Ohio State basketball looking to stay hot on the recruiting trail

The start of the college basketball season is right around the corner. With that being said, you’ll be seeing a lot more basketball content out there in the coming days and weeks ahead. Speaking of which, Land-Grant Holy Land is about to unleash a boatload of #content around the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball program beginning later today.

Content isn’t the only thing going for OSU. The recruiting trail reaped some serious rewards in October, most notably with the verbal commitment from EJ Liddell at the beginning of the month. Things then cooled off a little, though, as four-star shooting guard Zeb Jackson, an Ohio native, chose Michigan on Tuesday.

Fortunately, Ohio State has a masterful recruiter in Chris Holtmann, and he’s already made strides right before and after the Jackson-UM commitment. 2020 forward Dawson Garcia picked up an offer from OSU on Monday night, and it looks like he isn’t the only ‘20 prospect being zeroed in on by Holtmann. Rivals.com’s Dan McDonald tweeted out that center Ebenezer Dowuona has picked up the attention of the Buckeye coach, and a check in was happening on Wednesday.

Dowuona is from Newnan, Ga., and doesn’t hold a grade from 247sports, nor a composite score from the site. However, Rivals.com issued out a four-star rating for the Peach State native. At 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, Dowuona has gained some attention on the college basketball scene. Eight schools have made offers, with Auburn, Minnesota, Kansas State and Missouri as the most notable ones at the moment.

Local schools have made moves over the past couple months toward Dowuona. He took an unofficial visit to Georgia back in September, and Georgia Tech’s coaching staff made a visit on Oct. 13, according to his 247sports’ profile.

For Ohio State and Holtmann, landing the Georgia star would be a big get. Right now, nobody is in the 2020 class, and at some point, they’ll need someone—especially a center. Micah Potter is a junior, and is the only center listed on the roster. If Holtmann wanted a center in the near future, getting Dowuona would be an optimal choice. There’s still plenty of time left in his recruitment, so checking with him now establishes a little rapport before the Buckeyes move further.

Ohio State still can’t escape the clutches of Purdue

It was bad enough that the Purdue Boilermakers spoiled another great looking season for the Buckeyes on Saturday night. Now, the Spoilermakers are at it again, but on the recruiting trail.

It’s no secret that OSU is on the trail to find wide receivers in the subsequent classes. One of those receivers was David Bell (Indianapolis / Warren Central) of the 2019 class. Early in his recruitment, things looked to be trending OSU’s way. Now, however, things have taken a change in favor of Purdue. Two 247sports crystal balls were casted earlier in the week, with both pointing to the West Lafayette located program as the likely landing spot for Bell.

Bell is a four-star receiver, and is considered the 22nd best at his position, according to the 247sports composite. He holds over 15 offers, with heavyweights Ohio State and Penn State on the list. Right now, though, it appears that Purdue is the team to beat for the Indiana native.

Quick Hit

• All-purpose back Wandale Robinson has a commitment date set for Nov. 1. Could Ohio State be the program he chooses? Right now, 64 percent of the 247sports crystal balls are trending toward the Buckeyes. And on Thursday, Brian Hartline is set to visit Robinson, according to his 247sports page. Things are definitely trending upwards for the Scarlet and Gray in this recruiting race.