Buckeyes hoping to add monster OL target to their 2022 class

We are now under a month away from the kickoff to Ohio State’s 2020 football season. With so many ups and downs on this rollercoaster ride of an offseason, it’s just good to know that this talented 2020 roster will get another chance to prove themselves on the field. Seeing Ohio State’s creative media team back at work covering the Buckeyes in their daily practices is a sign that it’s coming closer and closer to the return of maybe the most anticipated season in recent memory.

Though the focus has been rightfully given to the on-field work for Ohio State’s coaching staff, recruiting is not about to take a backseat to anything. The Buckeyes have proven time and time again that their efforts on the trail will not be outdone. Alabama may have leapfrogged Ohio State in the 2021 class for now, but it’s really the two extra commits in the Tide’s class, totaling 21 members, that gives them the slight edge.

The Buckeyes, still at 19 commits, hold the advantage when it comes to average player ranking. Plus, they have two more five-star prospects they are heavily in the mix for, and that is likely to be the boost to give Ryan Day the top overall class once again. As things sit right now, with the the second-best class in 2021 and also in 2022, Ohio State’s recruiting efforts are unparalleled.

Give us all the big men up front!

The Ohio State staff would love nothing more than to land another blue-chipper at offensive tackle in the 2021 class this late in the game. With having missed out on their original top target in JC Latham to Alabama, the Buckeyes have really been all over the country trying to identify who they can successfully haul in this far into the cycle.

While five-star prospect Tristan Leigh is the obvious remaining crown jewel in terms of available linemen, Ryan Day and his crew realize that LSU and Oklahoma are likely ahead of them in the pecking order. Regardless, you have to be confident in this coaching staff to still have a plan in place to bring in at least one more guy along the offensive line. It’s been mentioned before, but Zen Michalski may be the very guy to put a bow on this linemen class. However, until there’s a trigger pulled, he’s still a Louisville commit.

All this to say the Buckeyes don’t want to be under the gun looking for top caliber guys in the trenches in 2022. The priority is to lock in their top targets early and to snag multiple players in the process. Fortunately, Coach Studrawa is off to a solid start, already earning a commitment from in-state four-star tackle Tegra Tshabola.

But clearly they’re not stopping there. As the staff continues to identify and offer the prospects they desire to have the most, relationship building with those players will be a key area of focus until they get closer to the time period when a decision is made. As it’s been seen on numerous occasions at every position on the field, when Ohio State makes someone a priority early in the game, it tends to pay off more times than not.

Yesterday, Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com mentioned offensive tackle prospect Kiyaunta Goodwin and his current status with Ohio State and the 2022 class. A 6-foot-7, 300-pound monster of a player, Goodwin is ranked as the sixth-best player in Indiana, the No. 34 tackle in the country, and a top 280 player overall. Having been offered by Ohio State just this past Aug. 13, the Buckeyes and Goodwin have seemingly built a pretty strong bond in this short amount of time. So much so, that Kurelic himself submitted a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Ohio State to land Goodwin in their 2022 class.

While Crystal Ball predictions don’t mean it’s a done deal, it’s important to note that when regarding Kurelic, he definitely only makes a forecast when he’s got a reason to do so. He is not the first to see Ohio State as the clear leader for Goodwin, as last month 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong also pegged the Buckeyes to land the Charlestown, IN native.

Having 30 offers to his name from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and several others, Goodwin is definitely one to be excited about. Having talked to Ohio State just yesterday, the feelings surrounding the Buckeyes and the four-star offensive tackle seem to be doing nothing but trending in a positive direction. If he were to commit sooner rather than later, it would be a huge advantage as it would give coach Studrawa not one, but two elite tackles in his 2022 class at a position where depth is much needed.

Quick Hits:

• Pennsylvania native running back Nicholas Singleton (Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) is down to Penn State and Ohio State in his recruitment. Noted previously, the No. 7 RB in the nation has also been quoted as saying the Buckeyes have the slight lead for his services over the Nittany Lions. If Ryan Day and Tony Alford can pull this off, it would be the third year in a row where a top-three player in rival Big Ten territory comes to Columbus instead of Happy Valley.