Top 2019 prospect was in attendance for Ohio State basketball game on Saturday

Whether it dealt with a team from the hardwood or gridiron, the Ohio State Buckeyes had a pretty good week on the recruiting trail. On top of two victories against Big Ten foes, Chris Holtmann played host to a handful of basketball recruits on Saturday evening. With the football team, a handful of prospects made visits over the weekend.

Trying to get Ohio’s best...

With a win against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, Holtmann and the Buckeyes now sit atop the conference standings. In attendance for that win was the No. 1 prospect in Ohio for 2019, power forward Alonzo Gaffney.

Gaffney, a Cleveland native, has a list of top-tier basketball programs that have already sent him offers. Michigan State, Louisville and Georgetown are just three of the nine schools, according to 247sports, that have made it known that they want the 6-foot-9 star on their team. In addition to being Ohio’s top prospect in the 2019 recruiting class, Gaffney is ranked by the 247sports composite as the 18th best overall talent and third best PF in his class.

Where the Garfield Heights star will end up is anybody’s guess. However, the 247sports crystal ball has eight predictions in for Gaffney. Three of the predictions have him staying in the state and attending Ohio State, while three other votes have him going to North Carolina; in third place, with two votes, is Louisville.

There is plenty of time left in Gaffney’s recruitment, but having him at an OSU game—especially when the program is on a roll—helps. On Sunday afternoon, the men’s basketball committee gave a sneak peak as to how the NCAA Tournament seeding was shaping up. They revealed that Ohio State is currently slotted in as a No. 4 seed, which is an incredible feat considering where the Buckeyes were projected before the season started.

Holtmann has put together a competitive team in his first season as the man in charge at OSU. With his continued success, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he was able to get the best player in Ohio in future recruiting classes.

...And one of the best in New York

On top of having Ohio’s best 2019 prospect in the stands, the No. 4 New York prospect in the ‘19 recruiting cycle also has been enticed with an Ohio State offer.

Combo guard Joseph Girard (Glens Falls, NY / Glens Falls Senior) let people know about his offer from the Scarlet and Gray on Saturday evening.

According to 247sports, Girard is the 17th best combo guard in his class—and is the 169th best prospect for 2019. Twenty schools have made offers to him already, with the Michigan Wolverines seen as the early leader in the 247sports crystal ball.

The Ohio State offer comes a day after he made an unofficial visit. Will the recency of a Buckeye visit and offer help sway him from that program up north? We’ll have to see how this plays out. But if anything does happen, we’ll have you covered.

Seeing the what the future may hold

Pivoting to Buckeye football, there were a handful of recruits that came to Columbus over the weekend for visits.

Let’s take a look at some of those recruits:

Paris Johnson Jr.

Position: Offensive tackle

Class: 2020

Town: Cincinnati / St.Xavier

Size: 6-7 / 275

Notable Offers: Michigan State, Notre Dame, Stanford

Justin Rogers

Position: Offensive guard

Class: 2020

Town: Oak Park, MI / Oak Park

Size: 6-3.5 / 265

Notable Offers: Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State

Zach Carpenter

Position: Offensive guard

Class: 2019

Town: Cincinnati / Archbishop Moeller

Size: 6-5 / 310

Notable Offers: Cincinnati, Northwestern, UCLA

Zeke Correll

Position: Offensive guard

Class: 2019

Town: Cincinnati / Anderson

Size: 6-4 / 270

Notable Offers: Michigan State, Penn State, Notre Dame