Ohio State makes offer to 4-star defensive tackle

On the recruiting front, the Ohio State Buckeyes made a new offer on Wednesday evening. Four-star defensive tackle Siaki Ika (Salt Lake City, UT / East) made the offer known on Twitter.

Standing at 6-foot-3, Ika holds over 15 offers—and some of them come from power programs. The 247sports composite has him graded as the 160th best prospect in the 2019 class, the 11th best DT, and the best player in the state of Utah. So, it’s not a surprise that OSU joined the likes of Alabama, Washington and USC in the race for Ika’s commitment.

With the Buckeyes entering the game late for the Utahan, who’s in the lead right now? Back in June, Ika made an official visit to USC; prior to that, he made an unofficial visit to Oregon. In May, he took an unofficial to Washington, and in April took an unofficial to see Alabama. All nine of the 247sports crystal ball point to the Crimson Tide as the early favorites to land Ika.

In the 2019 class, Ohio State does not have a commitment for a defensive tackle. If they did push the chips to the center and went all-in for Ika, they would be getting someone with a huge upside. Already, the Salt Lake City standout has accolades; he’s been selected for Nike’s The Opening Finals and the Polynesian Bowl.

More official offers find their way

Ika wasn’t the only one to get an official offer on paper Wednesday. The first day of August also marked the day when 2019 prospects officially got their college offers—instead of just verbal offers.

Ohio State wide receiver target Peyton Powell (Odessa, TX / Permian) showed off some of his official offers on Twitter.

Featured in the tweet are the official offers from Oklahoma, TCU, Baylor and Ohio State. While it’s thought that OSU is in the driver’s seat for the 6-foot-2 pass catcher, Oklahoma and the Texas programs can’t be overlooked. On Monday, Powell announced on Twitter that he picked up an offer from the Sooners. The program that Lincoln Riley assembled is riding off a College Football Playoff appearance last season and, as Patrick Mayhorn noted in yesterday’s recruiting roundup, has a geographical advantage over Ohio State.

On the 247sports composite, Powell comes in as the 348th best prospect, the 29th best athlete (he also plays safety), and the 42nd best recruit in the Lone Star State.

The 247sports crystal ball is trending toward the Buckeyes, but that was prior to the news of Urban Meyer being put on administrative leave.