Ohio State Football: Lack of linebackers concerning

The Ohio State football program has the number one recruiting class in the country. They, along with Notre Dame, keep going back and forth for that number one ranking. It seems to almost change daily. Regardless, it’s kind of hard to fault the Buckeyes for any recruiting efforts they’ve had in 2023.

Even so, they do have one concerning trend for the 2023 class. That is the fact that the Ohio State football program doesn’t have any linebackers for the class yet. While they have recruited very well with other positions, linebacker hasn’t been one of them.

In fact, the Buckeyes lost out on their top target just yesterday. That was a blow because several people within the program believed they were going to land him. Instead, they go back to the drawing board in a sense when it comes to the top linebackers in the class.

Does that mean the Buckeyes won’t have a linebacker in this recruiting class? Of course not. They are still in the running for some four-star kids, including Arvell Reese out of Cleveland. In fact, he’s expected to land there according to 247Sports’ prediction.

As good as Reese is, he’s still not considered a top-20 linebacker in the country. That means Ohio State wouldn’t have a top-20 guy at that position for this class. That’s not the end of the world considering they got the number one guy in 2022, but it’s still a little concerning.

Again, it’s hard to criticize anything the Buckeyes have done on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class. I know I’m just nitpicking at this point because you literally can’t improve on a number one ranking. But, this is something to watch for the 2024 class as well.

A good year from linebackers in 2022 should quell all fears when it comes to recruiting that position for future classes.