Ohio State recruiting: As if the rivalry wasn’t fierce enough, OSU offers another Michigan native prospect

Tomorrow the Ohio State Buckeyes not only return home to The Horseshoe, but also look to get back on track with a win. With more than a couple top recruiting prospects sure to be in attendance, the Buckeyes will look to not only impress the voters for the rankings, but also the recruits watching, as the staff is hoping for yet another chance to appeal to their top remaining targets in 2019 and beyond.

Taking the program by storm

In the current football recruiting class, the lone quarterback commit, Dwan Mathis, hails from the state up north. The dynamic pro-style signal caller plays his prep football for Metro Detroit’s Oak Park High School and is helping lead his team into what they hope is another win tonight in the state playoffs. A talented school to say the least, Oak Park is developing and producing some very high caliber players year in and year out. In the cycle of 2020, five-star lineman Justin Rogers is another Oak Park kid the Buckeyes have highlighted from the start—and currently sit well with. With so much top-tier talent on the same team, Ohio State, like many others, has taken notice and made the Viking players a real priority.

On Wednesday evening, the latest Oak Park prospect to receive a Buckeye offer was Maliq Carr. He announced via Twitter that Ohio State had entered his recruiting scene.

A 6-foot-6, 200-pound receiver, Carr is the prototypical, outside deep threat any receivers coach would love to have in their unit. With his long and lengthy range, Maliq has the ability to high point the ball in space and make a quarterback’s job that much easier. In addition, his route running ability is very impressive for his stature. A 2020 prospect, Maliq still has the ability to fill out his large frame, but for those wondering about the tight-end type of transformation, Carr is a true receiver with his hands and ball skills.

Ranked currently as the No. 25 player in Michigan for his class, Carr may be a little under the radar as far as star rankings go, but with notable offers from Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, it’s only a matter of time before other top programs take notice of his talents. As mentioned earlier, thanks to Ohio State already having a relationship with Oak Park (thanks to Mathis), this recruitment could be a little easier than others. Add in the fact that Ohio State is doing all they can to add Rogers to their already loaded 2020 class, and you have a trifecta for why Carr to the Buckeyes makes sense. It’s early, but as far as 247sports crystal ball predictions go, the day Carr was offered saw the first prediction in favor of the Buckeyes. If the relationship continues to grow, look towards Carr becoming a name you hear more than regularly.

Big game, big visitor

Already mentioned above, this weekend will see a very impressive visitor list. Of the several slated to be there for the game tomorrow, one prospect will easily catch one’s attention with his size alone. Coming all of the way from Colorado, Aidan Keanaaina will make yet another visit to Ohio State. A 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle, Aidan is exactly the type of player you want bolstering the middle of any defensive line. His second visit this year, the last time Aidan made it to campus was in July when he camped for the Buckeye staff.

Currently, he grades out as the fourth best player in Colorado for his cycle and also checks in as the 29th best defensive tackle prospect in the country. A heavy hitter, Aidan has quite the impressive résumé, as he already holds offers from the likes of Florida, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Virginia and more. Notre Dame has been considered the favorite in this recruitment to many people, but a second trip on his own dime all of the way to Columbus from Denver obviously shows there’s a real interest for Aidan in what the Buckeyes have to offer. If tomorrow’s visit goes well, it could be another step in the right direction for these two parties.