Scottie Barnes is one of the most versatile and best players in the 2020 recruiting class, and he has just put Ohio State in his top eight. The Buckeyes were joined by Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Oregon, Florida State, Cal and Miami. This is a very wide group and are spearheaded by the top three of Duke, Kansas and Kentucky but do not count Ohio State out of this race yet.

Barnes is a 6-foot-8, 210-pound small forward from University School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is currently rated by 247sports as a 99-point prospect and five-star recruit, and is the fourth overall player in the class—as well as the second small forward and top player in Florida. He is a versatile forward and will make an immediate impact on whatever team he chooses.

A top-tier athlete, he uses his length to his advantage. Ohio State is not a team normally associated with these top players but Chris Holtmann is putting in many miles to take this program to the next level. If he does land Barnes, that will be a huge step in doing just that. It will be interesting to see if Barnes cuts his list down again and if Ohio State makes that final cut.

Chris Holtmann visits Cam’Ron Fletcher

Barnes is not the only top 2020 recruit the Buckeyes are after. According to stockrisers, Ohio State visited Cam’Ron Fletcher Wednesday along with Louisville. None other than the head coach himself, Chris Holtmann, seems to have made the trip to see Fletcher in action.

Fletcher is a fringe five-star recruit from Vashon High School in Saint Louis, Mo. He is currently ranked as the 38th recruit nationally by 247sports. The 6-foot-6, 180-pound forward is also ranked as the 11th best small forward and the second best player in the state of Missouri.

Most analysts believe he will stay home and play for his hometown team the Missouri Tigers, but he holds offers from Ohio State, Missouri, Creighton, Alabama, Illinois, Michigan State and TCU so his options are wide open.

He is similar to Barnes in the sense that he uses his length and athleticism to create offense and is a scorer from multiple angles. It will be interesting to see who makes the cut when he narrows down his list in the coming months.

Ohio State offers Barrett Carter

Mentioned briefly in yesterday’s recruiting roundup, Barrett Carter is the latest 2021 recruit to receive an offer from the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound outside linebacker is ranked 210th nationally and the 37th outside linebacker. The four-star is from Suwanee, Ga., and is the 17th ranked player in the state.

Carter is a bit undersized for a Big Ten linebacker, but he has time to build upon that and add muscle to up his game. He is quick and is a great athlete, so he will be fun to watch as a recruit to see how he develops his game over the next year.

He currently holds offers from Ohio State, Temple, Duke, Appalachian State, Wisconsin and Notre Dame.