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John Bolding Commits to FIU; Where Does That Leave OSU With Tayland Humphrey?

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So much for that packaged deal that OSU had cooking with top-ranked junior college defensive tackle Tayland Humphrey and his younger brother, John Bolding.

Bolding, a senior from Klein Oak High School, chose to commit to FIU on Monday over other offers from OSU, Arkansas State, and several other small group of five teams.

Bolding’s recruitment with OSU was spurned by the staff’s interest with his older brother, Tayland, who made it clear he would not visit schools on an official basis unless they offered his brother. So OSU honored his wish, offered Bolding a scholarship during their unofficial visit earlier this summer, and at the time made a big impression on the younger Bolding by OSU’s approach to recruit him.

“They told me I had my own scholarship,” he said an interview with Pistols Firing. “They said they were recruiting me as an offensive lineman. He [Josh Henson] was like, ‘You can redshirt if you want. Every freshmen has that option.’ He explained to me that I had my own scholarship and it wasn’t because of my brother. It was because of me.”

What’s head-scratching about the decision is that Bolding made it pretty clear he and his brother had every intention of committing together and eventually picking the same school, which begs the question: Is Tayland Humphrey, a four-star junior college talent, going to commit to FIU?

“Him and I are going to decide together,” said Bolding three weeks ago. “Most likely … we are going to play together. He told me that he will not take an official visit unless they offer me too. And we’re sticking to that.”

I get that Bolding said the two would likely play together at the next level, but I would be stunned by that now. Most talent scouts would agree that Humphrey’s an NFL talent. He has offers from Texas A&M, Alabama, OSU, Arkansas, Florida State and dozens of others. Would he really spurn those opportunities to play for a major Division I program to head east and play for an FIU team that went 4-8 last season? My guess is no. But if it’s a no, he doesn’t seem to have closed the door on it just yet.

OSU will likely continue recruiting both Bolding and Humphrey despite the early pledge, but the unfolding situation between the self-described Saucy brothers is one that is worth watching in the coming weeks and months. All signs point to OSU now being out of the mix for Humphrey with Bolding off the board, which could lead to a full-court press by the OSU staff on Millwood’s Israel Antwine and newly-offered Texas talent Bobby Brown.

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