Ohio State offers new football and basketball prospects

To say it’s been busy in Columbus, Ohio as of late would be more than an understatement. With camp season fully underway on campus for the football program and a newly hired staff starting their tenure for the men’s basketball team, there’s been little downtime. As this weekend brought a slew of top prospects to Ohio State’s football facility and the basketball program wasting no time in their recruiting efforts, there’s more than enough going on in the Ohio State athletics world.

Invading enemy territory

It’s no secret that Ohio State makes it a priority to recruit in-state Ohio players and the South especially for its football needs. However, when there is a top prospect in Michigan (behind enemy lines), Urban Meyer and Kerry Coombs have made it clear they’re going to do what it takes to fend off the Wolverines and Spartans. Fortunately, those two together have had a great deal of success up north.

This weekend, Ohio State hosted a one-day positional camp on Saturday that brought hundreds of prospects from Ohio and around the country to campus. With a whole celebrity style list of top prospects on hand, it’s always a great chance for Meyer and his staff to show off, easily, one of the top premier programs in the country.

Of the many visitors, Rashawn Williams (Detroit, MI / Martin Luther King) made the trek south to Columbus to camp for the Buckeyes and prove his talents are more than worth seeing. His trip to Columbus didn’t return void either as he took to Twitter to announce that his performance at camp was enough to land him his latest offer — and a big one at that from the Buckeyes.

A current high school freshman, Williams only has one year of prep football under his belt, but his abilities are much more mature than his experience. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver, Williams already has impressive size. With six current offers, Ohio State joins Kentucky, Syracuse, Central Michigan and Bowling Green, but with an OSU offer now in his pocket, it’s only a matter of time before more top programs come knocking at his door.

Bucks make the cut for 2019 DE

If it seems that Ohio State is making the cut on recruits top schools lists on the daily, it’s no coincidence; they are doing just that. As many of the top guys in the country announce their final list of schools before making their college choice, Ohio State’s football program almost always makes the cut.

Yesterday, the same was true when 2019 defensive end Stephen Herron Jr. (Louisville, KY / Trinity) trimmed his top schools list to 10. That list included Ohio State, along with Michigan, Stanford, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas and Alabama.

According to the 247sports crystal ball predictions, Ohio State leads the way with Michigan as the only other school with any votes.

Ranked early as the top overall player in Kentucky for the 2019 class, Herron Jr. also checks in as a top 40 prospect at any position and the fourth best defensive end in the country. A composite four-star, Jr. will certainly be a huge “get” for whatever school he decides on, but luckily for Ohio State, things are sitting pretty well. Will Larry Johnson and his incredible reputation for defensive line recruiting continue? We will surely find out.

Another list, another success

In keeping with the trend, Ohio State made the cut yet again over the weekend when 2018 safety prospect, Isheem Young of Philadelphia, Penn. took to Twitter to announce his final six schools he will be deciding between when he commits on July 18.

Ranked No. 12 at the safety position and the fourth best player in all of Pennsylvania for the 2018 class, Young, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound stud has the ability to be a great coverage safety, but can also come down hill and be a serious run-stopper. With nearly 30 offers, making a list of six is a high compliment for the Buckeyes. Also making the cut included, Penn State, Maryland, Alabama, Clemson and West Virginia.

While Young may have listed Ohio State, it’s important to note that the Buckeyes currently hold commitments from two stars at the position: Jaiden Woodbey and Josh Proctor. Both ranked in the top 10 in the country at the safety position, that may be the writing on the wall that Young heads elsewhere. As things sit now, Penn State is running away with the odds of landing their in-state prospect when it comes to the 247sports crystal ball predictions.

Time will tell, but anything is possible in the ever changing world of recruiting.

New staff wastes no time

Chris Holtmann hasn’t been at the helm of the Buckeye men’s basketball program for more than two weeks, but in Division 1 basketball, there’s little time to waste when it comes to getting a team in order. After bringing his Butler staff to Columbus with him, Holtmann and his gang have hit the ground running in their recruiting efforts as they begin to make this the start of what hopefully will be a positive tenure for both parties.

Over the weekend, Holtmann got right on track as he sent out two new offers to Georgia’s Will Richardson and Michigan’s Marcus Bingham Jr. With some ground to make up, this new Buckeye basketball staff has the excitement and drive to do whatever it takes to jump-start this program, and it looks as if the momentum has just started.

With prospects like Richardson and Bingham Jr., it’s easy to see that talent is going to be the priority as Richardson is currently ranked as the No. 8 best point guard in the country – easily showing his four-star status. Bingham Jr. himself is no slouch either, as his is currently a top 100 player in the country at any position and his the third best player from a very talent-rich state of Michigan.

Time will certainly tell how the Buckeyes favor with the likes of these two stars, but as Holtmann and staff have only touched the surface of their recruiting, it could be a very exciting time to follow Ohio State hoops.