Chris Holtmann continuing to recruit at a high level

Welp, it finally happened. Ohio State played its final game of the year, losing to Clemson in the College Football Playoffs. Understandably Buckeye Nation is feeling down in the dumps, but like the football team, we will have to quickly move past the loss and prepare for next year.

Fortunately, it appears that the Ohio State coaching staff is taking the loss and using it as motivation for next year, already putting in work to make next year’s team that much better. Like always, it starts with recruiting, and the Buckeyes secured a commitment from 2021 three-star TE Sam Hart yesterday.

While the football team looks to get on the road back to their winning ways, do not forget what men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann is building. The team has just two losses this season, and sits at No. 5 in the AP Poll. Holtmann appears to be riding this wave into the recruiting world, hitting the road on Monday with the coaching staff to check out some of the nation’s top talents.

Ohio State visits two elite prospects

Holtmann has proven time and time again in his short stint with Ohio State that he can recruit with the best of them. He has already brought in a very highly-rated recruiting class, and he is now showing he can take that top talent, develop it, and most importantly win.

Continuing with this trend, Ohio State’s coaching staff visited two of the country’s top talents Monday in five-star shooting guard Max Christie (Rolling Meadows, IL/Rolling Meadows) and five-star small forward Kendall Brown (Wichita, KS/Sunrise Christian). Both visits were originally reported by Jake Weingarten of stockrisers.com

Both Christie and Brown are viewed as top 20 recruits in the 2021 247Sports Composite Rankings, and both have offers from some of the best schools in the country. Holtmann and his staff will have plenty of work to do to secure commitments from either of them.

As it sits now, the Buckeyes chances are much stronger with Christie as opposed to Brown. The reason being is that he has visited with the program already on his own dime. The Buckeyes have yet to be able to get a visit in with Brown, though they are hoping that changes.

That being said, Ohio State is still playing the underdog in both recruitments as Christie is being projected to land with Duke while Brown is trending towards Kansas. Both schools hold 100 percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, respectively.

Future Buckeye shines at the Under Armour All-American Bowl Practice

While Ohio State’s football season has come to an end, things are gearing up for next year’s group of incoming freshmen. Under Armour All-American Bowl week has begun, and with two days of practice under their belt, we can start to distinguish who is standing out from the talented group selected to participate.

One of those shining in the bright lights is Ohio State wide receiver commit Julian Flemming (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia) but this is nothing new as he shows his elite potential every time he steps foot on the gridiron.

Everyone knows Fleming can make plays and will be bringing an incredible skillset with him to Ohio State. Adam Friedman of rivals.com even listed the five-star as his top-rated WR so far at the event.

Look for Fleming to continue to shine leading up to the game, which will take place Thursday Jan. 2.

Quick Hits:

• Former five-star RB Lorenzo Lingard entered the transfer portal on Monday, having played only two games this season at Miami without a carry. It was well reported that Ohio State’s RB haul in this year’s recruiting class wasn’t as strong as the coaching staff may have wanted it to be, and with the recent announcement of J.K. Dobbins leaving for the NFL, Ryan Day and Tony Alford may want to take a look at him. Lingard was orginally an OSU target, and his last unofficial visit before signing with the Hurricanes was with the Buckeyes.