OSU inks another top 5 recruiting class for 5th year in a row
COVER PHOTO: A Buckeye helmet sits on one of the posts on the back of a bench along the OSU sideline during their game against Michigan State on Nov. 11, 2023. Picture by Aaron Layne/Columbus Wired.
Early Signing Day began on Wednesday for high school football recruits who plan on playing at the Division I level and what has become the norm now for those prospects, virtually every single one of Ohio State’s targets signed their official National Letter of Intent to play for the Buckeyes this upcoming fall.
And Ohio State has once again signed another bumper crop that ranks fourth in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Georgia, Alabama and Miami, Fla. currently rank ahead of OSU, respectively.
However, according to those same composite rankings, the Buckeyes signed the most five-star players with five. That’s pretty impressive considering their class currently consists of 20 signees whereas the Bulldogs, Crimson Tide and Hurricanes have so far respectively gathered 28, 23 and 27 NLI’s.
Georgia and the Texas Longhorns’ fifth-rated class both come in second with four blue chippers apiece while Bama has signed two so far and Miami has one.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took to the podium a little after 12 p.m. at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday to talk about 18 of the 20 young men on their recruiting board who had officially signed on the dotted line of their NLI.
“This is a group that a bunch of (our coaches) jumped in early on and the (class will) give us great support to our already strong team,” he said.
Although, at that same exact time, there were still two recruits who had yet to officially give their full commitment: five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston as well as the biggest name in the entire class, five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was considered by pretty much every recruiting service as the top overall player in the nation.
It was rumored that both were being heavily recruited by other schools to change their mind in the proverbial 11th hour as it was being reported that Houston was being swooned by Alabama while Smith was getting the classic red carpet treatment by Miami, Fla.
Nonetheless, Day stepped up to the microphone and began fielding questions on guys who had officially inked their names, like five-star quarterback Prentiss “Air” Noland; five-star, in-state cornerback Aaron Scott; five-star wide receiver Mylan Graham; and a host of other hotsy-totsy guys from just about every other corner of the country.
But about 13 minutes into Day’s presser, a reporter asked him whether or not he had heard that Smith made his commitment “official” in a press conference at his Hollywood, Fla. high school.
Day said he had not and asked for confirmation from Jerry Emig, who is Ohio State’s Sports Information Director that acts as the liaison between the football team and the media. When Emig confirmed Smith had “officially” committed, Day’s response was classic as he feigned fainting.
After “regrouping” himself and breathing a heavy sigh of relief, one reporter jokingly commented to Day about him likely feeling better about Smith’s “flipping process”. Day coyly answered back that the whole process with Smith had been “flipping for a while”.
Then about 20 minutes later, Day paused the presser for 15 minutes to take a phone call from a recruit. A phone call that turned out to be from Houston confirming his pledge to play for the Scarlet and Gray.
But at that time, Day wasn’t allowed to comment on either guy’s commitment because their signed NLI’s had yet to reach the university’s athletics department - which is the final, official step in securing a player’s commitment. Until a player’s official letter is received by the school, a signature on a dotted line can still be torn up and torched without retribution.
According to Houston, he told Justin Felder of FOX 5 Sports in Atlanta that his delay seemed to be concerns about Day bringing in guys from the transfer portal. But Houston said Day assuaged his concerns in a mid-morning phone call and that was what ultimately swayed him back to the verbal commitment he had given on Aug. 22.
By the very end of the presser, though, Houston’s NLI had been received and Day was able to talk about him, giving defensive line coach Larry Johnson credit for being instrumental in solidifying the nation’s seventh-rated defensive end out of Buford (Georgia) High School.
Day said it had been a long process to finally win Houston’s heart and also gave Houston’s family, high school coaches as well as OSU cornerbacks coach and Georgia native Tim Walton credit for procuring Houston’s services.
“We identified him early as somebody who was a difference maker,” Day said. “I give Larry a lot of credit for the relationships he built down there (and) Tim Walton’s a guy from down in Georgia that did a great job in this process, as well. And his (Houston’s) family and coaches have been huge in this process. (His commitment) was a huge one, for sure.”
However, Smith seemingly continued to waltz with Day late into Wednesday night.
Smith’s dicey dance with the Buckeyes, that appeared to happen throughout the season, was fueled by social media “insiders” who posited he was either flipping to Miami or even an outside shot of going to Florida State.
Exacerbating the situation was Smith’s cryptic behavior on social media by reposting videos or posts from The U’s official X account as well as the fact that he was wearing a pair of Seminole gloves during one of his playoff games.
Although, those rumors seemed to have been squashed when a video was released by Rivals of Smith having a one-on-one conversation with John Garcia, Jr., who is Rivals’ national recruiting analyst. According to Smith, he had two hats in his bag - one OSU and one Miami, Fla. - and ultimately decided the Buckeyes were best for him.
That seemed to be the pin in the conversation confirming his commitment to the Buckeyes. But as the day turned into evening then turned into night, recruiting services had yet to switch his “hard” commitment to an official signing.
Then came the moment Day had been anxiously waiting for and at 10:02 on Wednesday night, Ohio State made the official announcement via their X account that they had secured Smith’s NLI and he’s officially going to adorn a scarlet and gray jersey come the fall.
Actually, he’ll be wearing one in the spring because, as he stated in the interview with Garcia, he’ll be enrolling for classes on Jan. 7.
Now, Buckeye Nation can finally breathe a sigh of relief given that pretty much all of their intended targets have agreed to start their college career within the confines of Ohio Stadium.
But due to Smith’s delayed response, Day was unable to talk about him in his press conference.
Here is a breakdown of each guy and what Day had to say about each one:
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Prentiss “Air” Noland: The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander out of Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.) High School is rated as the nation’s sixth-best quarterback and is the only QB to sign in this class. As a junior, he led the Panthers to a perfect 15-0 record and 5-A state championship win, their first in school history. He set a single-season 55 touchdown passes during the run, surpassing Trevor Lawrence (51) and Deshaun Watson (50), guiding them to a season record 792 points.
Working primarily out of a read-option offense, he possesses a strong arm and solid pocket presence. He can either fling it down field to a streaking receiver or drop it with some touch in between defenders and also has the ability to tuck it and run.
“We watched his film and saw the athleticism and just kind of a baller out there, making a lot of plays,” Day said. “He was teammates with (current OSU tight end) Jelani Thurman so we were down there some and got to see who he was … and the coaches talk about what a great player he was (and) what a great leader he is. And it doesn’t take long when you talk to him, to recognize how mature he is and his approach and that’s a big part of it and we love that part of it and feel that he’s got a really high ceiling.”
Receiver
Day and his staff were set to bring in three wide receivers and two tight ends but lost out on four-star WR Jeremiah McClellan, who decided at the last minute that Oregon was a better fit for him. Regardless, they still signed five-star WR Mylan Graham as well as four-star TE Max LeBlanc and three-star TE Damarion Witten.
And of course the aforementioned Smith.
Jeremiah “JJ” Smith: The 6-foot-3, 198-pounder out of Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) College Preparatory School is considered by 247Sports’ composite rankings as the third-highest recruit to ever sign with the Buckeyes in modern day recruiting history and is said to be the kind of player that can come in and immediately start as a true freshman. That might be lofty expectations but many recruiting gurus consider Smith to be a unique talent capable of not only seeing the field right off the rip but making an impact.
This year’s Nat Moore Trophy winner - given out to the best player within the Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe county area - and MaxPreps Florida player of the year hauled in 88 catches for 1,376 yards and 19 TD’s this past season to help spur the Lions to a 1M state championship.
Smith has the ability to run just about every route imaginable. He can outleap defenders, making NFL-style over-the-top grabs while also being able to slide back from the line of scrimmage and turn a simple screen pass into a 20-yard gain. His ability to outrun a defensive back off the blocks and make over the shoulder catches seems just about as ridiculous as running an out route to the corner of the end zone and hauling in a TD while falling to the turf or snatching a slant over the middle and shrugging off defenders for 85-yard touchdowns.
Not only is he a beast catching the ball but Day and offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline have to be licking their chops at some of the other things they could do with him as he took direct snaps in the backfield and was called upon to throw the ball, too.
Smith’s penchant for football seems natural given his bloodline: his cousin is current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
Mylan Graham: Seemingly taking a backseat to all of the Smith hype is Graham, who shouldn’t be considering he also comes in rated as a five-star receiver and ranks as the ninth-overall WR in the country.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound New Haven, Ind. native is extremely impressive after the catch, namely juking defenders out of their shoes with his ability to kick it into high gear once he gets into open space. He also has a knack going up for 50/50 balls and shielding off defenders to come down with it.
“We recognized him early on in the process and Brian did a great job of building that relationship up (and) we think he gives us a lot,” said Day.
Of the 26 offers he received - including Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Michigan - it was Ohio State who was the first to offer Graham, which came in June of last year.
“The more I got offers, the more I was like: this school is really just putting guys in the NFL - the first round - better than other schools that are offering me and they do it at a high level. And the coaches have a great relationship with me, so it was like a why-not decision,” Graham said after signing.
Max LeBlanc: Originally from Canada, the four-star TE transferred to Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) High School for the final two seasons of his high school career. At 6-foot-5, 222 pounds, he can do everything from outjump defenders and catch slants out of the slot to pushing guys off the line to make room for the running back.
“A really talented young man,” Day said. “He came down from Canada and had to make the transition to a school where he was on his own but really did a great job when he was there. His film is tremendous, we think he brings a lot of versatility.”
LeBlanc is rated as the nation’s 17th-best tight end.
Damarion Witten: An Ohio guy out of Cleveland Glenville, Witten comes in as a three-star ranked as the country’s 27th-best tight end. Standing 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he can line up in the slot or as an outside receiver with the ability to go over defenders and make the grab while also lining up along the line of scrimmage or even in the backfield to be a blocker for the ball carrier.
He showcased his receiving skills most recently in the U.S. Army High School All-American game where he lined up as an outside receiver and caught three touchdown passes.
Day said Witten’s recruitment came early when Glenville head coach Ted Ginn, Sr. told Day that Witten was an amazing athlete.
“It started early on when coach Ginn had him as a young player and told me, ‘this kid is special’,” Day said. “And you can do multiple things with Damarion, (he) can be a matchup issue with his length and his size and his ability to play the ball, he’s tremendous. Ted did a great job of identifying him early on and we jumped on him early on and you can see his ceiling is extremely high.”
Running back
An area that became a huge point of contention for Day was the guy taking handoffs after three different guys hit the transfer portal in fourth-year Deamonte “Chip” Trayanum, third-year Evan Pryor and preferred walk-on freshman Will Hartson, as well as Miyan Williams deciding to take his chances at the NFL.
To pour gas on the fire, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) commit Jordan Lyle decided on Monday that his commitment from January was no longer valid and instead the 11th-rated RB in the country was keeping his talents in-state with Miami, who had been the first team to offer him a scholarship which came in May of his freshman year.
Then there is junior TreVeyon Henderson, who has remained mum on whether or not he’s coming back next year. If he leaves for the next level, that would leave all of one scholarship RB on the team, sophomore Dallan Hayden.
That made signing these next two guys all the more important for Day and he said that the plan all along has been for these two to come in and play as freshmen.
James Peoples: A 5-foot-10, 192-pound speedster out of Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Tex.) High School, the four-star is rated as the nation’s fourth-best RB and has the tools to be the guy toting the main amount of carries in a couple of years.
Shifty with a low center of gravity, Peoples is great at reading his blocks, making a move and exploding through the hole while possessing the speed to outrun defenders. He also has the ability to catch the ball and turn it up field.
“He can do multiple things,” Day said. “He’s strong, he’s got great change of direction, he can catch routes out of the backfield. He’s going to be a dynamic player and, I think, going to make an impact early-on.”
Sam Williams-Dixon: The 5-foot-11, 203-pounder - who hails from West Holmes (Millersburg, Ohio) High School and transferred his final year to Pickerington (Ohio) North - may only be rated as a three-star but don’t let the rating fool you. He boasted 14 other offers from FBS schools including Penn State, Michigan State, Tennessee and West Virginia.
He’s great at waiting for blocks to develop when taking a handoff and then shrugging off tacklers while turning on the jets. He also showcased his talent catching passes in the flat or lining up as a receiver and hauling in deep shots up the sideline. Those talents are why he was originally recruited as an athlete, however, Day said their plan is now to fully utilize him as a running back.
“He has some versatility who was listed as an athlete at one point. He can move around and we can do some different things with him,” Day said.
Offensive Line
A point of contempt for some within Buckeye Nation, the offensive line has taken their fair share of hits the past couple of seasons both literally and figuratively. Some folks opine that current offensive line coach Justin Frye is picking up right where former OL coach Greg Studrawa left off and isn’t recruiting and developing guys to the standard most are accustomed to.
Day disagrees.
“We try to identify the guys that we think are the right fit for us and we go get them,” he said. “I’m really excited about the guys that we have, they really fit well with what we’re doing on offense. You have them in camp, you see them in camp, you see what they’re going to do and you project into what they’re going to be and ultimately, you have to fit the needs that you have. So, we want to be the best in the country and I think we’ve got a great group coming in.”
Ian Moore: Was the first player to commit to this year’s class and is considered the best O-lineman of the bunch. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder out of New Palestine (Ind.) High School is a four-star and rates as the sixth-best exterior lineman in the nation with offers from several Big Ten schools as well as Florida State, Miami, Fla., Missouri and Tennessee.
According to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, Moore, “Plays with his feet underneath him and with good balance. Finishes his blocks. Good functional strength already and looks to be a weight room guy. Above average athlete. Can still continue to work on flexibility and explosiveness. Is not deficient in those areas, just can continue to make gain there. Projects as a college starter who will go about doing his job in a workmanlike way and will have a chance to then play beyond college.”
Day said he liked Moore’s versatility.
“(He) had a really good high school career and … brings some versatility. He can move some places inside and he’s going to be a really good player for us.”
Gabe VanSickle: As OSU’s premiere prospects began to commit elsewhere, Frye began scrambling to find anyone he could to help shore up the class. Enter VanSickle, who up until a month ago, was committed to Northwestern. He was the last recruit offered by OSU and as soon as they offered, he rescinded his verbal to the Wildcats and instead gave it to the Buckeyes on Nov. 23.
Rated as a four-star by both Rivals and 247Sports composite, the 6-foot-5, 283-pounder out of Coopersville (Mich.) High School held offers from a handful of MAC schools as well as the Wildcats, Indiana and Michigan State.
Despite the seemingly low-level list of offers, Day feels like VanSickle has huge upside.
“Justin evaluated him (and) we see a really athletic guard who can possibly move into center.”
He comes in as the 23rd-ranked interior lineman in the nation even though he played left tackle.
The Armstrong twins: Standing nearly six-and-a-half feet each and weighing in at almost a collective 600 pounds, Devontae and Deontae from St. Edwards (Lakewood, Ohio) High School provide a lot of beef up front.
The duo were integral in helping the Eagles win their third-straight D-I title this year as they paved the way for sophomore running back Brandon White to run for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-21 win over Springfield in the championship game.
“The guys have been tremendous in their development throughout their high school career and you’re seeing them play their best football,” Day said.
Both 6-foot-5, 297-pound Devontae and 6-foot-6, 280-pound Deontae come in as three-stars and respectively rank as the 21st and 22nd-best O-linemen in the state. However, don't let their ratings discourage you because Day sees what they can be capable of in the future.
“They have great overall work ethic and … you can see the improvement year-in and year- out and then almost week-in and week-out,” Day said. “They’re both bigger guys, they’re long-body types and you just see them getting more and more comfortable playing the position, understanding the technique and how to bend and get low.”
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Let’s just get the elephant in the room out of the way. Many in Buckeye Nation were critical of Johnson’s ability to sway several of the country’s best linemen to come to Columbus, even with the signing of Houston.
Of all the guys that Ohio State offered, Justin Scott was the biggest loss because the Buckeyes were the only team he had verballed to. After taking only four official visits - with the last being OSU on June 23 - the versatile 6-foot-4, 310-pound blue chip defensive tackle from St. Thomas Aquinas committed nine days later. But a mere four days after the Michigan game, he withdrew his commitment and - much like Raider teammate Jordan Lyle - instead decided to stay home and go to Miami.
When it became apparent Johnson wasn’t going to sign any of his other prospects than Scott and Houston - which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because they both rank in the top seven - Johnson decided to go after one more at the last minute as a security blanket in three-star Eric Mensah. The Stafford, Virg. native had been committed to Virginia Tech but as soon as OSU offered in mid-September, he immediately dropped the Hokies that day and went with the Buckeyes.
If that hadn’t happened, Ohio State would have only one defensive lineman in this entire class.
Eddrick Houston: At 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, he brings a quickness and toughness off the edge that Buckeye fans should be used to.
“Really, really excited about Eddrick. Larry worked really hard on this one,” Day said. “He comes from an unbelievable program down in Buford (and) we feel like he’s (going to be) an impact player (from) day one.”
A versatile athlete who has a nose for the ball and plays both sides, he has the ability to swim move past offensive linemen while zipping into the backfield to make the tackle. On the offensive side, he lines up at tight end and can not only outmuscle the guy across from him but was also seen catching passes.
Eric Mensah: At 6-foot-3, 290, he has the skills to get through blocks and into the backfield to make fairly violent tackles. However, his tape can be unimpressive at times, showing him getting beat off the line and lacking speed to be able to run down offenders. Overall, he’ll probably be a guy who either sticks around for his entire career and finally gets a chance to occasionally play by his fourth or fifth season, or transfer after two or three years.
Defensive back
Aaron Scott: The five-star cornerback out of Springfield (Ohio) High School could very well be called upon to hit the field in the fall as a true freshman not only because the Buckeyes’ depth could be shaky, especially if junior Denzel Burke departs for the NFL, but he could also see the field simply because he’s that good.
He has great vision and the ability to play press coverage against the other team’s best receiver while also being able to keep his eye on the QB and sink back into the zone with several passes getting picked for six.
What impressed Day was not only Scott’s tenacity but his ability to play hurt especially in the midst of a stifling summer day.
“He was somebody who came to camp early on, it was a hot day out there and he grinded. I mean, he went for, I think an hour,” Day said. “He had a broken wrist and he kept working. We could tell there was a toughness there, just a grit there, that he wanted to earn that scholarship and he did that day. He’s built himself up to be a really good football player.”
Standing 6-foot and 174 pounds, Scott is listed as the state’s No. 1 overall player, No. 2 rated CB in the nation and definitely brings that swagger both on and off the field.
Bryce West: The “second” CB of the class could be the “diamond in the rough” which is hyperbole considering the Cleveland Glenville athlete is rated as a four-star, the state’s second-best overall guy behind Scott and the nation’s fourth-best cornerback.
Much like Scott, Day said the 5-foot-11, 177-pound West has an attitude that he and Tim Walton were looking for and again credited Tarblooder head coach Ted Ginn, Sr. with turning Day and Walton early on to West.
“Again, coach Ginn early on believed in this young man and said this guy’s going to be a great player. So we recruited him and offered him pretty early in the process,” Day said.
He offered West in early December two years ago but it took until June for West to finally commit after taking three official visits that month to Michigan, USC and Ohio State, which was on the 23rd. The very next day, he gave his verbal to OSU and never took another official visit after that.
“You can just see the way he played that next year, he was much more aggressive, he was tackling (and) making plays and he just continued to become a better and better football player. And you know what you’re getting when you’re getting someone out of Glenville, you know?” said Day.
Miles Lockhart: The third and “last” CB of the group out of Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) High School comes in as another four-star and is listed as the country’s 31st-rated corner.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder has a nose for the ball who displays great skills at covering his guy in press coverage just as well as in a zone. He also can come down and clean up on the run.
Day got to see Lockhart live in action, liked what he saw and said it’s due to those attributes that he’s being tabbed as their next nickel slot corner.
“Miles is extremely competitive and fits to what (defensive coordinator) Jim (Knowles) wants right there in that nickel position (but) he can also move out to corner,” Day said. “Really nasty, tough player who has jumped in and been a great part of this class.”
Jaylen McClain: The highest-ranked safety of the class, the 6-foot, 185-pounder from Seton Hall (West Orange, N.J.) Prep is a three-star and rated as the nation’s 28th-best safety.
A good tackler with the ability to easily turn with the offender, McClain also played quite a bit on the edge as a corner and his length gives him the ability to also play in Knowles’ system as a slot safety. He’s also solid at staying close to the line of scrimmage and defending the run. All of these skills point to him playing in the “bandit” safety spot, the same position where Sonny Styles currently plays.
“He was a guy that was productive during his high school career (and) certainly had a great senior year,” Day said.
Leroy Roker: Coming in as the class’s fifth and final defensive back, some recruiting services list him as an athlete because of how he starred for Bishop Verot (Ft. Myers, Fla.) High School on both sides of the ball but Day plans on handing him over to safeties coach Perry Eliano.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder was offered barely three months ago by the Buckeyes, one day after being offered by Miami, Fla. Four days after being offered by OSU, he took an official visit and four days after that, he gave his word to become a Buckeye.
“He had a really good senior year and we’ve had some good luck with guys who we’ve evaluated late,” Day said.
Linebacker
Payton Pierce: At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Pierce boasted 40 different offers from just about everyone including Oklahoma to Oregon and Penn State to Michigan. Ultimately, the Buckeyes won out for the nation’s 16th-rated LB out of Lovejoy (Lucas, Tex.) High School.
And it may not have been just his football skills that all of the college scouts - including Knowles and defensive grad assistant to the linebackers, James Laurinaitis - were drooling over: it was the fact that he was a two-sport star for the Wildcats.
“This is a guy who wrestled and has done so much for his team. He’ll play quarterback, he’s very versatile and he’s done a lot of things,” Day said. “He brings a toughness, a hardhat mentality and we’re very excited about him.”
According to 247Sports, he only took one visit: to Columbus on June 23 and that was two months after he had already given his verbal to the Buckeyes.
Great at reading both the gaps in the offensive line when coming on a blitz, shooting the gap to stuff the run or hanging back in coverage from his “mike” (middle LB) position to swat down a pass or two, Pierce’s physicality jumps out the minute you see him.
Garrett Stover: Yep, if the name looks familiar that’s because it should be: Garrett is the cousin of current OSU TE Cade Stover.
The 6-foot, 195-pounder from Big Walnut (Sunbury, Ohio) High School comes in as a four-star and is considered by 247Sports as the 11th-best LB in the nation.
However, there is some confusion as to exactly what position he was being recruited to play.
Not only did Stover showcase his skills on the defensive side of the ball by quickly shooting through the offensive line to stuff the run, terrorize the quarterback or roam the secondary as a safety looking to bat down a pass, but he also toted the rock as a fullback quite a bit for the Eagles.
However, Day sees him fitting better on the defense. Although, he’s not totally sure where he’ll line up.
“He’ll play linebacker for us. Or safety. He has some versatility there. But a really, really talented player that’s going to be a big part of our class.”
Even though Day isn’t sure where Stover will end up, at least he’s perfectly comfortable knowing what he’s getting by keeping the Stover bloodline flowing in Columbus.
“He brings the same kind of mentality that you know with Cade,” said Day.
So there you have it, that sums up the latest bunch of Buckeyes that will be setting foot on campus in either early January or late July.
Even though Day said they didn’t get every single guy they wanted, this is still a class he’s proud of and excited about.
“Did we get everything, did we get the whole wishlist? No, but we got a lot of things covered and that’s really good moving forward. So now, onto the next phase of putting this roster together. But a lot of hard work by a lot of people for this class and I’m fired up about it.”