Caleb Houser
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Successful Thursday leads into big recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The staff continues to play host to several of their top recruiting targets today and the rest of this weekend.
There’s arguably not been an in-state school that’s been better to Ohio State over the years than Cleveland Glenville. Giving the Buckeyes Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Cardale Jones, Marshon Lattimore and others, the Tarblooders have built quite the pipeline to Columbus. To the advantage of the Buckeyes, this storied program is once again churning out elite DI talents year in and year out, with Ryan Day and company hopeful they’ll continue staying right at home for their college careers.
Last recruiting cycle, the Buckeyes were able to land linebacker Arvell Reese, and while most of the attention in the 2024 class surrounding Glenville is dedicated to defensive back Bryce West, there’s more the Buckeyes are interested in with this current cycle of recruits. That additional member being tight end target, Damarion Witten — a 6-foot-4, 215 pound athlete with a ton to be excited about.
The No. 190 player nationally per 247Sports, Witten also checks in as the 11th best tight end in the country and sixth best player from Ohio for the 2024 class. Damarion, who has already been to Columbus, will be making another return visit this Saturday, joining several other top targets to be on hand for a busy weekend. With first year tight end coach Keenan Bailey doing a bulk of the recruiting here, the two will share several points of contact this weekend.
Bailey’s retweet of Witten’s visit post certainly shows his excitement for him being on campus. This visit should go over real well.
The amount of NFL veterans or former big-name stars that see their kids go on to the same type of success is always fun to watch. Looking at Ohio State’s current roster, and specifically with Marvin Harrison Jr., it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are thrilled to be capitalizing off that dynamic duo and certainly wouldn’t mind a few more of those type of players.
This Saturday another popular last name will be on campus when Jerome Bettis Jr. will see first-hand all the Buckeyes have to offer. A 2025 receiver, Bettis Jr. is a 6-foot-2, 175 pound athlete with early offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Arkansas, Boston College, UConn, and Massachusetts. Unranked right now on his 247Sports profile, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his stock really increase when a rankings update for the 2025 class takes place.
Looking back at the offer list, it’s easy to see why Notre Dame is the favorite on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, with his dad of course having suited up for the Irish. Only a high school sophomore, there’s plenty of time for other major suitors to really get into the mix. No one is recruiting receivers more successfully right now than Brian Hartline and Ohio State, so having Bettis Jr. on campus has to spark some mutual interest here.
Fortunately the Buckeyes will be in a great spot either way with likely their picks at the spot.
Without going too far into this one, Smith is a player that will take visits and go through the process. He’s been pretty clear that he will attend other school visits, whether it be with his 7-on-7 team or via another outlet, but his words and praise for Ohio State and Hartline specifically should ease a lot of the unrest.
With him being the No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2024 class, of course any non-Buckeye content will be worrisome, but as long as Hartline is in Columbus, Ohio State should be fine — and those are words that came from Smith himself. In other words, don’t sweat a tweet looking for a reaction.
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Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The staff continues to play host to several of their top recruiting targets today and the rest of this weekend.
There’s arguably not been an in-state school that’s been better to Ohio State over the years than Cleveland Glenville. Giving the Buckeyes Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Cardale Jones, Marshon Lattimore and others, the Tarblooders have built quite the pipeline to Columbus. To the advantage of the Buckeyes, this storied program is once again churning out elite DI talents year in and year out, with Ryan Day and company hopeful they’ll continue staying right at home for their college careers.
Last recruiting cycle, the Buckeyes were able to land linebacker Arvell Reese, and while most of the attention in the 2024 class surrounding Glenville is dedicated to defensive back Bryce West, there’s more the Buckeyes are interested in with this current cycle of recruits. That additional member being tight end target, Damarion Witten — a 6-foot-4, 215 pound athlete with a ton to be excited about.
The No. 190 player nationally per 247Sports, Witten also checks in as the 11th best tight end in the country and sixth best player from Ohio for the 2024 class. Damarion, who has already been to Columbus, will be making another return visit this Saturday, joining several other top targets to be on hand for a busy weekend. With first year tight end coach Keenan Bailey doing a bulk of the recruiting here, the two will share several points of contact this weekend.
Bailey’s retweet of Witten’s visit post certainly shows his excitement for him being on campus. This visit should go over real well.
2025 receiver checking in on Saturday
The amount of NFL veterans or former big-name stars that see their kids go on to the same type of success is always fun to watch. Looking at Ohio State’s current roster, and specifically with Marvin Harrison Jr., it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are thrilled to be capitalizing off that dynamic duo and certainly wouldn’t mind a few more of those type of players.
This Saturday another popular last name will be on campus when Jerome Bettis Jr. will see first-hand all the Buckeyes have to offer. A 2025 receiver, Bettis Jr. is a 6-foot-2, 175 pound athlete with early offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Arkansas, Boston College, UConn, and Massachusetts. Unranked right now on his 247Sports profile, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his stock really increase when a rankings update for the 2025 class takes place.
Looking back at the offer list, it’s easy to see why Notre Dame is the favorite on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, with his dad of course having suited up for the Irish. Only a high school sophomore, there’s plenty of time for other major suitors to really get into the mix. No one is recruiting receivers more successfully right now than Brian Hartline and Ohio State, so having Bettis Jr. on campus has to spark some mutual interest here.
Fortunately the Buckeyes will be in a great spot either way with likely their picks at the spot.
Quick Hits
- It takes about two seconds to find drama on social media, and when it comes to recruiting, it’s probably even quicker. On Thursday, Hayes Fawcett, who specializes in many of the top recruiting targets’ commitment graphics, took to his account to share a photo of current Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith in a Florida uniform while on a visit, and of course that had people talking.
Without going too far into this one, Smith is a player that will take visits and go through the process. He’s been pretty clear that he will attend other school visits, whether it be with his 7-on-7 team or via another outlet, but his words and praise for Ohio State and Hartline specifically should ease a lot of the unrest.
With him being the No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2024 class, of course any non-Buckeye content will be worrisome, but as long as Hartline is in Columbus, Ohio State should be fine — and those are words that came from Smith himself. In other words, don’t sweat a tweet looking for a reaction.
- Just yesterday, Chris Henry Jr. was a topic of discussion as he made his visit to see the Buckeyes on Thursday of this week. Coming away from his visit, it looks as if the in-state 2026 receiver target had another successful time in Columbus. As he continues to be one of the premier receivers for his class, it’s easy to see this recruitment being totally handled by Hartline in hopes to not only keep another in-state kid at home, but once again land an elite talent for his room as he’s done so many times.
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