Ohio State Football: Three recruiting commitments to watch for

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (13) lines up during the spring football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on April 16, 2022.Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game
Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (13) lines up during the spring football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on April 16, 2022.Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game /
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The Ohio State football team has taken a couple of punches to the chin in the last week on the recruiting trail. They lost out on both their top linebacker target and their top remaining tackle target. Still, they have the number one recruiting class in the country.

Just because they lost out on those two recruits doesn’t mean that they won’t be getting some top-shelf recruits into the program soon. They still have a lot of guys on their board who have yet to make a decision. Some of them will be making their decisions very soon though.

In fact, I have a list of three recruits that the Buckeyes are still very much alive for that will be making their school announcements soon. All of these kids are at least four-star recruits and would bolster an already stellar recruiting class and keep it number one.

If Ohio State is able to land all three of these prospects, they might be able to keep that number one ranking away from Notre Dame, although the summer is not close to over yet. This is shaping up to be a fairly large recruiting class for the Buckeyes in 2023.

Our first recruit will be making his decision in just a few days and is the Buckeyes’ number one target at safety for this class.

Caleb Downs is the Ohio State football team’s number one safety target.

Safeties Coach Perry Eliano is hoping to land Caleb Downs for the Ohio State Football team.Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game
Safeties Coach Perry Eliano is hoping to land Caleb Downs for the Ohio State Football team.Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game /

Caleb Downs is the number one target at safety for the Buckeyes in this class. More than that, he is the number one safety in the entire country for the class of 2023. He is a five-star kid from Hoschton, Georgia, and has some great programs pursuing him.

Downs stands at 6 feet and 185 pounds. He does it all though. He is able to get downhill fast enough to help stop the run and he can also play in pass coverage very well. Simply put, he is the full package that you would want in a safety.

Downs is listed as the 12-best player in the country overall. He also recently narrowed down his college choices. Besides Ohio State, he is choosing between Notre Dame, Clemson, Georgia, and Alabama. He will be making his decision in the middle of next week.

Unfortunately, Downs is projected to choose Alabama, although the confidence level isn’t high on that prediction. If the Ohio State football team is able to steal him, that would be fantastic. Not only would they land a five-star recruit, but they’d keep him from Bama too.

If Downs does go to the Buckeyes, it’d be the second class in a row that they signed the number one safety after landing Sonny Syles in 2022. The second recruit on this list is ranked lower but is still a pretty good player.