Ohio State 5-Star Commit Shaun Wade Sets Alabama Visit, Talks Recruitment Status

ORLANDO, Fla. — Alabama is one of many schools hoping for a shot to flip 5-star corner and current Ohio State commit Shaun Wade.

Wade, who committed to the Buckeyes on the same day head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes defeated Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff title game, still considers himself to be solid in his pledge.

But he plans to take a few visits during the spring and summer—the first of which will be to Tuscaloosa.

“I’m 100 percent with Ohio State, but I will be taking visits to other schools,” Wade told Bleacher Report. “I am going to see Alabama next week. That’s the only one I have set up, though.”

He admits it will take a lot to get him to back out of his commitment, as he is close with the entire Buckeyes coaching staff.

“[Me and the Ohio State staff] have a wonderful bond. I’m good with Coach Urban, Coach [Kerry] Coombs, Coach [Tim] Hinton and all of the coaches really. We talk 24/7, and our bond is really strong,” Wade said.

The 6’2”, 180-pounder out of Trinity Christian High School in Jacksonville, Florida, was supposed to compete at the Nike Orlando Opening Regional, but a recent injury derailed those plans.

“Yesterday, when I was competing in our seven-on-seven tournament, I kind of tweaked my groin, so I didn’t want to push it too much a day after and make it worse. That’s why I’m not working out,” Wade explained.

His visit to see the defending national champions is on deck, but he has a few other programs in mind that he wants to check out in the near future.

“I want to go to the West Coast and see UCLA, USC and Stanford,” Wade said. “I want to see Notre Dame and go back to Virginia Tech.”

Additionally, he noted that the Sunshine State’s big three programs are still vigorously recruiting him, which could pay off in each school’s hopes of getting him on campus in the near future.

“Florida, Florida State and Miami are coming hard, and I want to get back to all three of those schools soon,” he said.

Nursing his current injury is on his immediate agenda, but the nation’s No. 3 corner and the No. 11 player overall in the 2017 cycle also wants to add 10 pounds of muscle to his frame before the season.

While he couldn’t participate, he was busy cheering on his fellow Buckeyes pledges, 4-star safety Isaiah Pryor and 4-star corner Marcus Williamson—both of whom earned invites to The Opening after the camp.

Although they are critical pieces to the Buckeyes’ top-rated 2017 class, Wade said the group didn’t spend much time on lobbying other players at the event to eventually join them in Columbus. 

“We haven’t been doing too much recruiting. We mess around a little bit but nothing too serious,” Wade said.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani