Buckeyes offer a pair of Florida offensive linemen

With August approaching quickly, Ohio State and other college programs around the country are still pursuing their fall camp start dates. While nothing has been set in stone yet, the one positive to take away right now is that no news is good news in terms of football updates. With Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announcing the Buckeyes are still working towards opening training camp as usual, that’s a step in the right direction for the season.

One thing is for certain, as it has been this entire pandemic — the Buckeyes coaching staff has been relentless on the recruiting trail. Even with practice dates coming in the near future, Ryan Day and his crew are still in full pursuit of finishing their current 2021 class as the nation’s best, and while doing so have started to really ramp up their efforts in the future classes.

Dishing out two new offers in the class of 2023

With the outcome of the games themselves decided in the trenches, Ohio State’s coaching staff knows it’s pivotal for them to not only bring in elite caliber linemen, but to stockpile them in a way that leads to those position groups being one of the key strengths of the overall roster. Specifically on the offensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes have been able to more than meet their needs with bringing in top offensive linemen, which has had a direct correlation to their consistency on the field.

In the current 2021 cycle, Ohio State is still in full pursuit of landing another elite caliber offensive tackle to bolster the future in addition to current offensive guard commits in Ben Christman and Donovan Jackson. In 2022, the Buckeyes have already nailed down the commitment of in-state four-star tackle Tegra Tshabola. Ohio State still isn’t resting, as yesterday they proved it’s now time to start recruiting even further ahead into the future with two offers going out to offensive linemen in the 2023 class.

Checking in first, TJ Shanahan (Orlando, Florida/Timber Creek) a 6-foot-5, 300 pound monster announced via his Twitter account that the Buckeyes were the latest to throw their hat into the ring vying for his services. Only a high school sophomore this coming year, Shanahan already has the size of a big time DI football player. Still, when considering there’s three full prep seasons to develop his game both on and off the field, it’s not hard to see why the Buckeyes wanted to become the next program to enter this recruitment.

Without a ranking yet on 247Sports due to his class status and age, Shanahan will easily be one of the higherrated offensive linemen when his time comes, as he already holds offers from over 20 programs. With schools such as Florida State, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, and a host of others already in the thick of things, it’s really only a matter of time before Shanahan becomes a household name with every top program in the country throwing him their best recruiting pitch. Ohio State has always held a strong presence in Florida and with an offer coming this early to a player with three years left before he signs, it gives the Buckeyes and Coach Studrawa plenty of time to create a lasting relationship that will help their chances at bringing another elite southern talent to Columbus.

Staying in the Sunshine State, Clay Wedin (Tampa, Florida/Carrollwood Day) was the second OT prospect to announce he too had received an Ohio State offer. Checking in at 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, like the aforementioned Shanahan, Wedin has incredible size that already portrays to a force on the offensive line for any top college program. Still too young to have a ranking or grade on 247Sports, it will be interesting to see where he finds himself, which will likely be among the nation’s best along the offensive line. Again, with three more years to develop his game and body, the sky is the limit for Wedin and his football career.

With nearly 20 offers to his name this early on as well, it’s pretty telling a Buckeye offer will one of many more to come as other top programs take note of his playing abilities and size. Schools such as Florida, Florida State, LSU, Kentucky, USC, Penn State, and more have already entered this recruitment, and while there’s still a few programs out there like Alabama and Clemson yet to pull the trigger on offering, it’s likely just a matter of time.

As the Buckeyes continue to evaluate and find the best players in the 2023 class, the pair of Shanahan and Wedin are obviously two names that are sure to be recurring mentions. It will be tough to pull this duo out of the south, but if any program has had success of bringing elite talent north each recruiting cycle, it’s been Ohio State.

Quick Hits:

• Yesterday, Virginia native five-star offensive tackle, Tristan Leigh announced his top five schools and, as expected, the Buckeyes made the cut. Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama, and LSU rounded out the others, with LSU seemingly being the biggest threat to Ohio State in this recruitment. Fortunately, no school other than OSU has made a bigger jump for Leigh as of late, and the momentum seems to be growing. Leigh is the No. 3 OT in the nation, and the No. 11 prospect in the 2021 class.

• Chris Holtmann was also busy on the recruiting trail on Thursday, sending out a new offer to 2022 forward Camden Heide. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound Minnesota native is currently the No. 14 PF and No. 74 player overall in the class, and Ohio State has gotten in early as one of just nine early offers. Other schools in on Heide at this point include Arizona, Creighton, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others. It is just the 12th offer out for the Buckeyes in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports.