Ohio State hoops virtually visit with four-star center

The Ohio State basketball season will soon be underway, barring any last second schedule changes due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With the first game now scheduled for later this month, Chris Holtmann and the basketball Buckeyes will take the court for the first time following a longer than usual offseason.

Despite focus being shifted more towards starting the season strong, Holtmann and his staff continue to make recruiting a focal point. The work continued Monday as Ohio State’s head coach met virtually with one of the nation’s top center prospects.

Four-star center Donovan Clingan (Bristol, CT/Bristol Central) reportedly virtually visited with the Buckeyes as was first reported by Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers. The 2022 blue-chip prospect has yet to receive an offer from Ohio State, but one may follow soon after if the meeting went well. If the Buckeyes were to enter the race, they would be joining the likes of UConn, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Georgetown, who Clingan has also recently spoken with.

While the road ahead in securing a commitment from Clingan will be long and difficult, the Buckeyes do have some reason to be hopeful. When speaking with Weingarten, he mentioned point guard Avery Brown as someone he has spoken with teaming up with at the next level. Brown recently completed a virtual visit with Holtmann and Ohio State as well. If the duo decide the package deal is their preferred route, the fact that the Buckeyes are recruiting both keeps them as a contender.

Clingan is the No. 6 center in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 44 overall prospect in the 2022 class.

Update on top receiver target

While it may be hard to believe, the Early Signing Period is just around the corner. We already know that a majority of current commits will sign with the Buckeyes Dec. 16 - 18, but there are a couple other recruits Ohio State is still hoping will sign with them next month.

One of those guys is Emeka Egbuka (Stellacoom, WA/Stellacoom) — the nation’s top wide receiver prospect. Egbuka has long been associated with Ohio State and because of that, the Buckeyes have long been viewed as the favorites to land him. However, nothing is set in stone at this time.

Steve Wilfong of 247Sports recently took a look at some of the top prospects looking to sign in December, including Egbuka. In the article, both Wiltfong and 247Sports National Recruiting Insider Brandon Huffman selected Ohio State as the Washington native’s predicted school of choice.

Egbuka is not just the nation’s top WR, but he is one of the top recruits in the country. This Wednesday, he will be virtually presented with with his All-American jersey at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State 2022 LB commit C.J.Hicks posted his junior season highlights on Twitter Monday. Check out what the Buckeyes will be getting in the rising four-star prospect.