Ohio State Football: Will there be recruiting fireworks this weekend?
By Del Barris
The Ohio State football team’s coaching staff likes to announce each commitment with a BOOM! on social media. With a couple of prospects set to announce their school of choice this holiday weekend, Buckeye fans are hoping for some recruiting fireworks to go along with those we’ll see in the sky.
On Friday, Jermaine Mathews will make his intention known. The four-star prospect is listed as the 34th ranked Athlete by 247Sports, but OSU is recruiting him as a cornerback. The 6’, 175-pound product of the ultra-successful Winton Woods program in Cincinnati (the same school that produced current Buckeye Miyan Williams) is considered to be heavily leaning towards Ohio State and has three expert predictions for them. Mathews, the number nine player in Ohio, is a bit of a late bloomer and is still learning, but has a very high ceiling.
The picture is a lot less clear for four-star defensive lineman Darron Reed, who will announce his choice on Independence Day. One expert at 247Sports predicted the Columbus, Georgia native to Florida State, but that was back in April and they now appear to be out of the picture.
247’s national recruiting expert, Steve Wiltfong, made a projection for LSU two weeks ago. Here is the good news for Buckeye fans: of the three predictions for OSU, two have come within the last few days just after Reed visited Ryan Day’s program. That’s a good sign. The consensus is it is down to the Buckeyes and LSU. The 6’4”, 270-pound Reed is the number 34-rated defensive tackle nationally.
Cornerback Daniel Harris of Miami is announcing his decision Friday as well. Ohio State made his top four, but he is expected to commit to Georgia. Also, the Buckeyes extended an offer to Landon Pace, the son of OSU legend Orlando Pace. The younger Pace is a 6’2”, 216-pound tight end who is part of the 2025 recruiting cycle. His older brother, Jalen, is already a walk-on linebacker for the Buckeyes.
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Let’s hope the fireworks begin on Friday with Jermaine Mathews and end with Darron Reed on Monday. If both give the OSU coaches a reason to BOOM! on social media, it certainly will be a weekend to celebrate for Ohio State football fans.