Ohio State recruiting: Buckeyes head to the West Coast for latest WR offer

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of winter workouts. While strength coach, Mick Marotti and his staff get the 2019 team in shape, the coaching staff’s main priority right now is recruiting. With each day seemingly having the Buckeye coaches all over the country looking for new prospects. As the 2020 and 2021 classes begin to slowly take shape, Ryan Day and the rest of his crew were on the road to examine players.

Heading to the Gold Coast

Ohio State fans have to be pleased with what Brian Hartline is doing for the Buckeye offense thanks to a very positive first season at the helm of the receivers position group. Most realized he knew the game well enough after his strong Ohio State and NFL career, but when you enter the college coaching ranks there are new responsibilities. Recruiting is the the narrative here. Urban Meyer taught Ryan Day that recruiting is the bloodline to a program and that all assistant coaches regardless of position better be able to recruit at the highest level or they’ll probably not survive at Ohio State. In the case of Hartline though, he hit the ground running from the start. The current players love him and with his personal career, prospects and top targets know that at Ohio State under the guidance of Hartline, they’ll be well taken care of.

Yesterday, Ohio State and Coach Hartline kept up their momentum on the recruiting trail as they headed west to California to offer their latest prospect. Fresno, Calif., native, Jalen McMillan, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver announced via his Twitter account that the Buckeyes were the latest to offer him a scholarship, giving McMillan an incredible a total of 26 offers. A 2020 prospect, Jalen currently ranks as the 15th best receiver in the country, the 11th best player in an always talented California, and not to mention a top 75 prospect in the entire class regardless of position. A player with all of the skills and abilities, McMillan has nearly every top tier program in the country vying for his talents, but an Ohio State offer certainly isn’t one to take lightly.

As of right now, Notre Dame and Oregon hold the only 247sports crystal ball predictions, but it’s likely still anyone’s race for his services. Among the Notre Dame, Oregon, and Ohio State offers, Jalen also holds offers from the likes of USC, UCLA, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Washington, and more obviously proving his high four-star ranking. With the Buckeyes now in the fold, the main objective is to get Jalen to campus to see what Ohio State has to offer. Many times, all it takes is the Buckeyes to get the kids on campus so they can really impress. If that does happen, anything is possible. Time will tell, but if McMillan does in fact join the fold, he wouldn’t be the only west coast receiver to come to Columbus as Ohio State currently holds a verbal from Washington’s Gee Scott Jr. Hartline and the Buckeyes certainly wouldn’t mind adding another.

Pennsylvania lineman gets the OSU offer

Right now the position that needs the haul for depth is the offensive line. A key to the 2019 class was getting lineman and after signing a solid amount, 2020’s class is much of the same story. Sign several offensive linemen and reload the stables. Yesterday, Ohio State sent out an offer to Michael Carmody, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound Pennsylvania native for whom Ohio State is no stranger. Recruiting Carmody for a while now, all that was missing was the official offer. With that now in hand, the Buckeyes will look at a good old fashioned in-conference battle with Penn State to try and land this stud.

Currently grading out as the second best prospect in all of Pennsylvania, Michael is also the 24th best offensive tackle in the country and a top 185 player in all of the 2020 class. Easily deserving of his four-star ranking, Carmody currently holds nearly 20 offers from the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and more. As stated, Penn State is linked to be the early favorite for Michael due to being the in-state school, but an Ohio State offer is something Michael will obviously consider. As the two continue to develop their relationship, Coach Day and Greg Studrawa will be in his ear more than ever as they know their need for bodies in 2020 in the offensive line category.

Buckeyes invade Houston

In sticking with the offensive line trend, the Buckeye coaching staff wasn’t done with just one offer sent out yesterday. Ohio State also offered Houston native Akinola Ogunbiyi. An offensive guard at the prep level, guard is the likely destination for Akinola at the college level too. With still more than solid size at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Ogunbiyi possesses the athleticism too to be able to be a serious run blocker. Ranked as the sixth best guard in the country, he’s wanted by several top programs in and around his home state, Texas. With big time offers from the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, and nearly 20 others, it’s easy to see why Akinola now holds a Buckeye offer.

Fortunately for Ryan Day, Ohio State built quite the track record in Texas while Urban Meyer was at the helm. With so many key players for the Buckeyes coming from the Lone Star state, Day looks to be going back to the well to see if he can hit water once again. With that track record though and the recent success in Texas with several top players coming to Ohio, Texas native players such as Akinola will definitely take notice. Look for the Buckeye staff to get him to campus and if that happens, his recruitment will certainly include Ohio State as a top school hints the “Dream School” caption he himself gave.