4-star guard has Ohio State in top 9

Ayala’s top 9

Chris Holtmann’s OSU basketball program has been making moves on the recruiting trail. On Tuesday, the Buckeyes got a little bit closer to securing a four-star guard in the 2018 class, as Eric Ayala (Bradenton, FL/Putnam Science Academy) unveiled his final nine schools.

Ohio State finds themselves on the list, but the room is filled; Miami (FL), LSU, Arizona, Indiana, Oregon, Syracuse, Georgetown, and Maryland are also in the running for the No. 73 prospect in the class, according to 247sports.

On the 247sports Crystal Ball, eight predictions are in for Ayala. Of those eight, seven recruiting analysts have the Florida native heading to New York—more specifically, Syracuse. However, one prediction came in for the Buckeyes. That’s good news for OSU, as they made an offer to Ayala back in June, and according to 247sports, are one of the latest schools to make him an offer.

Ayala is also graded as the 10th-best prospect from Florida and the sixth-best combo guard in the country for the 2018 recruiting cycle.

If more news breaks on Ayala, we’ll be sure to have you covered.

Ahrens’ visit list includes OSU and UM

Staying on the hardwood, OSU basketball is trying to get another 2018 prospect to Columbus. Or in this case, trying to get him back to committing to the Buckeyes. Three-star small forward and former Buckeye commit Justin Ahrens (Versailles, OH/Versailles) is beginning to set his visit list, and so far, Ohio State and Michigan have reservations.

The No. 7 prospect from the Buckeye State won’t be alone on the visit, though. Four-star combo guard Dwayne Cohill (Cleveland, OH/Holy Name) will also be making the trek to Ohio State on Sept. 23. On Twitter, Cohill and Ahrens tweeted about each other—and made it a point for Buckeye nation to follow them on the social media site.

As things stand right now, the signs point to Ahrens leaning toward Michigan. The 247sports Crystal Ball predictions all vote, unanimously, in favor of the Wolverines . However, Cohill is seen to be an OSU lean.

If the visit goes well, Holtmann and the Buckeyes are still in the fight for Ahrens. OSU already has one commitment for the 2018 class in Torrence Watson, a three-star shooting guard. With a little more time before the Sept. 23 visit, Holtmann and his staff can improve on the rapport—helping their chances even more on securing a monster class by the time 2018 is all said and done.

Quick hits

• Wide receiver Elijah Moore committed to Georgia on Tuesday. The four-star prospect from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had over 30 offers, including one from the Buckeyes.