Ohio State makes the cut for another blue-chip offensive tackle

Ohio State makes the top five for tackle out of IMG Academy. Tyler Booker included the Buckeyes in his top five.

The Ohio State football program seems to be in the mix for a good portion of all the top-tier players in the nation. While the Buckeyes won’t be able to land them all, they’re off to a pretty good start in the 2022 class. And now, yet another top 100 player has put OSU in his top five.

Tyler Booker out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Flordia has trimmed his list and included Ohio State in the mix. Booker is the No. 5 rated offensive tackle in the country and No. 41 overall according to 247Sports composite rankings.

The Buckeyes will have stiff competition as Booker named a trio of SEC schools as finalists in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, as well as Oregon. Booker has said he will make official visits to all five schools in the coming months.

Ohio State already has a verbal commitment from Tegra Tshabola, out of Cincinnati. However, offensive line is always an area to have depth and Booker would be a huge get for the Buckeyes.

Fab Four: Selecting Ohio State football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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Ohio State in top five for 2022 defensive end

Another top player has Ohio State as a finalist. Four-star defensive end Ernest “R.J.” Cooper has included the Buckeyes in his top five.

Ohio State has made the cut for another top-tier defensive lineman. Ernest “RJ” Cooper, made the announcement via his Twitter account just Thursday.

Cooper has been on the Buckeyes’ radar for quite some time offering a scholarship almost a year ago when he was just a sophomore. Clearly, Cooper has been keeping an eye on the Bucks and staying close to the OSU coaching staff.

Hailing from Arlington, Texas, Cooper is the No. 9 ranked strong side defensive end in the country and a top 200 player overall according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Joining the Buckeyes in Cooper’s top five are Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford, and Texas A&M. According to crystal ball predictions, Stanford looks to have the inside track to sign the Texas native.

It’s nice to see Ohio State still in the mix for another big name. Time will tell if Larry Johnson can work his magic once again bringing in another quality defensive end.

Fab Four: Selecting Ohio State football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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Ohio State commit C.J. Hicks gets bumped to a five-star prospect

Ohio State 2022 linebacker commit C.J. Hicks got a bump to five-star status according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Ohio State 2022 linebacker commit C.J. Hicks has made it to rarefied air. There aren’t that many football prospects that get tagged as a five-star prospect. In fact, there’s only a total of 37 for the class of 2022, and that now includes Hicks.

The 6-foot, 4-inch, 218-pounder from Archbishop Alter in DaytonĀ committed to the Buckeyes in early May as a high four-star, but now he’s been bumped up, with a coveted five-stars now appearing next to his name according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

With the update, Hicks is now ranked as the No. 3 outside linebacker and 18th overall prospect in the class. His elevation to five-star status now means that Ohio State has four 5-stars in the 2022 class of the eleven currently committed verbally.

Congrats to an Ohio product, and hopefully it’s nothing but up from here. OSU still has the No. 1 rated class for 2022, but the Georgia Bulldogs are closing fast.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Ohio State target Kiyaunta Goodwin sets commitment date

What once seemed to be a lock for Ohio State, may be fading. A new leader has emerged to land 4-star offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin.

We shared the news a couple of weeks ago that four-star offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin, out of Charlestown, Indiana, had narrowed his list to five schools with Ohio State making the cut. Goodwin has now set an official announcement date of April 17 to share his college choice.

At the time of that writing, Goodwin had a crystal ball pick from 247Sports to join the Buckeyes. But, oh, how things can change in just a short period of time. With Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky and Michigan State joining OSU in Goodwin’s top five, an unlikely leader has seemingly emerged from the pack.

It looks as if now, the Kentucky Wildcats are the leader in the clubhouse to land Goodwin’s services. It seems Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow made headway with the young offensive lineman, which may have him calling the Bluegrass State home for the next four years.

This is quite a turnaround. Initially, 247Sports recruiting experts Bill Kurelic and Steve Wiltfong both had Goodwin as an 8 out of 10 in odds of landing in Columbus.

You can bet there will be some calls from Ryan Day and Greg Studrawa to Charleston, Indiana, between now and April 17 as they try to turn the tide back in Ohio State’s favor.

Fab Four: Selecting Ohio State football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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Top safety sets official visit to Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a giant football recruiting weekend in June and a top defensive back just announced he would be there.

The Ohio State football staff is in hot pursuit of yet another top football recruit, and this time it’s a defensive back out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nevada. Four-star safety Zion Branch announced on Twitter Wednesday that he has an official visit set with Ohio State for the weekend of June 4-6.

Branch is a consensus top 100 recruit and top-five safety in the class of 2022, and will be one of many of the top recruits the Buckeyes are trying to win over that weekend. Among the top prospects joining Branch on June fourth is top quarterback Quinn Ewers, top receiver Caleb Burton, and local stud linebacker, Gabe Powers.

Most Ohio State fans will recognize Bishop Gorman not only due to it being a top powerhouse high school football program, but also due to the current pipeline to Columbus. The most recent success story to come from Bishop Gorman is defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, but the most notable alum is likely former quarterback Tate Martell.

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Five-Star Ohio State basketball target set to make decision on April 15

Ohio State basketball hopes to land the services of five-star center Efton Reid. He is set to make his decision known on April 15.

If there’s one thing that Chris Holtman and the Ohio State basketball team needs, it’s size. The Buckeyes played last season without a true center after Kaleb Wesson entered the NBA draft in 2020. Even he was undersized for the position.

Now the Bucks have a chance at a top 25 ranked talent according to 247 Sports composite rankings. Efton Reid who is ranked as the No. 3 center in the nation will be making his college choice on April 15. This according to his mother, Maria who posted on Twitter.

At 6-feet, 11-inches, Reid would immediately become the tallest player on the Ohio State team. He hails from Richmond, Virginia, but has been playing his high school basketball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

There has been no official list of top teams listed to land Reid’s services, but it is believed that there are four programs in the lead to sign the big man. Ohio State is one of those teams along with Florida State, Pitt, and the 2019 national champion Virginia Cavaliers.

This would be a huge catch for Chris Holtman and the Buckeyes. Ā A big man in the middle to take some pressure off E.J. Liddell would be huge. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

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Ohio State in top eight for Georgia safety

Jake Pope attended the same high school as current Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller and has the Buckeyes in his sights.

The Ohio State football team has been named yet another finalist in a trimmed list for a top recruit. The top safety out of the state of Georgia, Jake Pope, made it known that he has a strong interest in eight teams which includes the Buckeyes.

Pope is an all-around athlete and says that he is being recruited as such more than just at the safety position. He hails from Buford, Georgia, and helped lead his Buford High School to a Georgia 6A state championship in 2020 as a junior. Buford is the same high school where current Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller attended.

Although Pope is currently rated as a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports composite rankings, he is garnering attention from all the big boys. Outside of Ohio State, Pope’s list includes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma.

Pope looks to be somewhat underrated according to the attention he’s receiving and we wouldn’t be surprised to see that ranking go up over the next year. When you have that many blue-bloods interested in your services, chances are, you’re pretty good.

While there are no crystal ball predictions at the moment, we’ll keep an eye on how things develop with this young man and his recruitment.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Ohio State in top eight for Georgia safety

Jake Pope attended the same high school as current Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller and has the Buckeyes in his sights.

The Ohio State football team has been named yet another finalist in a trimmed list for a top recruit. The top safety out of the state of Georgia, Jake Pope, made it known that he has a strong interest in eight teams which includes the Buckeyes.

Pope is an all-around athlete and says that he is being recruited as such more than just at the safety position. He hails from Buford, Georgia, and helped lead his Buford High School to a Georgia 6A state championship in 2020 as a junior. Buford is the same high school where current Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller attended.

Although Pope is currently rated as a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports composite rankings, he is garnering attention from all the big boys. Outside of Ohio State, Pope’s list includes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma.

Pope looks to be somewhat underrated according to the attention he’s receiving and we wouldn’t be surprised to see that ranking go up over the next year. When you have that many blue-bloods interested in your services, chances are, you’re pretty good.

While there are no crystal ball predictions at the moment, we’ll keep an eye on how things develop with this young man and his recruitment.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Ohio State makes trimmed list for 2022 five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen

The No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation for 2022 has cut his list to eight and Ohio State is still in the mix.

One of the top prizes in the 2022 recruiting class is a five-star defensive tackle out of Cordova, Tennessee. His name is Walter Nolen and he is the No. 2 rated overall player according to 247 Sports composite rankings. Of course, you might recognize the No. 1 player on that list in Ohio State commit Quinn Ewers.

Recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks says Nolen already has college-ready size, but room to add more bulk if needed. At 6-feet, 4-inches, and 300-pounds, Brooks predicts that Nolen has a high NFL draft ceiling.

Nolen recently cut the list of schools seeking his services down to eight with Ohio State still firmly in the mix. The remaining seven schools in competition with the Buckeyes include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, and USC.

It would be another huge catch if Larry Johnson and Ohio State can land the No. 1 defensive lineman in the land. We’ll keep you posted as Nolen’s list continues to dwindle.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Tennessee linebacker in the transfer portal set to visit Ohio State

Former four-star Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o set to visit Ohio State this weekend after entering the transfer portal.

Ohio State will be heading into the 2021 football season with some unknowns. One of the biggest question marks will be at the linebacker position where the Bucks will be losing three starters and a fourth in Justin Hilliard who became a big-time contributor and also started at times.

The Buckeyes obviously have some very good options to replace Tuf Borland, Peter Werner, and Baron Browning. However, that pool of options might be getting a wee bit bigger.

After the Tennessee Volunteers fired Jeremy Pruitt in January, linebacker Henry To’o To’o put his name in the transfer portal. Since that time, linebacker coach Al Washington has stayed in constant contact To’o To’o. The soon-to-be transfer will be making a visit to Ohio State this weekend, April 2-4.

The De La Salle High School (California) product was rated as the No. 3 outside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class and No. 44 overall player.Ā To’o To’o has played in 23 games in two seasons with the Vols and tallied 148 tackles with 15 of those coming for a loss.

Alabama is also hot on the trail to land the linebacker’s services. However, the current SEC rules for intraconference transfers would require him to sit out for a year.

This could be a huge get for the Buckeyes and add depth to a position of need. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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