The defensive commitments have been pouring in for the Ohio State football program this July. First, it was a surprise commitment from five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott. Four days later, four-star cornerback Miles Lockhart committed. Both of these commits came after Cleveland Glenville teammates Bryce West and Damarion Witten both committed on the final official weekend visits back in June.
Now the only question is who will commit next? Here is a list of possible commits who might become Buckeyes very soon. If Ohio State can land a majority of these recruits, this summer could end up being one of the greatest recruiting years in Ohio State football history.
Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Viliamu-Asa’s last three official visits in the month of June were USC, Notre Dame, and Ohio State and that’s who it seems this recruitment is going to come down to. The 230-pound linebacker from Bellflower, California plays for the legendary high school program St. John Bosco and is considered one of the better linebackers in the country in the 2024 class.
There are currently no recruiting experts making any definitive predictions on where Viliamu-Asa will end up playing his college ball. Kyngstonn has stayed pretty close to the vest when talking about his top three programs. He is scheduled to make an announcement on July 23. I give the Ohio State football program a 33% chance of landing the talented California kid. Neither USC nor Notre Dame’s odds are any better at this point.
Cornerback Aaron Scott
Ohio State has been involved in a full-fledged assault with That Team Up North for Scott’s services. After West declared for Ohio State, Scott became the next defensive back from Ohio that Ryan Day and the defensive staff put the full-court blitz on. Jim Harbaugh and the Maize and Blue have felt they have had a more than good chance at stealing Scott away from the Buckeyes.
The four-star cornerback is a top 100 ranked recruit nationally and many recruiting services have him as the best recruit in the state of Ohio for the class of 2024. The Springfield, Ohio native is scheduled to make his commitment announcement on July, 30. I give the Buckeyes a 66% of landing Scott with the other 33% going to TTUN. The other school in the mix is Oregon, but that doesn’t seem like a realistic possibility at this point.
Safety KJ Bolden
Bolden is one of if not the best recruits remaining in the 2024 recruiting class who is uncommitted. All the recruiting experts thought Bolden was going to commit to the home state Georgie Bulldogs, but then he went on an official visit to Columbus, Ohio and this has caused Bolden to pause on his commitment. It appears that this recruitment is going to come down to Georgia and Ohio State.
If Ohio State can somehow steal Bolden away from Georgia, then there is a very real chance the Buckeyes can overtake the Bulldogs for the top spot in this year’s recruiting battle. I give Ohio State a 50% of landing the five-star safety while the other 50% is with the reigning defending back-to-back National Champions. Bolden is scheduled to make his announcement on August, 5.
Defensive lineman Eddrick Houston
The five-star Buford, Georgia native has had nothing but positive things to say about Ohio State. Before Justin Scott committed, Houston was considered the defensive tackle recruit who has seemingly evaded Ohio State – a big man who can plug up the middle. Now that Scott committed, the only question is if the Buckeyes can be lucky enough to get two of them in the same class.
Houston took five official visits in the months of May and June. USC was the lone west coast visit while Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson were the big three trips in the South he took. Ohio State was his lone northern trip and when it was over, the predictions started coming in for Houston to decide on Ohio State. Houston is scheduled to make his decision on August 22. I give Ohio State a 60% chance of landing him with the other 40% leaning towards the home state Georgia Bulldogs.
Defensive End Dylan Stewart
Five-Star defensive end Dylan Stewart could be another huge recruiting win for Day and the Buckeye defensive staff. After acquiring the commitment of Justin Scott, many thought that that was why Marquise Lightfoot decided to go to Miami despite being crystal balled to Ohio State. Losing Lightfoot was a blow, but if Day can land Stewart, it will make the Lightfoot loss easier to swallow.
There is no date set as of yet for Stewart, but the recruiting experts all believe the Ohio State football program is in the lead for the 6-foot 5-inch pass rusher from Washington D.C.