Damarion Mays wasted no time picking up where he left off.
The 2028 Top247 wide receiver from Crowley (Texas) North Crowley followed a sophomore season that featured more than 1,600 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns with another early highlight last week. Against state powerhouse Aledo (Texas), Mays opened the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown catch.
At 6-foot-3.5 and 202 pounds, Mays is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 33 wide receiver and the No. 28 overall prospect in Texas. He finished the game with seven catches for 98 yards, and the early signs point to another huge season.
North Crowley’s win over Aledo carried more than just one big play from Mays. It also sent a message as the team pushes to get back to the state finals after winning the 6A crown two seasons ago.
"That was the goal. We wanted to come out and compete and do what we do and dominate," Mays said.
"That's what we did. We've been team bonding this offseason and going to the field every weekend just to get on the same page."
The recruiting picture is already crowded. Mays has 40 offers from major programs, and a handful of schools are beginning to separate themselves.
"Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, Texas Tech, Ohio State, LSU, and more," Mays said. "On my mind, I'll be at Ohio State and Texas for sure. I know I'm going to several others, but that is the one I know I'll do for sure."
That makes Ohio State against Texas a major recruiting stop in week 2. With two top-five teams set to meet in Austin, the matchup is expected to attract elite prospects, and Mays is among the visitors likely to keep a close eye on it. Both programs remain in the mix for him, and he wants to see a game that lives up to the billing.
"I'm hoping to see a dogfight," Mays said. "I think it will come down to the wire. It's two good teams going at it, and it's going to be a dogfight."
For now, Mays isn’t in a hurry. He plans to let the process play out and is aiming to make his decision next summer.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces An Early Test It Can't Dodge
Ohio States defense has no shortage of names to sort through after losing a wave of elite production from last season, and the first real chance to start answering those questions comes against Ball State. The Buckeyes are trying to replace proven playmakers at multiple spots, with the linebacker room drawing particular attention and several transfers expected to be part of the solution as the staff figures out what this group looks like in live action.
Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Giving Jim Tressel One Of Its Highest Honors
Ohio State is adding Jim Tressel to one of the programs most visible tributes, with his name set to join the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium. It is a fitting nod to a coach whose tenure in Columbus helped define an era, from the 2003 national championship to eight Big Ten titles, all of which will now be part of the display alongside his name.
Tressels place in Buckeyes history has long been secure, and this honor only reinforces how central his run from 2001 through 2010 remains to the programs identity. Already in the College Football Hall of Fame, he now gets another permanent reminder inside the stadium where his teams built so many of their biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
Jaxon Smith-Njigba revisited one of the most lingering Ohio State what-ifs during an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show, where he addressed the hamstring injury that kept him out of the College Football Playoff and his decision not to play. He said he wanted to be on the field to help Ohio State win a national championship, but the injury left him unable to go, putting a painful cap on a season that had already made him one of the Buckeyes most electric playmakers.
Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]