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We are rapidly approaching an exciting time for recruiting. With the February dead period set to conclude at the end of the month, the calendar will be flipping to a quiet period — one that lasts until the middle of April. During this time, coaches may reach out to recruits, but may not make face-to-face contact off campus. As a result, many recruits choose to take visits during this time to get a feel for their prospective programs and talk in-person to college coaches.
Ohio State has gotten off to a fast start with its 2021 class, but Ryan Day and his staff’s work is nowhere near finished. With the dead period out of the way, the Buckeyes will look to get all of its top targets on campus as soon as possible. As it turns out, many of these guys already have at least a tentative plan of when they’ll be in Columbus.
Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts has compiled a list of all the recruits he and the site have spoken with that have said they are likely to or have planned trips to Ohio State. While the list contains over 30 players and will continue to grow as time goes on, we here at LGHL will be breaking down some of the bigger names at important positions that are currently scheduled to visit Columbus sometime soon.
All ratings listed are via the 247Sports Composite.
Running backs
- TreVeyon Henderson (Hopewell/Hopewell, VA) - No. 2 RB, No. 27 Natl.
- Corey Kiner (Roger Bacon/Cincinatti, OH) - No. 10 RB, No. 155 Natl.
- Evan Pryor (William Amos Hough/Cornelius, SC) - No. 5 RB, No. 84 Natl.
Probably the biggest focus of this entire class, Ohio State will be going heavy on the running back recruiting. Just yesterday we discussed the Buckeyes gaining steam on four-star Michigan native Donovan Edwards, but he is certainly not the only guy at the position OSU is focused on. A trio of elite talents, among others, will be checking out campus in the near future.
Henderson, the only five-star of this bunch, is planning on being in town the weekend of April 10 — which is also the weekend of Ohio State’s spring game, taking place on Saturday, April 11. Kiner and Pryor’s exact dates are not yet set in stone, with the former planning a visit for sometime in March and the latter just looking to attend a spring practice at some point.
The Buckeyes are obviously not going to sign all of these guys, but will look to pick up two big names if possible. If those two guys are any combination of the four aforementioned recruits, Day and position coach Tony Alford would be in phenomenal shape.
Offensive line
- Jager Burton (Frederick Douglass/Lexington, KY) - No. 8 OG, No. 153 Natl.
- JC Latham (IMG Academy/Bradenton, FL) - No. 5 OT, No. 35 Natl.
- Rocco Spindler (Clarkston/Clarkston, MI) - No. 2 OG, No. 47 Natl.
Ohio State has been putting in that work along the offensive line. With an already strong unit in place, the Buckeyes were able to pick up a pair of huge names in the 2019 class in Paris Johnson Jr. (No. 2 OT) and Luke Wypler (No. 2 OC). That position group looks to be getting even stronger, as OSU is in great shape with some of the nation’s top talent in the 2020 class as well.
Both Burton and Latham have multiple Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Ohio State. Burton will be in town on April 23 in addition to having an official visit scheduled for June 12, while Latham will be visiting the weekend of the spring game. Spindler, like Edwards, would be a huge coup out of the rival state up North. The talented guard has an official visit slated for March 1.
Defensive line
- Tunmise Adeleye (IMG Academy/Bradenton, FL) - No. 3 SDE, No. 31 Natl.
- Travion Ford (Lutheran North/Saint Louis, MO) - No. 6 WDE, No. 122 Natl.
- Monkell Goodwine (National Christian Acad./Ft. Washington, MD) - No. 7 SDE, No. 107 Natl.
- Jack Sawyer (Pickerington North/Pickerington, OH) - No. 2 SDE, No. 2 Natl.
- J.T. Tuimoloau (Eastside Catholic/Sammamish, WA) - No. 1 DT, No. 4 Natl.
Ohio State has been a defensive line factory for quite a long stretch now, and so it is no surprise that many of the nation’s top talents along the position group are at least a little interested in becoming a Buckeye.
Many of these guys’ visits are not exactly set in stone, with both Tuimoloau and the longtime OSU commit Sawyer not providing any specifics. Ford is looking to be in Columbus the weekend of March 6, and may potentially be joined by Adeleye, who is also looking at sometime in March. Goodwine is looking at a visit during the month of April.
Already holding commitments from Sawyer and four-star DT Mike Hall, Ohio State could be looking at a seriously dominant defensive line class if it can haul in even just one or two of these big time prospects.
Linebackers/Defensive backs
- Barrett Carter (North Gwinnett/Suwanee, GA) - No. 4 OLB, No. 53 Natl.
- Jordan Hancock (North Gwinnnett/Suwanee, GA) - No. 6 CB, No. 85 Natl.
- Andre Turrentine (Ensworth/Nashville, TN) - No. 12 CB, No. 133 Natl.
With Kerry Coombs back in the fold, Ohio State should really have no problem recruiting in the secondary for years to come. Al Washington, who has already helped haul in the No. 3 ILB in Reid Carrico in this cycle, will look to add to his linebacker unit as well. Day, alongside the two assistance coaches, will no doubt be rolling out the red carpet for a bunch of different defensive backs in the coming months.
Carter has been near the top of the Buckeyes’ board for a while now. His visit is not yet set in stone, but he does plan on getting to Columbus sometime this spring or summer. Maybe his recruitment to OSU can be aided along by high school teammate Jordan Hancock, whose lone Crystal Ball is for the Buckeyes. Hancock plans to visit no later than April 3, while fellow corner Andre Turrentine will be at Ohio State in either March or early April.