Gene Ross
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Ohio State hosts seven prospects on official visits over the weekend
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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2024 WR Elijah Moore | Chris Anderson, 247Sports
Official visit season has begun for the Buckeyes.
With one weekend now in the books this June, the busy time for recruiting has fully commenced. Ohio State hosted seven prospects in the 2024 class on official visits this weekend, including a pair of Buckeye commits and a handful of targets heavily considering continuing their playing careers in Columbus.
Despite being one of the lowest-ranked members of the cycle in attendance the past few days, perhaps the most interesting player on campus this weekend was wide receiver Elijah Moore. Just a three-star prospect and the No. 66 WR in the class, the Maryland native moved up his official visit date up a few weeks from its original spot, and that likely isn’t a coincidence with the Buckeyes more or less close to wrapping up its offensive class.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Brian Hartline obviously likes what he sees in Moore despite his ranking. With two of the top wideouts in the country already committed in Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, Ohio State can afford to get picky with the remaining one or two guys they choose to fill out the room with. There is definitely mutual interest between Moore and the Buckeyes, with an OSU Crystal Ball coming in from Bill Kurelic on Sunday. If this is a player Hartline wants, he could very well pull the trigger soon.
One of the biggest names on campus this weekend was four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II. Smith, the No. 11 DL and No. 75 player in the class overall, has been to Columbus a handful of times already, but this was obviously his only visit of the official variety and likely the last time he will be at Ohio State before making his decision later this year.
With a top eight schools of Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Texas, Texas A&M and Ohio State, the Buckeyes are likely among the final group alongside the Texas schools and Oklahoma, with the Sooners the current favorite owning the lone Crystal Ball prediction.
Ohio State is still searching for its first defensive line commit in 2024, and while it is probably a bit of an uphill climb for Smith, by all accounts his visit with the Buckeyes seems to have gone very well. Also in Columbus this weekend along the defensive line was five-star Dominick McKinley — the highest overall ranked official visitor of the group as the No. 5 DL and No. 29 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. Like Smith, Ohio State’s biggest competitors for McKinley appear to be Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
Up front, Daniel Cruz was the focus this weekend. With four offensive linemen already committed in the class, Justin Frye is still looking to add another two to three big names to his position group. The four-star Cruz is currently listed as the No. 18 IOL and the No. 274 player in the 247Sports Composite, and the Texas native currently has a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns. Cruz projects as a center at the next level, and seems to be a longshot to wind up at Ohio State.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 WR Elijah Moore | Chris Anderson, 247Sports
Official visit season has begun for the Buckeyes.
With one weekend now in the books this June, the busy time for recruiting has fully commenced. Ohio State hosted seven prospects in the 2024 class on official visits this weekend, including a pair of Buckeye commits and a handful of targets heavily considering continuing their playing careers in Columbus.
Despite being one of the lowest-ranked members of the cycle in attendance the past few days, perhaps the most interesting player on campus this weekend was wide receiver Elijah Moore. Just a three-star prospect and the No. 66 WR in the class, the Maryland native moved up his official visit date up a few weeks from its original spot, and that likely isn’t a coincidence with the Buckeyes more or less close to wrapping up its offensive class.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Brian Hartline obviously likes what he sees in Moore despite his ranking. With two of the top wideouts in the country already committed in Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, Ohio State can afford to get picky with the remaining one or two guys they choose to fill out the room with. There is definitely mutual interest between Moore and the Buckeyes, with an OSU Crystal Ball coming in from Bill Kurelic on Sunday. If this is a player Hartline wants, he could very well pull the trigger soon.
Had a great time in columbus this weekend️@OhioStateFB @ryandaytime @brianhartline @CoachJordan82 #2the4the pic.twitter.com/HlcaTrhdsj
— Elijah Moore️ (@3lijahmoore) June 4, 2023
One of the biggest names on campus this weekend was four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II. Smith, the No. 11 DL and No. 75 player in the class overall, has been to Columbus a handful of times already, but this was obviously his only visit of the official variety and likely the last time he will be at Ohio State before making his decision later this year.
With a top eight schools of Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Texas, Texas A&M and Ohio State, the Buckeyes are likely among the final group alongside the Texas schools and Oklahoma, with the Sooners the current favorite owning the lone Crystal Ball prediction.
Ohio State is still searching for its first defensive line commit in 2024, and while it is probably a bit of an uphill climb for Smith, by all accounts his visit with the Buckeyes seems to have gone very well. Also in Columbus this weekend along the defensive line was five-star Dominick McKinley — the highest overall ranked official visitor of the group as the No. 5 DL and No. 29 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. Like Smith, Ohio State’s biggest competitors for McKinley appear to be Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
Up front, Daniel Cruz was the focus this weekend. With four offensive linemen already committed in the class, Justin Frye is still looking to add another two to three big names to his position group. The four-star Cruz is currently listed as the No. 18 IOL and the No. 274 player in the 247Sports Composite, and the Texas native currently has a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns. Cruz projects as a center at the next level, and seems to be a longshot to wind up at Ohio State.
Quick Hits
- As expected, three-star defensive lineman Sean Sevillano Jr. committed to Notre Dame this weekend. Ohio State was among his four finalists, but the Fighting Irish were the expected selection as the Buckeyes will have to look elsewhere for their first D-line pledge in 2024.
- While the 2024 class is the main focus this summer, the 2025 class will be getting their share of eyes as well. Four-star 2025 OT Carter Lowe will be in attendance on June 12 for what will likely be one of many camps Ohio State puts on for underclassman this offseason. Lowe is currently listed as the No. 16 OT and No. 143 player overall in his class on the 247Sports Composite.
- Speaking of 2025 prospects, Ohio State will also be getting a visit from cornerback Jermichael Gillis later this week. Gillis is currently listed as the No. 37 cornerback and No. 342 player overall in the 2025 class on the 247Sports Composite.
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