2023 BRPT Class Review

[RB07OSU]

Fellow BP'ers:

It is that time of the year again after early signing period has yielded another recruiting class that is presumably mostly over, though with some potential quirks with the transfer portal and gaps in certain positions. The BRPT, as we have done last last few years with what I think is a successful format, will do the BRPT review in communal fashion. Please everyone weigh in with your thoughts and add any category that seems appropriate...BUT we are staying away from overly negative reactions to the class. Obviously a certain level of candor is expected and I am not going to post that everything is unicorns and butterflies, but we've had enough negativity and discussion on NIL to the point where we need to take a step back and post to BP's traditional standards.

With that out of the way, here we go for RB07OSU:

General Thoughts​

Let's just get this addressed right out of the gate: The finish to this class was disappointing. We had several decommits, missed on most of our remaining key targets, and there are admittedly some holes at certain positions. Hopefully we do not repeat that finish in future classes. However, don't lose sight of the many high-level prospects we did land and honestly I think we addressed a lot of big needs, though not quite with the numbers we wanted. This is a borderline top 5 class in the country (by most rating sites) and some fan reactions would make you think it is outside the top 25. There are a lot of very good players in this class and a lot to be excited about.

Earliest Impact​

Brandon Inniss. May seem obvious, but the kid is extremely polished, crazy athletic, and has better size than most people give him credit for. I know it is a crowded WR room and PT will not be easy to come by, but Inniss is just too good to keep off the field. Runner up to me is Kayden McDonald, we need some help at DT and he is physically ready and a big talent, I wouldn't bet against him seeing the field this next fall.

Most Star Potential​

Carnell Tate. Another WR, I know. But while I think Inniss is most ready to contribute at WR, Tate has a monster ceiling and could be one of the next great WR's here. So much to like about this kid. Jermaine Mathews is right there though, incredible cover corner with prototypical size and plays the ball so well in air.

Most Intriguing​

Jelani Thurman. Kid has incredible size and wingspan, very athletic and seems like an absolute steal from the south. I don't know that he plays right away, but his potential down the road is very intriguing...especially now that we are trying to use TE's in the passing game.

Biggest Reach​

I kind of always hate this category but the reality is we typically have one or two prospects that seemed like a reach. This year I will go with Miles Walker at OL. While I think OL recruiting was overall pretty good with the 3 Ohio OL we landed, Walker came into the class after we missed on most of our other top targets at OT. Apparently the staff likes Walker a lot and he does have the frame you want on an OT, but we undoubtedly missed on several other prospects in winding up with him in this class.

Sleeper​

Josh Padilla. Not necessarily underrated per se, but I think a lot of fans forget about this Ohio stud OL with a wrestling background and a ton of nastiness because he committed early without any fuss. I see Padilla as a 3-year starter type. Runner up is Will Smith Jr., he really proved himself his senior year and on the camp circuit, definitely one to be excited about.

Biggest Surprise Commitment​

Josh Mickens. I know we were trending for him late in the game, but he came out of the woodworks as an LSU decommit and boy did we need him at DE with the way we finished.

The Ones Who Got Away​

Well, this section could be filled with pages but I will just stick to a few of them. Kayin Lee is a big one, really like him and CB was a need, though Mathew and CSH are two absolute studs there. In terms of guys we looked good for that I hate missing on, Damon Wilson is definitely on the top....game changing DE and someone that would have paired well with Mickens. My last one would be Tackett Curtis, monster LB that we were looking good for that ended up at USC, I really like Reese but think we needed one more LB in this class like Curtis.

What This Class Lacks​

In my eyes, we needed another DE and CB. Whiffing on all those DE's hurt even with Mickens as a godsend in the final hour. At CB, I am a little less concerned because Mathews and CSH I think very highly of but we probably needed one more...hopefully get one in the portal? I do feel good at safety though, I really like Bonsu, Hartford and Hawkins (who might be a CB). You could say not landing a RB, but Wilcox is still out there and assuming everyone returns, our RB room is set for next year.

2024 Outlook​

I think the priority areas are pretty clear for next year...two very good offensive tackles, a stud RB, a pair of good DEs, and at least three CBs. With Kienholz, I am not so concerned on Raiola, though we will of course want to land a QB in '24. In my eyes, the '23 class was a very good one in terms of star power, but we need more numbers with injuries, transfer portal, etc. all being very real. And hopefully we can adjust to the NIL world, I don't want to harp on that with all the conversation that has already happened, but the landscape of recruiting has changed there and we have to do better this next cycle. I don't pretend to know the answer, but the powers that be hopefully have a plan.

 

[pnuts34]

Great write up RB

 

[pnuts34]

I’ll give my shot at class superlatives, though @RB07OSU did a great job and I’ll probably agree with several.

Earliest Impact- Brandon Inniss. Everything that RB said, this kid is a stud, and is so freaking competitive and skilled that he will force his way into the 2 deep

Most star potential - CSH. The type of shutdown CB that OSU has had for years and a guy that will do his job without much talking

Most intriguing- Noah Rogers. I’ve been saying for a while that I think he’s the most talented of the 4 WRs, and if he played in FL like Inniss and Tate, his name would be known more. He has the speed, hands, route running and leaping ability to see the field at least by year 2

Biggest reach- Will Smith Jr. Kid is talented, but how will his body fill out?

Sleeper- Cedrick Hawkins. With the loss of Kayin Lee to Auburn, many worried about the CB position. But thing is, Lee was seen as a slot CB, and in Knowles’ defense, a S plays that spot, and that’s where I see Hawkins sliding into. Just like Tanner McAllister, Hawkins can be a great cover slot S.

Biggest surprise- Lincoln Kienholz(though Mickens is also a close answer). A talented athletic QB that OSU got in the 11th hour who can compete for PT after year 2.

The ones that got away- this is where it gets frustrating because this class could’ve been so much better. Mark Fletcher, Richard Young, Damon Wilson, Matayo Uiagalelei, Keon Keeley, Olave Alinen, Dijon Johnson, Caleb Downs, Troy Bowles and John Walker we’re all names that OSU led for at some point or another in the cycle, and landed none of them. It’s not a lame excuse, but NIL played a part in pretty much all of their recruitments.

Class lacks- An elite OT, DE and RB

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Thanks, RB and pnuts!

 

[LordJeffBuck]

General Thoughts​

If you look only at the recruiting rankings (247 Composite), then Ohio State did just fine for the Class of 2023: 287.66 total points (#6 overall), with an average per recruit of 93.57 (#3 overall). However, ten of the signees are ranked #198 or higher, meaning half the class is considered to be Day Three (or UDFA) prospects at the NFL level - not ideal when Alabama and Georgia (and even Texas) are signing a legion of future first rounders. Of course, Signing Day's future first rounder could be next year's transfer portal bust, and coaching and player development are still necessary to turn raw ability into actual talent, but Ohio State has very little room for error in this small, bottom heavy class.

And Ohio State's class was small (only 20 signees, when the other teams in the top-11 signed an average of 25.5 with a low of 23). Signing large classes will become increasingly important as the transfer portal becomes increasingly popular for players who made the "wrong" choice the first (or second or third or fourth...) time around.

In addition, the Buckeyes' class is (once again) top heavy at the wide receiver position; for the second year in a row, Ohio State signed four top WR prospects, even though only three WR play in most sets and this year's #4 WR (Jayden Ballard) had only eight receptions (mostly in garbage time). With Ohio State's top eight WRs returning in 2023 (barring transfer), adding another four players to the mix seems excessive. Brian Hartline does a tremendous job of attracting talent to Columbus, but he really should be limited to three signees per class.

Both lines needed impact players, especially on the edges, but the staff failed to sign any exciting prospects at those positions. Luke Montgomery is a nice player and a local kid, but he is not the stud OT prospect that this team needed; the other three OL signees are strictly projects (but without the ridiculous upside of, for example, Dawand Jones from a few years back). On the DL, Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr are tweeners, and Joshua Mickens an undersized edge rusher; perhaps Kayden McDonald (already 310 pounds) will eventually develop into an SEC wrecking ball at defensive tackle.

Overall, Ohio State failed - on paper - to keep pace with the powerhouses of college football, signing a class that is too small, lacks top end talent everywhere but wide receiver, and has potentially gaping holes on both lines, at linebacker (one signee), and at running back (no signees). Happy Holidays!

Earliest Impact​

It would be easy to argue that one of the Buckeyes' "five-star" WR signees would make the earliest impact (and two of my colleagues did just that), but Ohio State returns two of the top receivers in the country (Marvin Harrison Jr and Emeka Egbuka) along with Julian Fleming, Jayden Ballard, and four top recruits from the Class of 2022, so a true freshman WR will have a very deep and talented depth chart to navigate in order to secure any playing time at all, much less to make a significant impact. On the other hand, the tight end room is both thin and disappointing, so top-100 prospect Jelani Thurman should get an early opportunity to show that he is worthy of his lofty ranking.

Most Star Potential​

The quarterback always has the most star potential, so I'll say that Lincoln Kienholz is the man for the Class of 2023. Even though Kienholz is ranked the #205 overall prospect and the #14 quarterback prospect, and played his high school ball in the wasteland of South Dakota, because of his athleticism and moxie he reminds some people of former Buckeye and current NFL great Joey Burrow. Because Kienholz is already stuck behind two five-star QB prospects (Kyle McCord and Devin Brown), and will likely be stuck behind a third after the Class of 2024 is signed, he reminds other people of former Buckeye and current Arkansas assistant coach Kenny Guiton. Then again, Guiton holds more Buckeye passing records than Burrow, so maybe being compared The Old Righty ain't such a bad thing after all....

Most Intriguing​

The most intriguing prospect would have to be Will Smith Jr. Can this legacy recruit achieve even a fraction of his father's greatness at Ohio State (national championship, All American, first round draft pick), or will he be another Adam Griffin or Kirk Herbstreit? My guess is somewhere in the middle (competent player, not a superstar), which is about all that you can expect from a tweener DL who is ranked the #263 overall prospect in this class.

Biggest Reach​

I don't want to single anyone out, so I'll say any OL not named Luke Montgomery. That gives me three chances to get this one right, and I might even hit on all three (which would mean that Ohio State missed on all three). Better luck next year, Mr. Frye.

Sleeper​

In some years (2017 and 2021, for example), I could barely find a sleeper prospect. This year, I have ten or twelve to choose from. I'd like to go with Lincoln Kienholz, but I've already identified him as Most Star Potential so I can't really call him a sleeper as well (actually I could - it's called pleading in the alternative - but I'll save the legal machinations for another day and another thread). So how about (closes eyes, throws dart) Jayden Bonsu, a 6-foot-1, 210 safety prospect out of New Jersey. Bonsu was one of the least discussed members of this class (at least until he delayed sending in his LOI, at which point he immediately became a priority recruit), but he has excellent size for a safety and comes from a legitimate high school football factory (St. Peters Prep) so I expect a bright future for him in Columbus. I also said similar things about Isaiah Pryor, my sleeper from the Class of 2017, so what do I know?

Biggest Surprise Commitment​

Jelani Thurman wasn't the biggest surprise commitment, but he was the biggest surprise signee. As the decommitment rumor mill started churning out its annual bad news for the Buckeyes at the end of November, I was fairly certain that Thurman would end up at Auburn or some other school closer to home and more likely to dole out some NIL incentive.

The Ones Who Got Away​

Ohio State had five decommits and "lost" several five-star prospects down the stretch (allegedly) due to NIL shenanigans. But the one who really got away? How about five-star wide receiver Zachariah Branch (remember him), who was all set to come to Ohio State along with his older brother Zion (a four-star safety form the class of 2022) until Southern Cal hired Lincoln Riley to be their head coach three weeks before the 2022 early Signing Day. That surprising blockbuster move killed two birds with one stone, as the elder Branch could have been the impact safety that the Buckeyes have been lacking for years, while the younger Branch seems like a JSN clone.

What This Class Lacks
​

Can I be flippant and say everything but wide receiver? I'd bank on Luke Montgomery being an All Big Ten guard someday, and Jelani Thurman will certainly have a chance to make an early impact at tight end, but the rest of the signees (excluding the aforementioned wide receivers) seem more like depth/rotational players than surefire stars, which leaves us with potential holes all over the roster. The X-factor is quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. If he can develop into a championship level QB then this class will have been successful regardless of what the other signees achieve. If he becomes QB4, then this class will be largely remembered as the transitional year before we figured out NIL and the Transfer Portal.

2024 Outlook​

If we look at Signing Day 2023 as a snapshot, then it's clear that Ohio State cannot continue to compete for national championships using its current philosophy - signing a small class (20 prospects) that is top heavy at one position (wide receiver), has no impact players at arguably the most important positions (offensive tackle, defensive tackle, edge rusher, and quarterback), and has far too many reaches (or sleepers, if you are a glass half full type). However, recruiting is rapidly becoming much more of a film and much less of a snapshot. Back in the not too distant day, you'd sign your 20+ prospects in February and expect to have almost every one of them on your roster for the next three to five years; sure, you'd occasionally lose a player to an injury or a hardship transfer, and maybe you'd pick up a disgruntled RichRod castoff, but the freshman class that you signed in year one essentially became your senior class in year four. Players were tied to their schools and head coaches needed to perform very little roster management between Signing Days.

Now with NIL and the Transfer Portal, the recruiting game has completely changed. Teams not only have to recruit high school players as per usual, but they also have to recruit hundreds of transferees every year, as well as to continue to recruit their own players to prevent them from being lost in the Matrix. Upfront NIL money makes it nearly impossible to recruit five-star prospects, and quite frankly, why bother recruiting a kid for two or three years only to see him "flip" to a higher bidder on Signing Day? And if you are lucky enough to sign Lendak, can you keep him around for three years or will some NIL "bag" cause him to enter the Transfer Portal after just one season? And if Lendak does stick around, how does a Ferrari-driving millionaire affect the locker room (not just chemistry, but team rules and discipline)? And if boosters can influence the make up of rosters by buying players, then they can also influence the make up of coaching staffs by buying coaches (or paying them to leave). And if Lendak cost Superfan a $5 million signing bonus, then you'd best bet Lendak's gonna be playing on Saturday afternoon, and pretty soon you've got boosters phoning down to the sidelines calling plays. Think Jimmy Haslem....

Okay, maybe NIL won't get quite that crazy but the injection of money to the players will irrevocably change the landscape of college football. Teams will have to strike a delicate balance between the quick fix and long-term stability. Texas A+M has shown us how not to do NIL (throw bags of cash at unproven teenagers), but the Michigan approach (holier than NIL) is also clearly not viable in the modern world of college football. Getting NIL and the Transfer Portal "right" will be much more important going forward than traditional recruiting. Ohio State has the means and the brains to get both right. Let's see if they'll actually do it.

So what does all of this mean for the Class of 2024? Who knows? Top prospects will still be interested in Ohio State because it's Ohio State - one of the biggest and best brands in college football, a consistent winner and a fast track to the NFL with a well-respected young coach who should be around for another decade or two. For these reasons, Ohio State will continue to recruit (or rather to procure talent) at the top of the Big Ten ... whether Ohio State can maintain a roster capable of completing for national championships remains to be seen. The Class of 2024 will tell us a lot in that regard. Stay tuned....

 

[pnuts34]

General Thoughts​

If you look only at the recruiting rankings (247 Composite), then Ohio State did just fine for the Class of 2023: 287.66 total points (#6 overall), with an average per recruit of 93.57 (#3 overall). However, ten of the signees are ranked #198 or higher, meaning half the class is considered to be Day Three (or UDFA) prospects at the NFL level - not ideal when Alabama and Georgia (and even Texas) are signing a legion of future first rounders. Of course, Signing Day's future first rounder could be next year's transfer portal bust, and coaching and player development are still necessary to turn raw ability into actual talent, but Ohio State has very little room for error in this small, bottom heavy class.

And Ohio State's class was small (only 20 signees, when the other teams in the top-11 signed an average of 25.5 with a low of 23). Signing large classes will become increasingly important as the transfer portal becomes increasingly popular for players who made the "wrong" choice the first (or second or third or fourth...) time around.

In addition, the Buckeyes' class is (once again) top heavy at the wide receiver position; for the second year in a row, Ohio State signed four top WR prospects, even though only three WR play in most sets and this year's #4 WR (Jayden Ballard) had only eight receptions (mostly in garbage time). With Ohio State's top eight WRs returning in 2023 (barring transfer), adding another four players to the mix seems excessive. Brian Hartline does a tremendous job of attracting talent to Columbus, but he really should be limited to three signees per class.

Both lines needed impact players, especially on the edges, but the staff failed to sign any exciting prospects at those positions. Luke Montgomery is a nice player and a local kid, but he is not the stud OT prospect that this team needed; the other three OL signees are strictly projects (but without the ridiculous upside of, for example, Dawand Jones from a few years back). On the DL, Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr are tweeners, and Joshua Mickens an undersized edge rusher; perhaps Kayden McDonald (already 310 pounds) will eventually develop into an SEC wrecking ball at defensive tackle.

Overall, Ohio State failed - on paper - to keep pace with the powerhouses of college football, signing a class that is too small, lacks top end talent everywhere but wide receiver, and has potentially gaping holes on both lines, at linebacker (one signee), and at running back (no signees). Happy Holidays!

Earliest Impact​

It would be easy to argue that one of the Buckeyes' "five-star" WR signees would make the earliest impact (and two of my colleagues did just that), but Ohio State returns two of the top receivers in the country (Marvin Harrison Jr and Emeka Egbuka) along with Julian Fleming, Jayden Ballard, and four top recruits from the Class of 2022, so a true freshman WR will have a very deep and talented depth chart to navigate in order to secure any playing time at all, much less to make a significant impact. On the other hand, the tight end room is both thin and disappointing, so top-100 prospect Jelani Thurman should get an early opportunity to show that he is worthy of his lofty ranking.

Most Star Potential​

The quarterback always has the most star potential, so I'll say that Lincoln Kienholz is the man for the Class of 2023. Even though Kienholz is ranked the #205 overall prospect and the #14 quarterback prospect, and played his high school ball in the wasteland of South Dakota, because of his athleticism and moxie he reminds some people of former Buckeye and current NFL great Joey Burrow. Because Kienholz is already stuck behind two five-star QB prospects (Kyle McCord and Devin Brown), and will likely be stuck behind a third after the Class of 2024 is signed, he reminds other people of former Buckeye and current Arkansas assistant coach Kenny Guiton. Then again, Guiton holds more Buckeye passing records than Burrow, so maybe being compared The Old Righty ain't such a bad thing after all....

Most Intriguing​

The most intriguing prospect would have to be Will Smith Jr. Can this legacy recruit achieve even a fraction of his father's greatness at Ohio State (national championship, All American, first round draft pick), or will he be another Adam Griffin or Kirk Herbstreit? My guess is somewhere in the middle (competent player, not a superstar), which is about all that you can expect from a tweener DL who is ranked the #263 overall prospect in this class.

Biggest Reach​

I don't want to single anyone out, so I'll say any OL not named Luke Montgomery. That gives me three chances to get this one right, and I might even hit on all three (which would mean that Ohio State missed on all three). Better luck next year, Mr. Frye.

Sleeper​

In some years (2017 and 2021, for example), I could barely find a sleeper prospect. This year, I have ten or twelve to choose from. I'd like to go with Lincoln Kienholz, but I've already identified him as Most Star Potential so I can't really call him a sleeper as well (actually I could - it's called pleading in the alternative - but I'll save the legal machinations for another day and another thread). So how about (closes eyes, throws dart) Jayden Bonsu, a 6-foot-1, 210 safety prospect out of New Jersey. Bonsu was one of the least discussed members of this class (at least until he delayed sending in his LOI, at which point he immediately became a priority recruit), but he has excellent size for a safety and comes from a legitimate high school football factory (St. Peters Prep) so I expect a bright future for him in Columbus. I also said similar things about Isaiah Pryor, my sleeper from the Class of 2017, so what do I know?

Biggest Surprise Commitment​

Jelani Thurman wasn't the biggest surprise commitment, but he was the biggest surprise signee. As the decommitment rumor mill started churning out its annual bad news for the Buckeyes at the end of November, I was fairly certain that Thurman would end up at Auburn or some other school closer to home and more likely to dole out some NIL incentive.

The Ones Who Got Away​

Ohio State had five decommits and "lost" several five-star prospects down the stretch (allegedly) due to NIL shenanigans. But the one who really got away? How about five-star wide receiver Zachariah Branch (remember him), who was all set to come to Ohio State along with his older brother Zion (a four-star safety form the class of 2022) until Southern Cal hired Lincoln Riley to be their head coach three weeks before the 2022 early Signing Day. That surprising blockbuster move killed two birds with one stone, as the elder Branch could have been the impact safety that the Buckeyes have been lacking for years, while the younger Branch seems like a JSN clone.

What This Class Lacks
​

Can I be flippant and say everything but wide receiver? I'd bank on Luke Montgomery being an All Big Ten guard someday, and Jelani Thurman will certainly have a chance to make an early impact at tight end, but the rest of the signees (excluding the aforementioned wide receivers) seem more like depth/rotational players than surefire stars, which leaves us with potential holes all over the roster. The X-factor is quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. If he can develop into a championship level QB then this class will have been successful regardless of what the other signees achieve. If he becomes QB4, then this class will be largely remembered as the transitional year before we figured out NIL and the Transfer Portal.

2024 Outlook​

If we look at Signing Day 2023 as a snapshot, then it's clear that Ohio State cannot continue to compete for national championships using its current philosophy - signing a small class (20 prospects) that is top heavy at one position (wide receiver), has no impact players at arguably the most important positions (offensive tackle, defensive tackle, edge rusher, and quarterback), and has far too many reaches (or sleepers, if you are a glass half full type). However, recruiting is rapidly becoming much more of a film and much less of a snapshot. Back in the not too distant day, you'd sign your 20+ prospects in February and expect to have almost every one of them on your roster for the next three to five years; sure, you'd occasionally lose a player to an injury or a hardship transfer, and maybe you'd pick up a disgruntled RichRod castoff, but the freshman class that you signed in year one essentially became your senior class in year four. Players were tied to their schools and head coaches needed to perform very little roster management between Signing Days.

Now with NIL and the Transfer Portal, the recruiting game has completely changed. Teams not only have to recruit high school players as per usual, but they also have to recruit hundreds of transferees every year, as well as to continue to recruit their own players to prevent them from being lost in the Matrix. Upfront NIL money makes it nearly impossible to recruit five-star prospects, and quite frankly, why bother recruiting a kid for two or three years only to see him "flip" to a higher bidder on Signing Day? And if you're lucky enough to sign Lendak, can you keep him around for three years or will some NIL "bag" cause him to enter the Transfer Portal after just one season? And if Lendak does stick around, how does a Ferrari-driving millionaire affect the locker room (not just chemistry, but team rules and discipline)? And if boosters can influence the make up of rosters by buying players, then they also influence the make up of coaching staffs by buying coaches (or paying them to leave). And if Lendak cost Superfan a $5 million signing bonus, then you'd best bet Lendak's gonna be playing on Saturday afternoon, and pretty soon you've got boosters phoning down to the sidelines calling plays. Think Jimmy Haslem....

Okay, maybe NIL won't get quite that crazy but the injection of money to the players will irrevocably change the landscape of college football. Teams will have to strike a delicate balance between the quick fix and long-term stability. Texas A+M has shown us how not to do NIL (throw bags of cash at unproven teenagers), but the Michigan approach (holier than NIL) is also clearly not viable in the modern world of college football. Getting NIL and the Transfer Portal "right" will be much more important going forward than traditional recruiting. Ohio State has the means and the brains to get both right. Let's see if they'll actually do it.

So what does all of this mean for the Class of 2024? Who knows? Top prospects will still be interested in Ohio State because it's Ohio State - one of the biggest and best brands in college football, a consistent winner and a fast track to the NFL with a well-respected young coach who should be around for another decade or two. For these reasons, Ohio State will continue to recruit (or rather to procure talent) at the top of the Big Ten ... whether Ohio State can maintain a roster capable of completing for national championships remains to be seen. The Class of 2024 will tell us a lot in that regard. Stay tuned....

You're much more confident that OSU will use a TE again than I am. Seeing how talented Thurman is, I still worry that he'll be limited if he's not a solid blocker. Especially with the TE room being so full

 

[jwinslow]

You're much more confident that OSU will use a TE again than I am. Seeing how talented Thurman is, I still worry that he'll be limited if he's not a solid blocker. Especially with the TE room being so full

Whether they feature him is a big assumption. Whether they'll lean on him is not.

OSU's lack of consistent play at TE has massively undercut their offense the past few years. It isn't the lack of a star that has killed them. It's been the lack of an NFL caliber 2nd TE, like Luke Farrell or Nick Vannett. Frankly they haven't had an all-B1G guy in the first chair in a bit.

They used those guys extremely quietly, but consistently and effectively without the ball. The fact that they largely didn't give them a ball is a different problem

 

[BuckTwenty]

Fantastic write up guys. To name a few more Bucks that deserve mention...


Biggest Sleeper - Bryson Rodgers. Everyone's going to be focused on the other 3 WR's in this class, but Bryson is a stud and is underrated after watching his film. Hartline sees the potential and I'm excited to see what he can do with him

Earliest Impact - Jermaine Mathews or Calvin Simpson Hunt. Both of these guys became legit shutdown corners their senior years of HS. With both coming in early for the spring, I think one of them will step up as a frosh ala Denzel Burke a couple years ago and play significant minutes next year, maybe even start by the end of the year. Heaven knows we have a real need for difference makers at corner, and because of that, these 2 in my opinion are the most important pieces for this recruiting class

 

[mendensa]

Fantastic write up guys. To name a few more Bucks that deserve mention...


Biggest Sleeper - Bryson Rodgers. Everyone's going to be focused on the other 3 WR's in this class, but Bryson is a stud and is underrated after watching his film. Hartline sees the potential and I'm excited to see what he can do with him

• Earliest Impact - Jermaine Mathews or Calvin Simpson Hunt. Both of these guys became legit shutdown corners their senior years of HS. With both coming in early for the spring, I think one of them will step up as a frosh ala TREY BURKE (?, *ichigan PG?) a couple years ago and play significant minutes next year, maybe even start by the end of the year. Heaven knows we have a real need for difference makers at corner, and because of that, these 2 in my opinion are the most important pieces for this recruiting class

 

[RB07OSU]

Fantastic write up guys. To name a few more Bucks that deserve mention...


Biggest Sleeper - Bryson Rodgers. Everyone's going to be focused on the other 3 WR's in this class, but Bryson is a stud and is underrated after watching his film. Hartline sees the potential and I'm excited to see what he can do with him

Earliest Impact - Jermaine Mathews or Calvin Simpson Hunt. Both of these guys became legit shutdown corners their senior years of HS. With both coming in early for the spring, I think one of them will step up as a frosh ala Trey Burke a couple years ago and play significant minutes next year, maybe even start by the end of the year. Heaven knows we have a real need for difference makers at corner, and because of that, these 2 in my opinion are the most important pieces for this recruiting class

A giant raise of the glass at CB, we did pretty dang good there and have two guys that can play right away imo. Even with the Lee decommit, I feel good about those two. We just need two in this defense. We've got two really and I mean REALLY good ones there. Some other positions I'm concerned on pending next class/portal. Guess we have 99 problems but a CB ain't one (can I get some support?).

 

[RB07OSU]

2024 Outlook​

I think the priority areas are pretty clear for next year...two very good offensive tackles, a stud RB, a pair of good DEs, and at least three CBs. With Kienholz, I am not so concerned on Raiola, though we will of course want to land a QB in '24. In my eyes, the '23 class was a very good one in terms of star power, but we need more numbers with injuries, transfer portal, etc. all being very real. And hopefully we can adjust to the NIL world, I don't want to harp on that with all the conversation that has already happened, but the landscape of recruiting has changed there and we have to do better this next cycle. I don't pretend to know the answer, but the powers that be hopefully have a plan.

Coming back to this part of my BRPT review from last cycle, we are off to a good start on the 2024 Outlook but definitely not to the finish line. I think Armstrong is a really good get at OT that needs a little time to develop but has it. Baker would be the second OT we really do need. At CB, West is fantastic and Lockhart is also a big pickup presuming he picks us as everyone is guessing...Scott is much needed though to round out that position.

Obviously after Lightfoot, we need some major wins at DE...bummer we somehow faded at the end there but a combo of Houston and Stewart look fairly promising right now. We do need those two though or something equivalent (and likely one more), no way to sugarcoat that after the last cycle. Just need a really solid pair of DE's to follow Mickens from last class.

 

[BuckTwenty]

I'll add that the staff did an admirable job adding transfers to bolster the team where we were weak in the 2023 recruiting class. To boot, each player (with the exception of Gebbia) has multiple years of eligibility, so all of these guys are ones that the staff wants to put time and effort into to develop them instead of just bringing someone in for a 1-year rental, like Elias Ricks was for Alabama

We added a potential starting OT in Josh Simmons, a potential starting CB in Davison Igbinosun, and a starting Long Snapper in John Ferlmann. In addition, we brought in some players with experience and production to go with this recruiting class with OT/OG Victor Cutler, DT Tywone Malone, CB/WR Lorenzo Styles Jr, S Ja'had Carter, & QB Tristan Gebbia.

To put Davison & Lorenzo with Calvin & Jermaine, as well as who we have coming in in 2024, makes me feel a lot better about the future of the CB position at Ohio State. Tywone & Ja'had also put bows on the DT & S classes that we had. We still have some work to do at OT in '24, but Simmons & Cutler give us at least some breathing room and some options. Likewise, we have some major work to do at DE, but the smoke signals look very positive for the Bucks potentially landing multiple difference makers at the position after striking out for the most part in '23

 

[RB07OSU]

These are always fun to go back and read to see if the next recruiting class filled the gaps. At CB, we most definitely did in a big way with Davison transferring in and nabbing Scott, West and Lockhart..early returns on Mathews are outstanding as well. However, DE and OT are far from resolved...need another big time OT (looking at Seaton) and DE (looking at Amaris Williams) to rectify the gaps from last class.

 

[calibuck]

Agree RB. Going back in time and reading all the predictions, then looking at how the predictions came out can be thrilling, and disappointing at the same time. Do believe that tOSU staff read your write-up analysis on their recruiting, and went about trying to fill some of those holes, plus new ones based on transfers and running out of eligibility. Hate coming down to one player (Seaton) to make/break the OL recruiting, and yes, the WR basket is filled to overflowing once more. It appears (to me at least), that Inniss was the biggest prize, but Tate came in early, and it has paid off in minutes played. Jermaine Mathews has burst upon the scene in a way that hasn't happened in awhile, jumping many DBs that have put years in. Hey, best player plays. Some of the xfers haven't lived up to expectations, not entirely certain why, but....anyway, it's always good to review the past, so you're not doomed to repeat it. Go Bucks!

 

[RB07OSU]

Agree RB. Going back in time and reading all the predictions, then looking at how the predictions came out can be thrilling, and disappointing at the same time. Do believe that tOSU staff read your write-up analysis on their recruiting, and went about trying to fill some of those holes, plus new ones based on transfers and running out of eligibility. Hate coming down to one player (Seaton) to make/break the OL recruiting, and yes, the WR basket is filled to overflowing once more. It appears (to me at least), that Inniss was the biggest prize, but Tate came in early, and it has paid off in minutes played. Jermaine Mathews has burst upon the scene in a way that hasn't happened in awhile, jumping many DBs that have put years in. Hey, best player plays. Some of the xfers haven't lived up to expectations, not entirely certain why, but....anyway, it's always good to review the past, so you're not doomed to repeat it. Go Bucks!

Coming down to Seaton or bust at OT is definitely the one that I hate to see happen, but we're somewhat in the same territory at DE if we don't land Amaris Williams (though I think we get Williams, but Seaton I am skeptical on). Those were the two positions I think the whole BRPT was concerned on that we needed to rebound big time in '24 on...and we haven't so far. Love Moore as a future RT and like the Armstrongs after some physical development, and Houston is top-notch at DE. So really its a matter of getting one more high quality player at each position.