Matt Tamanini
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Ohio State now favored to land every major 2025 recruit in the country
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ok, not every major recruit, but it sure felt like it.
Yesterday was a big day for Ohio State football fans. Not only was it the start of spring practice following one of the most exciting two-month, offseason periods in program history, but the floodgates seemingly opened on Tuesday in terms of expert predictions from the recruiting front. While some of the developments are new, others are improvements in OSU’s odds of landing the talented players, but nonetheless, it was a bit of a deluge when it came to recruiting news.
So, we will run through all of the prognostications for you here.
On Monday, Ohio State Insider Matt Parker put an official prediction into On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine based on “intel” that the former Alabama commit would become a Buckeye. Ffrench (no, that is not a typo) is the No. 16 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Ratings and is the No. 3 wide receiver nationally.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound pass catcher from Jacksonville originally pledged to play for the Crimson Tide in July of 2023, but following the retirement announcement of ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban, he opened up his recruitment again and Brian Hartline and the Buckeyes have been at the top of the list in terms of pursuit.
On3’s prediction machine needs a bit of a kick, because it is still factoring in predictions from before his Alabama commitment last summer, so the numbers are obviously off, but the Buckeyes appear to be battling Florida State for the receiver. Obviously, the Seminoles are one of Ffrench’s in-state teams, so nothing is decided yet, but it does appear to be moving in the right direction for OSU.
On the other side of the ball, on Tuesday, Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes picked up a prediction for a high-value in-state edge rusher who has long been a priority. Yesterday, On3’s director of recruiting Chad Simmons logged an official prediction — also based on intel — for the Buckeyes to land Winton Woods defensive end Justin Hill.
This prediction moves Ohio State to a 94.4% chance to land Hill according to the RPM, thanks to previous predictions from OSU insiders. But, given Simmons’ status in the recruiting world, his insight certainly makes things a bit more real.
Hill is the No. 120 player in the 2025 recruiting class and No. 12 edge rusher, according to 247Sports composite Ratings. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is currently a junior at Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati and has held an Ohio State offer since last March. The Buckeyes already have commitments from two of the top-six players in the state — quarterback Tavien St. Clair and offensive tackle Carter Lowe — and at least one more will pop up a bit later in this list, so getting Hill officially in the fold would certainly help Ryan Day and company keep the fence up around the state.
Hill is not the only defensive lineman trending toward Columbus, as yesterday On3’s Matt Parker and Alex Gleitman both logged predictions for Johnson to land Elkhart, Indiana native Mariyon Dye. The No. 189 player in the 2025 cycle and No. 19 defensive end, Parker and Gleitman put in their predictions based on intel picked up on Tuesday.
This officially moves the Buckeyes to a 95.3% chance to land Dye according to the RPM. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher visited Columbus for the January Junior Day where he picked up his Buckeye offer, and he has an official visit planned for June. He has other visits on the books for the summer as well — including one to Tennessee the week following his trip to Columbus — so this is far from finished, but it definitely looks like OSU is in the driver’s seat at the moment.
Believe it or not, we’ve got news on yet another defensive end prediction in the Buckeyes’ favor. This recruiting cycle will need to see a ton of d-lineman coming to Columbus with all four starters likely to be heading to the NFL following the 2024 season, so it looks like Larry Johnson is putting in the work to get guys wrapped up sooner rather than latter.
On Tuesday, Gleitman logged another intel-based prediction, and that one was for IMG Academy edge rusher London Merritt to become a Buckeye. This follows up the crystal ball prediction from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong in February for OSU to land the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder. The prediction moves Ohio State to an 87.9% chance to pick up the Atlanta native now playing at the IMG sports factory in Florida.
Merritt will be joining Dye in Columbus on June 14, which is shaping up to be a major summer recruiting day for the Buckeyes.
Don’t look now, but yesterday was a busy one for Gleitman who must have been hearing a ton of chatter around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on the first day of spring ball because he also logged a prediction that Ohio State would land Shaker Heights native, and Buckeye legacy, Trey McNutt.
Classified as either a safety or athlete depending on which service you look at, Trey is the son of former Ohio State cornerback Richard McNutt. The younger McNutt is the No. 29 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings, the No. 2 safety nationally, and the top player in the state of Ohio. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine now gives the Buckeyes 80.9% odds to land McNutt.
While he doesn’t have any 247 crystal balls yet, if we suppose the On3 predictions is accurate and McNutt becomes a Buckeye, when combined with a crystal ball from Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic for OSU to land running back Bo Jackson (no, not that Bo Jackson), Ohio State would lock down the top-four high school players from the state of Ohio in the 2025 recruiting cycle with Hill at No. 6.
The Buckeyes are also in on Cleveland Heights running back Marquise Davis, who is planning an official visit to Columbus on June 7.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ok, not every major recruit, but it sure felt like it.
Yesterday was a big day for Ohio State football fans. Not only was it the start of spring practice following one of the most exciting two-month, offseason periods in program history, but the floodgates seemingly opened on Tuesday in terms of expert predictions from the recruiting front. While some of the developments are new, others are improvements in OSU’s odds of landing the talented players, but nonetheless, it was a bit of a deluge when it came to recruiting news.
So, we will run through all of the prognostications for you here.
Jaime Ffrench | Wide Receiver | No. 16 Nationally
On Monday, Ohio State Insider Matt Parker put an official prediction into On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine based on “intel” that the former Alabama commit would become a Buckeye. Ffrench (no, that is not a typo) is the No. 16 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Ratings and is the No. 3 wide receiver nationally.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound pass catcher from Jacksonville originally pledged to play for the Crimson Tide in July of 2023, but following the retirement announcement of ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban, he opened up his recruitment again and Brian Hartline and the Buckeyes have been at the top of the list in terms of pursuit.
On3’s prediction machine needs a bit of a kick, because it is still factoring in predictions from before his Alabama commitment last summer, so the numbers are obviously off, but the Buckeyes appear to be battling Florida State for the receiver. Obviously, the Seminoles are one of Ffrench’s in-state teams, so nothing is decided yet, but it does appear to be moving in the right direction for OSU.
Justin Hill | Edge Rusher | No. 120 Nationally
On the other side of the ball, on Tuesday, Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes picked up a prediction for a high-value in-state edge rusher who has long been a priority. Yesterday, On3’s director of recruiting Chad Simmons logged an official prediction — also based on intel — for the Buckeyes to land Winton Woods defensive end Justin Hill.
This prediction moves Ohio State to a 94.4% chance to land Hill according to the RPM, thanks to previous predictions from OSU insiders. But, given Simmons’ status in the recruiting world, his insight certainly makes things a bit more real.
Hill is the No. 120 player in the 2025 recruiting class and No. 12 edge rusher, according to 247Sports composite Ratings. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is currently a junior at Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati and has held an Ohio State offer since last March. The Buckeyes already have commitments from two of the top-six players in the state — quarterback Tavien St. Clair and offensive tackle Carter Lowe — and at least one more will pop up a bit later in this list, so getting Hill officially in the fold would certainly help Ryan Day and company keep the fence up around the state.
Mariyon Dye | Edge Rusher | No. 189 Nationally
Hill is not the only defensive lineman trending toward Columbus, as yesterday On3’s Matt Parker and Alex Gleitman both logged predictions for Johnson to land Elkhart, Indiana native Mariyon Dye. The No. 189 player in the 2025 cycle and No. 19 defensive end, Parker and Gleitman put in their predictions based on intel picked up on Tuesday.
This officially moves the Buckeyes to a 95.3% chance to land Dye according to the RPM. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher visited Columbus for the January Junior Day where he picked up his Buckeye offer, and he has an official visit planned for June. He has other visits on the books for the summer as well — including one to Tennessee the week following his trip to Columbus — so this is far from finished, but it definitely looks like OSU is in the driver’s seat at the moment.
London Merritt | Edge Rusher | No. 110 Nationally
Believe it or not, we’ve got news on yet another defensive end prediction in the Buckeyes’ favor. This recruiting cycle will need to see a ton of d-lineman coming to Columbus with all four starters likely to be heading to the NFL following the 2024 season, so it looks like Larry Johnson is putting in the work to get guys wrapped up sooner rather than latter.
On Tuesday, Gleitman logged another intel-based prediction, and that one was for IMG Academy edge rusher London Merritt to become a Buckeye. This follows up the crystal ball prediction from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong in February for OSU to land the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder. The prediction moves Ohio State to an 87.9% chance to pick up the Atlanta native now playing at the IMG sports factory in Florida.
Merritt will be joining Dye in Columbus on June 14, which is shaping up to be a major summer recruiting day for the Buckeyes.
Trey McNutt | Safety (Athlete) | No. 29 Nationally
Don’t look now, but yesterday was a busy one for Gleitman who must have been hearing a ton of chatter around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on the first day of spring ball because he also logged a prediction that Ohio State would land Shaker Heights native, and Buckeye legacy, Trey McNutt.
Classified as either a safety or athlete depending on which service you look at, Trey is the son of former Ohio State cornerback Richard McNutt. The younger McNutt is the No. 29 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings, the No. 2 safety nationally, and the top player in the state of Ohio. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine now gives the Buckeyes 80.9% odds to land McNutt.
While he doesn’t have any 247 crystal balls yet, if we suppose the On3 predictions is accurate and McNutt becomes a Buckeye, when combined with a crystal ball from Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic for OSU to land running back Bo Jackson (no, not that Bo Jackson), Ohio State would lock down the top-four high school players from the state of Ohio in the 2025 recruiting cycle with Hill at No. 6.
The Buckeyes are also in on Cleveland Heights running back Marquise Davis, who is planning an official visit to Columbus on June 7.
Continue reading...