Ohio State has a BOOMing start to the week

Like clockwork, the Ohio State coaching staff hit the ground running this week. What has become a standard for the Buckeyes during the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Ryan Day added another verbal commitment to the top-ranked recruiting class in 2021.

In addition to the commitment, the Buckeyes coaching staff offered one of the nation’s top prospects on Monday and made the cut for another. Below is a recap of the wild start of the week for Ohio State football recruiting.

Ohio State makes the cut for 2021 five-star OT

The Buckeyes have already secured commitments from two of the nation’s top offensive linemen in the 2021 recruiting class in four-star OG Donovan Jackson and four-star OT Ben Christman. However, they are not finished shoring up the offensive line.

Monday morning, the Buckeyes learned they officially made the shortlist for five-star OT Nolan Rucci (Lititz, PA/Warwick).

While the announcement is only good news for Ohio State, the work is far from over as the Buckeyes have some stiff competition for Rucci; Wisconsin, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Michigan, Stanford, Penn State and Notre Dame all made the cut alongside Ohio State.

Penn State has long been viewed as the leader for Rucci with the home-state ties, but expect Ohio State to try and quickly separate themselves from the ludicrously talented field. As of today, nobody knows when the country will be opening back up, let alone when schools will be able to host recruits for visits again. However, Day and the Buckeyes have proven to be the cream of the crop in virtually recruiting, so they should be able to remain contenders in this race.

Rucci is the No. 3 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 13 overall prospect in the nation.

Ohio State offers 2022 four-star WR

With the Buckeyes 2021 recruiting class quickly coming together, the team has increased its focus on the 2022 class the last couple of weeks. With the cycle’s timeline still in the early stages, the Buckeyes are dishing out a multitude of offers. This week appears to be no different as the team offered on the nation’s top wide receivers.

Luther Burdern (Saint Louis, MO/Cardinal Ritter) announced his official scholarship offer to Ohio State on Monday afternoon.

The 2022 recruiting class has yet to receive composite rankings, but 247Sports has Burden listed as the No. 3 WR in the class. The nation’s best college football programs seem to agree, as Burden has compiled an impressive offer sheet in a short amount of time.

Prior to the Buckeyes’ offer, Burden had already received offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Texas, USC and plenty more.

Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class saw the team bring in one of the best wideout hauls in recent memory. The team also has secured commitments in its 2021 class from two four-stars in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jayden Ballard. Recently, the position has seen a multitude of Buckeyes successfully make the transition from college star to NFL player and as this continues, depth at the position will remain a constant priority.

Quick Hits:

• The Buckeyes made the cut for four-star defensive end Najee Story. Story, a native of Solon, OH, is the No. 9 in-state player, and the No. 19 SDE in the class. The 6-foot-4, 235 pound defensive lineman cut his list down from 18 offers to five, with Ohio State making Story’s short list alongside Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Tennessee.

• Ohio State earned its 17th verbal commitment in the 2021 recruiting class in four-star athlete Jantzen Dunn. With the addition, the class looks to be destined for the record books. Just days ago, Dunn was thought to be destined for Oklahoma, but the Buckeyes were able to steal the commitment at the last second.