Ohio State football: Where does the 2023 recruiting class stand?

On Saturday, the Ohio State football team added a much-needed piece of the puzzle for their 2023 recruiting class when quarterback Brock Glenn announced his commitment. Unfortunately, bad news wasn’t far behind. Top-ten cornerback Dijon Johnson de-committed from the Buckeyes.

There are quite a few members of Buckeye Nation who believe the sky is falling hourly when it comes to recruiting. They are in constant anguish. I’m not anything like them, but as we head into August with the beginning of fall camp just a few days away, I think an examination of where this class stands is warranted.

Johnson’s de-commitment is not a surprise. As we moved through July, losing him went from a possibility to a probability. The Buckeyes still have three cornerbacks in this class whose average player rating in 247Sports’ rankings is 93.04. Losing Johnson hurts, but this is still a top-notch trio.

An area of concern I have right now is the two tight-end commitments. Jelani Thurman committed to the Buckeyes just two weeks ago but was scheduled to be at Auburn on an unofficial visit Saturday. Longtime Ohio recruiting guru Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts spoke with Thurman’s high school coach late last week. He told Kurelic that Thurman is solidly committed to Ohio State.

The other tight-end commit, Ty Lockwood, was recently offered a scholarship by Alabama and was at a recruiting event there this weekend. There is real concern among fans this means he is all but ready to join the Crimson Tide. Until I see one of the experts I trust give that opinion, I’m not ready to give up on Lockwood. Both are in the top ten at their position.

There’s been a lot swirling lately about receiver Noah Rogers. The North Carolina native committed to the Buckeyes in June, but North Carolina State has continued to doggedly pursue him. Rogers’ best friend, Tamarcus Cooley, is a wide receiver commit to N.C. State.

He and a lot of others in that program have been putting a great deal of pressure on Rogers to join them. He would be far and away the crown jewel in the Wolfpacks’ recruiting class. Rogers is a four-star recruit who is the sixth-rated receiver in the country according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.

He, along with Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate, and Bryson Rodgers give the Buckeyes a great group of receivers with three of the four being in the top ten. On Sunday, Inniss took to Twitter to tell Buckeye Nation not to worry, because they are all solidly committed. Tate echoed that sentiment a short time later.

Recruiting at linebacker and defensive tackle has been slow so far for this class. After losing out on top-ten linebacker Tackett Curtis, attention turned to Arvell Reese. The twentieth-ranked Glenville High School product is expected to choose the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is also trying to get a commitment from Derion Gullete from Marlin, Texas. They are not considered the leader for him right now, but the Buckeyes really like him and are trying to make up ground on Texas and Texas A&M. Losing John Walker to hometown UCF is a real setback to OSU’s defensive tackle recruiting as they have really struggled to add an elite interior lineman to this class. It is back to the drawing board to identify new targets or look at flipping someone they had previously recruited.

Offensive tackle Olaus Alinen choosing Alabama sent some into fits of anguish and questions arose about the Ohio State football team’s offensive line recruiting. Please know this: the Ohio State football team has accomplished what they set out to do in this recruiting cycle.

They wanted two tackles and two interior linemen and that is exactly what they have. Luke Montgomery is the top player in Ohio and the number four tackle nationally. Ohioans Josh Padilla and Austin Siereveld are both top-ten interior offensive linemen.

Tackle Miles Walker is considered a diamond in the rough, but has a ton of potential and a very high ceiling. How much potential does Walker possess? The nation’s top offensive line coach, Stave Addazio of Texas A&M, wanted him. Walker is a big win for OSU. If they can add another elite tackle they will do so, but they are very happy with this group as is.

Ohio State’s 2023 class has nineteen commits right now and is expected to take 24-26 players. They are considered the slight leader for five-star edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei. He could be the answer at defensive tackle in this class because he has the capability to move inside. This one will be a battle right up until signing day.

Kurelic feels another five-star edge rusher, Damon Wilson, really likes the Ohio State football program and he would not be surprised to see him commit to them. Kurelic has not given a prediction yet but feels Wilson is a real possibility for this class. Desmond Umeozulu has been predicted to OSU since late June. The edge rusher has set a late August commitment date.

There are two safeties in this class, but the Buckeyes want to add another. Jayden Bonsu has been considered a heavy lean to Miami but has continually pushed back his commitment date. Hopefully, that is a good sign for the Ohio State football team. The nation’s 22nd-ranked safety will make his announcement on August 14th. The aforementioned Reese and Umeozulu are considered the most likely to commit at this point.

Ohio State’s per player average of 93.42 in 247’s rankings is second to only Alabama. Keep in mind they inexplicably had two recruits downgraded from five stars. If that had not occurred, the Buckeyes’ average would be even higher.

As I continue to point out, recruiting is very fluid and things are always changing. Once the season begins, if the defense shows it can be a force, recruiting on that side of the ball is going to pick up and become a lot easier. There is a long way to go until that December early signing period.