Ohio State recruiting: two more prospects get offers

Unlike the weather in Ohio, the Ohio State Buckeyes recruiting trail is hot. That is exciting considering the lifeline to any major program is the ability to recruit. It’s clear the mentorship from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day continued the importance of recruiting at the highest level. Yesterday proved that once again as the Ohio State staff was all over the country dishing out new offers to prospects.

Florida receiver gets the Buckeye call

Brian Hartline has really impressed in his first season as the receivers coach for the Buckeyes. His on-field development of the players this past year was obviously a strength of the offense, but there’s more to him that has been positive for this coaching staff. His ability to recruit and get along with the top targets has been something to take notice of—and rightfully so. With his 2020 receivers, Hartline is off to a dominant start and he’s certainly looking for more not only in 2020, but in the classes of the distant future.

Yesterday, Tommi Hill, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound, Florida native took to his Twitter account to announce that the Buckeyes were the latest to offer him a scholarship. A prospect that doesn’t have all of the star rankings and grades yet due to his 2021 class status, Hill is still a target that, before all is said and done, will have all of those accolades when they become available. Not only did Ohio State ring the bell yesterday, but Alabama was also in to offer Hill.

When schools such as Ohio State and Alabama come calling, it’s really only a matter of time for the rest to throw their hat into the ring. For the Buckeyes though, Hartline has made Hill an early priority for the 2021 class and even though his track record is somewhat short, Hartline’s ability cannot be counted out. Look for Ohio State to be in this recruitment for the long haul. They’ve done well in Florida in the past and that blueprint will come in handy for Tommi.

An offer in the trenches

Ask any coach about what it takes to be a championship caliber team and you can bet their answer will somehow involve having elite level offensive and defensive lines. The game truly is won in the trenches and a large part to why Ohio State has been so good lately is due to their dedication to reloading their lines each and every recruiting cycle with top talent. Defensively, when you add top talent to the fact that, arguably, the best defensive line coach in America gets to have a say in their development while on campus, it’s easy to see why the Buckeyes continue to have great success. Coach Day and Larry Johnson are always on the prowl for the next great defensive lineman and yesterday was no different.

Making a stop in Connecticut, the Buckeye staff offered Cam Large, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive end in the 2020 class. With incredible size, Cam has all of the tools you can’t teach. A three-star prospect right now, he may not have the “wow-factor” in terms of his recruiting ranking, but when you see an Ohio State offer, it’s obviously for a reason. Large has double-digit offers from many of the local schools in New England, but with this Ohio State offer coming yesterday, more top level programs are sure to follow suit. If that does indeed occur, it’s not out of the question to see his current ranking increase as well. Time will tell how serious Ohio State is for Cam, but this offer certainly shows there’s interest that could grow.

Quick Hits:

• Five-star 2020 offensive tackle commit Paris Johnson Jr. (St. Xavier/Cincinnati, OH) will be back on campus this weekend.
• Yesterday, Ohio State’s staff was at Saguaro High School, an Arizona powerhouse in high school football.