Gene Ross
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Ohio State has BOOOOMing weekend, picks up four commitments in three days
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Four-star 2025 DL London Merritt | @merritt_london on Twitter
The Buckeyes have added four members to their 2025 class since Friday.
Ohio State knew coming into the weekend that a massive recruiting opportunity was on its hands. On Saturday, the Buckeyes hosted Student Appreciation Day, opening up practice and allowing for those in attendance at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to take in the team’s scrimmage. With many top recruits on hand for the event as well, Ryan Day and his staff fully cashed in, landing four big commitments in just a three-day span.
The first new addition to the 2025 class made things official before the festivities even really kicked off, as four-star defensive lineman London Merritt announced his commitment to Ohio State on Friday afternoon.
Originally from Georgia, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound edge rusher currently plays his prep ball at IMG Academy in Florida. Ranked as the No. 10 DL and the No. 101 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Merritt was first offered by Ohio State back in January of 2023. This latest trip to Columbus was his fourth time in town, and he is set to return to campus in June for his official visit.
“I wanted to choose a program that mirrors my hunger and pursuit for greatness and Ohio State is the perfect place for me,” Merritt told On3. “At the end of the day, [Larry Johnson] wants me to be the best player, best person and best man I can be.”
Here is some of what 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins had to say of Merritt in his scouting report of the young defensive lineman:
“Jolts offensive tackles and tight ends with a formidable punch and can pick up quick wins by sliding and dipping his way around blockers, although the sack total doesn’t always show for it. Flashes some instincts as a run defender and uses impressive short-area quickness to make stops in pursuit as he changes course and keeps the legs pumping.”
Next up chronologically, and a recruitment that at one point looked to have been lost to Florida, was the commitment of four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford on Saturday.
A big win for newly minted position coach James Laurinaitis, the 6-foot-2 Alford checks in as the No. 8 LB and No. 63 player overall in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite. Named TC Palms Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, the Florida native racked up 114 tackles to go along with six PBUs, four sacks and a pick, helping Vero Beach reach the regional semifinals of Florida’s 4S playoffs.
Like Merritt, Alford has also been to Columbus a number of times prior to this past weekend, including for a multi-day camp this past June and for the Buckeyes’ 38-3 win over Michigan State in November. Choosing Ohio State over his other finalists in Florida, Florida State, UCF and Tennessee, Alford cited the coaching staff and the tightly knit locker room as leading factors in his decision.
“The brotherhood. The atmosphere is different there.” told Bucknuts. “Coach Laurinaitis is a huge factor. The relationship we have, how we have connected. Coach Day is a huge factor too. I’ve talked to him for a long period of time.”
Just a few hours later, Ohio State added a player on the offensive side of the football when four-star wide receiver De’Zie Jones announced his commitment to the program.
After the de-commitment of Jayvan Boggs just last week, Jones becomes the lone receiver commit for Brian Hartline thus far in the 2025 class. The 6-foot New Jersey native currently ranks as the No. 49 WR in the country and the No. 10 player in his home state, per the 247Sports Composite. After setting the record for single-season receiving yards at DePaul Catholic by a sophomore in 2022 with over 1,000, Jones hauled in 52 catches for 851 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games as a junior.
“What stands out to me is how much they develop their receivers and it proves over the years.” Jones told On3. “They produce the best and I want to be next up, so learning from nice players will get me better. Also, they produce tons of DB talent, so going up against them every day will get me better. The culture over there is beautiful, can’t ask for better.”
Jones becomes just the third offensive player in Ohio State’s 2025 class, joining five-star QB Tavien St. Clair and four-star OT Carter Lowe. Of course, Hartline remains in the mix for a number of big names at the wide receiver spot in the cycle, most notably including five-star Jaime Ffrench and five-star LSU commit Dakorien Moore.
Joining Jones on the New Jersey to Ohio pipeline on Sunday was four-star defensive back DeShawn Stewart, who rounded out the quartet of commitments for the program over the weekend.
A teammate of Jones at DePaul Catholic, the 6-foot-2 Stewart ranks as the No. 24 safety and the No. 8 player out of New Jersey in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite. Stewart did not make the trip to Columbus this past weekend, but did receive a visit from a strong contingent of Ohio State coaches back in January, including position coach Matt Guerrieri alongside Ryan Day, Tim Walton and Brian Hartline. Stewart becomes the first official commitment for Guerrieri in his new role.
“The brotherhood and atmosphere they carry it’s like no other,” Stewart said speaking to Bucknuts about his decision to commit to Ohio State. “That school is going to bring the absolute best out of me mark my words.”
This past season, Stewart totaled 56 tackles and 19 pass breakups for the Spartans, playing mostly at cornerback despite projecting as a safety at the next level.
“I see myself playing anywhere in the back end (in college), cornerback, strong safety or nickel,” Stewart told Eleven Warriors. “But I’d definitely describe myself as a free safety. (My strongest attribute) is my eyes, discipline and knowing where receivers are lining up and how to get leverage. Also reading the quarterback and knowing where the ball is going to go. I’d say I have pretty good tackling skills, too.”
With this latest run of commitments, bringing the Buckeyes’ total to 11, Ohio State now holds the No. 2 class in the country, and is No. 1 in the nation in average player rating at 95.15. This has a chance to be a really special group for Ryan Day and his staff, as Ohio State is still in contention for a good deal of five-star prospects, including the aforementioned Ffrench and Moore as well as offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., cornerback Dorian Brew and safeties Trey McNutt and Faheem Delane, in addition to numerous high four-star guys as well.
The sky is the limit for this Ohio State recruiting class, but this past weekend was another big step forward as the Buckeyes look to keep building momentum ahead of the 2024 season both on the field and on the trail.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Four-star 2025 DL London Merritt | @merritt_london on Twitter
The Buckeyes have added four members to their 2025 class since Friday.
Ohio State knew coming into the weekend that a massive recruiting opportunity was on its hands. On Saturday, the Buckeyes hosted Student Appreciation Day, opening up practice and allowing for those in attendance at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to take in the team’s scrimmage. With many top recruits on hand for the event as well, Ryan Day and his staff fully cashed in, landing four big commitments in just a three-day span.
The first new addition to the 2025 class made things official before the festivities even really kicked off, as four-star defensive lineman London Merritt announced his commitment to Ohio State on Friday afternoon.
Originally from Georgia, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound edge rusher currently plays his prep ball at IMG Academy in Florida. Ranked as the No. 10 DL and the No. 101 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Merritt was first offered by Ohio State back in January of 2023. This latest trip to Columbus was his fourth time in town, and he is set to return to campus in June for his official visit.
“I wanted to choose a program that mirrors my hunger and pursuit for greatness and Ohio State is the perfect place for me,” Merritt told On3. “At the end of the day, [Larry Johnson] wants me to be the best player, best person and best man I can be.”
Here is some of what 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins had to say of Merritt in his scouting report of the young defensive lineman:
“Jolts offensive tackles and tight ends with a formidable punch and can pick up quick wins by sliding and dipping his way around blockers, although the sack total doesn’t always show for it. Flashes some instincts as a run defender and uses impressive short-area quickness to make stops in pursuit as he changes course and keeps the legs pumping.”
Next up chronologically, and a recruitment that at one point looked to have been lost to Florida, was the commitment of four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford on Saturday.
A big win for newly minted position coach James Laurinaitis, the 6-foot-2 Alford checks in as the No. 8 LB and No. 63 player overall in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite. Named TC Palms Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, the Florida native racked up 114 tackles to go along with six PBUs, four sacks and a pick, helping Vero Beach reach the regional semifinals of Florida’s 4S playoffs.
Like Merritt, Alford has also been to Columbus a number of times prior to this past weekend, including for a multi-day camp this past June and for the Buckeyes’ 38-3 win over Michigan State in November. Choosing Ohio State over his other finalists in Florida, Florida State, UCF and Tennessee, Alford cited the coaching staff and the tightly knit locker room as leading factors in his decision.
“The brotherhood. The atmosphere is different there.” told Bucknuts. “Coach Laurinaitis is a huge factor. The relationship we have, how we have connected. Coach Day is a huge factor too. I’ve talked to him for a long period of time.”
Just a few hours later, Ohio State added a player on the offensive side of the football when four-star wide receiver De’Zie Jones announced his commitment to the program.
After the de-commitment of Jayvan Boggs just last week, Jones becomes the lone receiver commit for Brian Hartline thus far in the 2025 class. The 6-foot New Jersey native currently ranks as the No. 49 WR in the country and the No. 10 player in his home state, per the 247Sports Composite. After setting the record for single-season receiving yards at DePaul Catholic by a sophomore in 2022 with over 1,000, Jones hauled in 52 catches for 851 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games as a junior.
“What stands out to me is how much they develop their receivers and it proves over the years.” Jones told On3. “They produce the best and I want to be next up, so learning from nice players will get me better. Also, they produce tons of DB talent, so going up against them every day will get me better. The culture over there is beautiful, can’t ask for better.”
Jones becomes just the third offensive player in Ohio State’s 2025 class, joining five-star QB Tavien St. Clair and four-star OT Carter Lowe. Of course, Hartline remains in the mix for a number of big names at the wide receiver spot in the cycle, most notably including five-star Jaime Ffrench and five-star LSU commit Dakorien Moore.
Joining Jones on the New Jersey to Ohio pipeline on Sunday was four-star defensive back DeShawn Stewart, who rounded out the quartet of commitments for the program over the weekend.
A teammate of Jones at DePaul Catholic, the 6-foot-2 Stewart ranks as the No. 24 safety and the No. 8 player out of New Jersey in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite. Stewart did not make the trip to Columbus this past weekend, but did receive a visit from a strong contingent of Ohio State coaches back in January, including position coach Matt Guerrieri alongside Ryan Day, Tim Walton and Brian Hartline. Stewart becomes the first official commitment for Guerrieri in his new role.
“The brotherhood and atmosphere they carry it’s like no other,” Stewart said speaking to Bucknuts about his decision to commit to Ohio State. “That school is going to bring the absolute best out of me mark my words.”
This past season, Stewart totaled 56 tackles and 19 pass breakups for the Spartans, playing mostly at cornerback despite projecting as a safety at the next level.
“I see myself playing anywhere in the back end (in college), cornerback, strong safety or nickel,” Stewart told Eleven Warriors. “But I’d definitely describe myself as a free safety. (My strongest attribute) is my eyes, discipline and knowing where receivers are lining up and how to get leverage. Also reading the quarterback and knowing where the ball is going to go. I’d say I have pretty good tackling skills, too.”
With this latest run of commitments, bringing the Buckeyes’ total to 11, Ohio State now holds the No. 2 class in the country, and is No. 1 in the nation in average player rating at 95.15. This has a chance to be a really special group for Ryan Day and his staff, as Ohio State is still in contention for a good deal of five-star prospects, including the aforementioned Ffrench and Moore as well as offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., cornerback Dorian Brew and safeties Trey McNutt and Faheem Delane, in addition to numerous high four-star guys as well.
The sky is the limit for this Ohio State recruiting class, but this past weekend was another big step forward as the Buckeyes look to keep building momentum ahead of the 2024 season both on the field and on the trail.
Continue reading...