In midst of recruiting dead period Buckeyes still getting a visitor, offer 2022 OT

The facts are the facts: Ohio State is not playing football this fall. While the hopes are that they have some sort of a season in the spring of 2021, rather than sulking, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are full steam ahead towards what comes next — what ever that may be. Let’s face it, the Big Ten needs to provide a plan and some sense of direction moving forward, but when it comes to Ohio State specifically, Ryan Day has proved in every decision and adverse situation he’s put in, he comes out making Buckeye Nation proud.

In regards to recruiting, it can be looked at one of two ways. One being how bad this could affect the Buckeyes and two, how it may even help the Buckeyes. Of course you’d rather see a normal fall season being played, but as mentioned, in every situation, Ryan Day and his crew have come out looking great. Taking this pandemic itself as an example, the Buckeyes recruiting efforts have surged, and have them currently atop of the country with the best class. The staff has worked in overdrive during this uncertain times.

Looking forward, if any football is played by the other conferences this fall, Ryan Day and Mark Pantoni will certainly have a plan in place that gives Ohio State an edge as they hammer down the remaining spots of their 2021 class and continue to build on the great start in 2022. If the staff has increased time to recruit due to not playing on the field, it’s a safe bet Ohio State won’t let the circumstances hinder themselves. As they’ve continuously proved, when it comes to recruiting, there’s never a down time.

Not letting the dead period get in the way

Like everything else in relation to sports, recruiting has been a bit of a mess in 2020 for the class of 2021 prospects and beyond. With the NCAA extending the recruiting dead period earlier this week for what seems like the 100th time, prospects are still unable to be with college coaches on their campuses when visiting schools of interest.

While coach to player contact in-person has again been eliminated, there’s technically no rule that prevents a prospect from still seeing schools they are considering in their recruitment processes if they do so on their own. Normally, of course, visiting a campus of choice usually involves tons of interaction with the coaching staff and the ability to see the facilities. But with this dead period still in effect, visiting schools mainly consists of getting a feel for the campus overall. While that may not appeal to everyone, it’s still a chance to see a possible destination.

Yesterday, Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts tweeted that Bennett Christian (Acworth, Georgia/Allatoona) would be making a visit this weekend to check out Ohio State’s campus. With one tight-end in the 2021 class already thanks to Colorado native Sam Hart, there’s obviously zero time being wasted in the class of 2022 with Christian already holding a Buckeye offer and taking it on himself to get to campus in the midst of some crazy circumstances.

Though everything is in the air regarding if and when the Buckeyes will play in the spring of 2021, scholarship numbers and eligibility pertaining to the current tight ends on the Ohio State roster obviously have questions to be answered. However, making sure the tight end room is in good shape in both 2021 and 2022 seems to be an early priority for both Ryan Day and position coach Kevin Wilson.

Announcing a final three of Penn State, Tennessee, and Ohio State via Twitter in late July, Christian still has a full two years of high school ball to play, but a decision on his part looks as if it will come much sooner. Currently, he checks in as the 18th-best tight end in the country according to 247Sports. A three-star prospect with nothing but time to continue developing, it’s easy to see why the 6-foot-5, 225 pound prospect has double-digit offers with more certainly to follow.

Even if this weekend looks a bit different than normal, it speaks to how serious Christian is in his interest for Ohio State coming all the way from Georgia to see campus even with the dead period still in effect.

2022 offensive linemen earns OSU offer

Though the 2021 class is far from being totally sealed up, the majority of new offers and recruiting news lately has come by way of the 2022 class. Thanks to the Buckeyes being dialed in on who they’d like to land in the few final spots of the current cycle, they’re able to get a head start on the 2022 prospects hoping to build strong relationships early enough for them to pay off in the long haul.

As you’d expect like any year, a key priority for Ohio State is to reload on both the offensive and defensive lines. With offensive line recruiting seemingly shaping up to be an area of needed depth in the near future, the Buckeyes will long to bring in multiple guys who can build up the invaluable position.

Yesterday, Ohio State sent out their latest offer to Kiyaunta Goodwin — a 6-foot-8, 315 pound monster sized offensive tackle out of Charlestown, Indiana. Only a high school junior-to-be, the size Goodwin has is truly something you cannot miss. With two full years to develop too, there’s no telling what he could end up looking like when he makes his college choice. Goodwin just recently went through a massive transformation, losing over 100 pounds and looking to be in phenomenal shape.

Checking in currently as a three-star prospect, Goodwin does hold nearly 20 offers from top schools such as Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, and more now including Ohio State, giving the belief his ranking will surely rise with the incoming exposure. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, they are not far in distance being on the other side of the state line and also being the home of who Goodwin refers to as his “childhood idol” Orlando Pace.

Worth noting, in addition to the offer, Goodwin also received a Crystal Ball prediction for Ohio State on Thursday afternoon from 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong with a confidence of eight. It is currently the only CB filed for the 2022 prospect.

Quick Hits:

• Current Buckeye 2021 commit Evan Pryor (Cornelius, North Carolina/William Amos Hough) announced via his Twitter account yesterday that he will forgo his senior season — which has been moved to the spring — to allow his plans to enroll early at Ohio State. Pryor is the second-ranked all-purpose back in the country.