Ohio State offers 2022 four-star safety

Ohio State’s coaching staff has been hard at work on the recruiting front as of late. Last Tuesday, the Buckeyes earned their most recent commitment in 2022 TE Bennett Christian. However, almost just as important was the start of the official contact period for the 2022 recruiting class on the same day.

The Buckeyes have quickly hit the ground running, making contact with a handful of the nation’s top talents in next year’s recruiting class. On Labor Day, head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff continued that momentum by offering one of the top safety prospects in 2022.

Xavier Nwankpa (Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk) announced his official scholarship from the Buckeyes on Monday. The four-star safety now has 15 official scholarship offers, and Ohio State should quickly be viewed as legitimate contenders already.

OSU has an incredible reputation in recent years for developing defensive backs into first round NFL Draft picks. This pedigree, as well as Nwankpa being from Big Ten country, should help their chances in securing a commitment if there is serious mutual interest between the two parties.

In addition to Ohio State, Nwankpa has received offers from Iowa State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, and Florida. Therefore, while the Buckeyes should be viewed as contenders, there are a number of top programs in the mix that make this recruitment far from a lock.

Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class is off to a solid start. The team has successfully brought in an impressive linebacker haul, led by five-star Gabe Powers and a pair of high four-stars in C.J. Hicks and Dasan McCullough. In addition to the linebacker haul, the Buckeyes have also earned a defensive commitment in four-star CB Jyaire Brown as well as a big blocker in four-star OT Tegra Tshabola.

The addition of a safety of Nwankpa’s caliber would help solidify a promising defensive presence in the future for Ohio State.

Nwankpa is the No. 9 safety in the 2022 class, the No. 2 recruit from Iowa and the No. 127 overall prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Quick Hits:

• Ohio State 2022 four-star OLB commit C.J. Hicks posted his highlights from week two of his high school junior season to Twitter on Monday. Check out what the Buckeyes will be getting in the Archbishop Alter star, courtesy of Hudl: