Big Ohio State target has the Buckeyes on his short list

As we near the middle of the February dead period, the recruiting trail has quieted down just a bit. That doesn’t mean, however, that Ohio State isn’t still finding some way to get itself involved with some of the nation’s top talents.

On Sunday, four-star outside linebacker Barrett Carter teased on Twitter a big announcement he would be making on Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST. Well, that time has came and went, and we now know that Carter’s big announcement was his official top 11 schools.

Ohio State made the cut for the nation’s No. 8 OLB, alongside 10 other schools including the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida, LSU, and others. With offers from more than 50 schools, Carter is one of the most highly recruited players in the country, and a big-time target for the Buckeyes. Ryan Day is likely looking to bring in a haul of two to three linebackers in the upcoming class, and Carter is certainly at the top of the list.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker is from Suwanee, GA, and is obviously deep in SEC territory. Carter has made it clear that he doesn’t have a specific allegiance to remaining in the south, and while there are more than a few non-SEC programs on his short list, Ohio State is really the only northern school in his top 11. Carter has been taking a slower approach to his recruitment, but expect things to speed up soon now that he has cut down his options.

Carter is set to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State sometime in March for a spring practice, and plans to make an official visit to Columbus in June.

The highly-touted athlete had this to say on Twitter about cutting down his choices:

I cannot stress this enough. I really want to thank all of the coaches who have recruited me. Making my top 11 was very tough and took a lot of thought and prayer, but i still appreciate the opportunities and wish you all the best from this point on... Thank you

Quick Hits:

• Ohio State wide receiver target Troy Stellato is making a name for himself at the Rivals camp in Miami, putting up a highlight play worthy of a SportsCenter tweet. A four-star recruit, Stellato is the No. 37 wideout in the 2021 class, but should see that rating shoot up in the near future. All four of his 247Sports Crystal Balls are in favor of the Buckeyes.

• Four-star athlete and Florida commit Kamar Wilcoxson received a Crystal Ball prediction to Ohio State on Wednesday afternoon. Bucknuts’ own Bill Kurelic was the one to submit his CB predicting a flip of the Florida native, who has already once committed and de-committed from the Gators. The IMG Academy product has an official visit scheduled with Ohio State in June.