tOSU Recruiting Discussion

[ScriptOhio]

The expected recruiting visitors list for Saturday’s game (commits are bolded) is as follows:

Class of 2025​

• Five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair
• Five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez
• Five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn
• Four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe
• Four-star defensive tackle Trajen Odom
• Four-star defensive end Zion Grady
• Four-star tight end Nate Roberts
• Four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford
• Four-star wide receiver De’zie Jones
• Four-star safety DeShawn Stewart
• Four-star safety Cody Haddad
• Three-star linebacker Eli Lee
• Three-star wide receiver Bodpegn Miller
• Three-star offensive lineman Jake Cook

Class of 2026​

• Four-star cornerback Dorian Barney
• Four-star offensive tackle Maxwell Riley
• Four-star running back Shahn Alston
• Four-star defensive end Rodney Dunham
• Four-star tight end Evan Jacobson
• Four-star defensive tackle Cameron Brickle
• Four-star linebacker Zach Weeks
• Four-star offensive lineman Will Conroy
• Four-star offensive lineman Adam Guthrie
• Three-star tight end Cooper McCutchan
• Three-star safety Kaden Gebhardt
• Three-star safety Emoni Smith
• Offensive lineman Mason Wilhelm

Class of 2027​

• Five-star quarterback Brady Edmunds
• Five-star wide receiver Jamier Brown
• Four-star defensive back Sequel Patterson
• Safety Darius Dennis
• Cornerback Larry Moon
• Linebacker Ellis McGaskin
• Running back Julian Baker

 

[ScriptOhio]

Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Expects a "Great Game" From Denzel Burke Against No. 5 Indiana, Says Will Kacmarek Has a Chance to Play

Ryan Day expects Denzel Burke to have a "great game" against Indiana and Will Kacmarek could be available for Ohio State's top-five showdown with Indiana.

www.elevenwarriors.com

• Day said that recruiting with NIL is like the NFL draft. He feels you can't sign only first-round draft picks, you have to pick and choose and mix in some lower-rated players.
• On the juggle of Early Signing Day and the stretch run of the season: "It's just kind of what it is. You've gotta recruit every day but also have a game that you've gotta go win."

 

[brodybuck21]

11W Forums

Tibor04 19 minutes ago
Interesting. in Talking Stuff the other night, Birm doubted that OSU would remain in the chase for the national recruiting title partly becuase franchises like Georgia are still accumulating top-end high school players while OSU is focused almost entirely on retention of existing commitments, with only a sprinkling of lower-ranked developmental prospects like this MSU commit. Birm stated that OSU is unlikely to match higher offers to players like PA DE Mathis and GA DL Merritt, and instead is working on retention (read: trying to match higher NIL offers to) to players OSU prioritizes like TJ Alford.
This tells me that OSU indeed has a finite pool of NIL $ allocated to high school players, and sometimes they will lose commitments as they allocate the scarce resources. I also interpret this, perhaps unjustifiably, as OSU places an increasing value on the immediate impact of free agency acquisitions via the transfer portal. In short, high school talent acquisition and development will still be the foundation, but getting veteran pieces along the OL and elsewhere will be the key to future runs at championships. As Birm asked, why spend big $ now on a player who may not be ready for 3 years, when you can get a player with that same amount via the transfer portal who can make an immediate impact.
It's gonna be hard for OSU fans to watch OSU take a small step back in the national recruiting cycle, and it' gonna be hard for OSU to outspend Oregon and other deep-pocketed teams for the top transfers that OSU covets. But I suspect we'll see a more aggressive OSU in the transfer portal every year, where they get 3-5 (my guess) new starters each year.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

and it' gonna be hard for OSU to outspend Oregon and other deep-pocketed teams for the top transfers that OSU covets

Somebody on here was concerned that Oregon was going to out spend Ohio State on the recruiting trail, and we (myself included) called them a chicken little and ridiculed the idea. I wish I remember who that was, because they are owed several apologies.

 

[BuckBackHome]

11W Forums

Tibor04 19 minutes ago
Interesting. in Talking Stuff the other night, Birm doubted that OSU would remain in the chase for the national recruiting title partly becuase franchises like Georgia are still accumulating top-end high school players while OSU is focused almost entirely on retention of existing commitments, with only a sprinkling of lower-ranked developmental prospects like this MSU commit. Birm stated that OSU is unlikely to match higher offers to players like PA DE Mathis and GA DL Merritt, and instead is working on retention (read: trying to match higher NIL offers to) to players OSU prioritizes like TJ Alford.
This tells me that OSU indeed has a finite pool of NIL $ allocated to high school players, and sometimes they will lose commitments as they allocate the scarce resources. I also interpret this, perhaps unjustifiably, as OSU places an increasing value on the immediate impact of free agency acquisitions via the transfer portal. In short, high school talent acquisition and development will still be the foundation, but getting veteran pieces along the OL and elsewhere will be the key to future runs at championships. As Birm asked, why spend big $ now on a player who may not be ready for 3 years, when you can get a player with that same amount via the transfer portal who can make an immediate impact.
It's gonna be hard for OSU fans to watch OSU take a small step back in the national recruiting cycle, and it' gonna be hard for OSU to outspend Oregon and other deep-pocketed teams for the top transfers that OSU covets. But I suspect we'll see a more aggressive OSU in the transfer portal every year, where they get 3-5 (my guess) new starters each year.

Not that anyone asked me nor cares, but I totally prefer this method of spending some of the NIL dollars on proven players at the D1 level. Use this to fill the areas of need and/or when there are opportunities we just cannot pass up, like a certain Safety from down south.

Seems like a much more effective way to constantly compete for championships in the modern (NIL) era. Let others chase the "best recruiting class this year" championships.

 

[muffler dragon]

I don’t so much think of it as getting out-spent, but instead, vetting out the ROI. Maybe I’m wrong, but money on unprovens vs higher likelihoods is a sound practice (in my IMO).

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Not that anyone asked me nor cares, but I totally prefer this method of spending some of the NIL dollars on proven players at the D1 level. Use this to fill the areas of need and/or when there are opportunities we just cannot pass up, like a certain Safety from down south.

Seems like a much more effective way to constantly compete for championships in the modern (NIL) era. Let others chase the "best recruiting class this year" championships.

I do not envy the staff for having to balance talent with culture to optimize that investment. The complexity of that job has increased exponentially.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I don’t so much think of it as getting out-spent, but instead, vetting out the ROI. Maybe I’m wrong, but money on unprovens vs higher likelihoods is a sound practice (in my IMO).

Yep. I'm totally fine with not throwing bags at guys like Mathis & Merritt to keep them. I'd rather have a good group of HS kids that mostly actually want to play here and arent just in it for the NIL bag, then you can use NIL to fill the gaps with proven players in the transfer portal. That seems to me like the best course in this new landscape. Throwing a bunch of money at unproven HS players, especially guys who aren't even top top level prospects is not the way. We will still be bringing in upper level top 5-top 10 recruiting classes, but people are gonna have a meltdown because we aren't unloading the bank to be in the race for #1.

 

[pnuts34]

@ the reply

 

[osuvictory1]

11W Forums

Tibor04 19 minutes ago
Interesting. in Talking Stuff the other night, Birm doubted that OSU would remain in the chase for the national recruiting title partly becuase franchises like Georgia are still accumulating top-end high school players while OSU is focused almost entirely on retention of existing commitments, with only a sprinkling of lower-ranked developmental prospects like this MSU commit. Birm stated that OSU is unlikely to match higher offers to players like PA DE Mathis and GA DL Merritt, and instead is working on retention (read: trying to match higher NIL offers to) to players OSU prioritizes like TJ Alford.
This tells me that OSU indeed has a finite pool of NIL $ allocated to high school players, and sometimes they will lose commitments as they allocate the scarce resources. I also interpret this, perhaps unjustifiably, as OSU places an increasing value on the immediate impact of free agency acquisitions via the transfer portal. In short, high school talent acquisition and development will still be the foundation, but getting veteran pieces along the OL and elsewhere will be the key to future runs at championships. As Birm asked, why spend big $ now on a player who may not be ready for 3 years, when you can get a player with that same amount via the transfer portal who can make an immediate impact.
It's gonna be hard for OSU fans to watch OSU take a small step back in the national recruiting cycle, and it' gonna be hard for OSU to outspend Oregon and other deep-pocketed teams for the top transfers that OSU covets. But I suspect we'll see a more aggressive OSU in the transfer portal every year, where they get 3-5 (my guess) new starters each year.

I don't hate this method, and believe it is a path to sustained success. Day recognized Howard who fits the perfect profile of what they need to succeed this year.

With that said, OSU does need a foundation, and it is impossible to get a perfect balance every year. So, I am concerned that OSU may end up in a rough depth spot every so often.