Ohio State will get one last chance to woo elite LSU commit Elias Ricks this season

Hats off to Ryan Day and the entire Ohio State football program. Following a less than spectacular inaugural win, the Buckeyes, led by Day and fellow first year leader Justin Fields, took it to Cincinnati this weekend to the tune of a 42-0 victory.

Now the team enters Big Ten play as Indiana is next in line. Not only will this be the first conference game for both Day and Fields, it will also be their first road test. It is the next step in proving the team hasn’t lost a step following the retirement of Urban Meyer.

Another first for Day this season will be hosting elite recruits during marquee games and managing it all. There is already a great example of this task at hand as five-star CB Elias Ricks (Bradenton, FL / IMG Academy) scheduled his official visit for Nov. 22 when Ohio State will play host to Penn State.

Ricks has long been one of Ohio State’s top targets. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Ricks has also long been committed to LSU. The verbal pledge was made Christmas Day in 2018 and while there has been speculation on the strength of his commitment since the, Ricks has long stayed committed to the Bayou.

But as does every elite prospect, Ricks has a schedule set to make official visits to outside programs this season to ensure his decision is the right one. Meaning, the Buckeyes will likely have just one more shot at changing his mind.

Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com spoke with Ricks recently and he spoke about his expectations for the Ohio State visit.

“Nov. 22 is Ohio State,” Ricks told Cassidy. “They have been recruiting me since forever. They have always been there for me, so I want to get up there and see what’s up.”

The Buckeyes have some stiff competition for Ricks even outside of LSU. Ricks also has visits scheduled for Georgia, Alabama, USC and LSU. Ricks will visit USC on Nov. 2.

The atmosphere in ‘The Shoe’ will be incredible during the Penn State game and will be one of the best settings to host a special recruit. On top of that, the list of visitors for that week will likely be large so Ricks will have people in his ear all night. Expect Ohio State to roll out the red carpet for Ricks as the visit will be his first since July of 2018 and will also be his last time on campus unless he switches his commitment.

Ricks is rated as the No. 2 CB in the country by the 247Sports Composite Ranking and is the No. 15 overall prospect. The Buckeyes don’t have much room remaining in their 2020 recruiting class but will do whatever it takes if he chooses to play in Columbus.

Quick Hit:

• The Basketball Buckeyes played host to a pair of 2022 prospect last weekend during the Cincinnati game in SG Bowen Hardman and F Josiah Harris.