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Ohio State football signed the No. 4 recruiting class in 2022, according to the 247Sports composite score. With two five-stars, 18 four-stars and one three-star, the prospects coming to Columbus this fall will provide head coach Ryan Day with his roster for the future.
But some first-year Buckeyes, outside of the 21 commits featured in that class, will not be featured on the 85-man scholarship roster in 2022 (or perhaps during their entire Ohio State career). Those players aren’t heavily recruited or awarded any athletic financial aid. Those players are walk-ons.
In August, a flurry of new faces will start fall camp with Ohio State for the first time. Twelve of them will be walk-ons, according to the roster as of July 20. Buckeye Sports Bulletin has assembled their names:
KAI SAUNDERS, WIDE RECEIVER
CHASE BRECHT, RUNNING BACK
Brecht (6-0, 205) earned first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference and second-team all-district honors as a senior at Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty High School. A utility player at running back and wide receiver, Brecht’s best game came against Hilliard (Ohio) Davidson when he amassed 241 all-purpose yards and three second-half touchdowns while leading his team to a win.
COLIN KAUFMANN, CORNERBACK
DIANTÉ GRIFFIN, CORNERBACK
RIORDIN STAUFFER, TIGHT END
BLAIZE EXLINE, WIDE RECEIVER
DAVID ADOLPH, WIDE RECEIVER
A handful of players who stood out during Saturday’s spring football finale.
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Chase Brecht
I don’t have the best memory at my age, so forgive me if I don’t remember this particular running back even being on the team. The Olentangy Liberty product was a surprise star in the fourth quarter of the Spring Game. Brecht was the second-leading rusher with eight carries for 47 yards and most of that was just a sheer willingness to stay up and move the pile.
He averaged 5.9 yards per carry, which was second only to Trayanum among runners with more than one carry. Brecht also finished with two receptions for 10 more yards. He had a highlight-reel catch on a pass that really should have been picked off, and I love players who don’t give up on plays and keep their concentration level high as Brecht did here:
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I talked myself into believing he’d be a 1,000-yard rusher at Purdue or Northwestern based on those eight carries, and I’m pretty comfortable betting my house on that — because I’m terrible at gambling, which is why I don’t do it.
However, after seeing what TC Caffey did in his limited opportunities last year, I’m convinced Ohio State’s walk-on running backs are the real deal and won’t hear a word to the contrary.