This past weekend was the first weekend of official visits for the summer. The Ohio State football program had some prospects on campus to take in the beauty of Columbus. In fact, they had multiple five-star recruits on campus as the Buckeyes try to earn their commitment.
Of course, the Ohio State Buckeyes weren't the only school around the country hosting recruits. Brian Hartline was also hard at work hosting some recruits. He is now the head coach at USF after leaving Columbus right after the College Football Playoff loss to Miami.
As a first-time head coach, Hartline is trying to make a splash on the recruiting trail. He is shooting high with the recruiting targets that he has on his board. That includes an Ohio State commit, whom the Bulls hosted on a visit this past week. In fact, he's got a brother on the Buckeyes, too.
Ohio State football commit Angelo Smith visits Brian Hartine and USF
Angelo Smith, a three-star recruit, has been committed to Ohio State since September. He is the younger brother of star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Those two wouldn't be on the same team, though, as Jeremiah is expected to leave after this season and become a top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The younger Smith visited South Florida over the weekend.
Hartline is clearly trying to leverage his relationship with the family from his time in Columbus. He developed a very deep bond with Jeremiah and Angelo. Now, he's trying to steal Angelo from the Buckeyes, which would certainly make headlines if he succeeded.
Buckeye fans don't need to be too worried about this happening, however. Smith seems firmly locked in with Ohio State and has a great relationship with the coaching staff. He has seen how they have treated his brother over the years, so he knows exactly what he's getting in Columbus.
Angelo Smith will have to fight for playing time with Ohio State
Smith isn't a prototypical safety recruit. He's not as good an athlete as his brother is. With that being the case, his path to playing time isn't quite as easy. He will have to battle in order to get the snaps that he craves, and he likely won't see many in his freshman season.
Still, that doesn't scare Smith. He is willing to work for the playing time that he desires and isn't afraid to do that. It would be shocking if Smith de-committed from Ohio State and decided to go elsewhere. In fact, the Buckeyes will have a shot to shore up his commitment soon.
Smith is actually set to visit with the Ohio State football program this weekend. He will get to be on campus with his brother and the coaching staff that he is so familiar with. He will be staying in Ohio State's recruiting class, which sits at 13 strong so far for the 2027 class.
Ohio State will likely add several more commitments throughout the month of June, so fans shouldn't panic about that low number.
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