warned that his retreat indicates something big is coming for Michigan in early June, and it won’t be pretty. So, while the NCAA is busy tightening its screws on Michigan and Sherrone Moore, Ryan Day is basking in his newfound spotlight. And guess what? He’s now on to Michigan’s top target, and the commitment looks close.

Ever since Ohio State won that national title despite losing ‘The Game,’ they haven’t left a single opportunity to showcase their shiny natty. On May 12, Ohio State finalized the commitment of the 17th-ranked CB, Jordan Thomas, even though the guy just came after visiting Ann Arbor. The next coup? Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, the 15th-ranked wide receiver, committed to Ohio State on May 15th, having shortlisted Michigan in his final five programs. The list is long, but you get the idea. Even then, these were blue-chip targets, but now the Buckeyes are coming for a 5-star monster.

In On3 Recruits’ recent video, Josh Newberg gave a jolt to Michigan fans with his latest report. “Five-star running back Savion Hiter early in the cycle. I had a penciled him to Michigan, but if you look at the recruiting prediction machine, you got Ohio State and Georgia at the top of this one.” Ohio State is looking to fill their Quinshon Judkins void for the long term, and Savion seems the very guy who provides that quality.

A five-star, 1st-ranked running back, Savion comes from Mineral, Virginia, and stands at 5′ 11.5″ and 200 lbs. As a running back, the guy is all juiced up with elite balance and vision. Add to that his world-class explosive burst and agility, and you just got yourself a Quinshon Judkins 2.0. The guy even lit up the scouting combine, where he ran a 10-yard split in 1.52 seconds and executed a 36-inch vertical jump. Talk about physicality. Savion is a football player and a track and field athlete; that’s something, right? Savion’s quality and athleticism are the main reasons why Ryan Day is after him and is closing in, too.

Simmons Scoop sat with Josh and provided the additional details and even discarded Georgia being in contention, picking OSU as a sole contender right now. “I think I grew with one of those , and it’s not Georgia. I agree with Ohio State, though. I think they made a pretty big move this spring, getting him and his mom and his people back on campus in Columbus.” Moreover, Savion visited Ohio State and was going to visit Ann Arbor, but canceled the trip at the last moment. Simmons said, “This spring he did not make it to Michigan.” What does this signify?

Well, isn’t it obvious now? Two things: 1. Ohio State is massively favored to land the guy, and 2. The player is making trips to Columbus without any regard to Michigan. That alone can tell you where Savion Hiter stands. However, like all things, the cat’s not out of the bag yet, and there may be some last-minute moves Sherrone Moore could try to land him. But with NCAA hearings starting on June 6th and harsh sanctions likely coming Moore’s way (per reports), Michigan might not even have the time to think of flipping Hiter amid all of this. Yet, there may be someone else Ryan Day will need to be wary of.

Ryan Day gets bested by a former Ohio State stalwart?

While Hiter’s commitment looks likely to lean towards Ohio State. Ryan Day is thus focusing his mind elsewhere, bolstering his defense and picking commits for that. So far, he has done an excellent job and has brought in 5-star Blaine Bradford (safety), including several other blue-chip talents like Simeon Caldwell (safety) and Jordan Thomas (CB). But the team is still short on linebackers, and to mitigate that, the head coach was after Cincere Johnson. But now a Big 10 rival is lurking to grab the player, and it’s not Michigan.

Rivals’ Greg Smith reported. “The thought process around elite linebacker prospect Cincere Johnson’s recruitment all along has been that Ohio State is the clear team to beat. That is likely true. He’s an Ohio native that the Buckeyes have prioritized heavily, and his high school has a strong pipeline to Columbus. But there is another Big Ten team lurking. Penn State also has its own rich linebacker tradition, and the program has done a great job recruiting Johnson.” The news is concerning, and it might have signs of Jim Knowles playing his cards.

Johnson is a massive talent, standing at 6’3″ and 235 lbs., and is a native of Glenville, Ohio. Being the 4th-ranked LB in the country is showing in the intense battle between Ryan Day and Jim Knowles. At Ohio State, Jim Knowles was the one who was recruiting the guy, and now, when he is at Penn State, there might be a move or two Knowles would have in his sleeve against Ryan Day.