Ohio State makes the top group for four-star PF from Florida

While it was a bit of a slow news day for Ohio State on the recruiting trail on Tuesday, head coach Chris Holtmann and the basketball Buckeyes received good news when a highly-touted hoops prospect included them in his group of top schools.

Stewart down to eight

On Tuesday, an Ohio State target on the hoops side of things decided it was time to narrow things down a bit, as 2023 four-star power forward Sean Stewart of Windermere (FL) will now focus on eight schools that remain in the running for his services.

As you can see, the Buckeyes have some stiff competition to outlast if they want to ultimately land the 6-foot-8, 210-pounder. The good news is that Ohio State was fortunate enough to bring Stewart up from Florida for an official visit with Holtmann and the rest of the coaching staff.

According to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times, Stewart has already taken official visits to Duke, Georgetown, Michigan, Stanford, and of course that visit to Ohio State back at the beginning of the month. Stewart has also made unofficial stops at Central Florida, Florida, Georgetown, and Harvard. Surprisingly enough, that means the two programs that Stewart visited that weren’t included in the top group were the pair of in-state schools.

As things currently stand, Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class on the hardwood features just one prospect thus far, with four-star combo guard George Washington III of Christian Academy of Louisville (KY) making his commitment to the Buckeyes earlier this month.

Smith set to visit

Ohio State is set to welcome 2024 four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II of Melissa (TX) in the coming days, as the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder revealed on Twitter that he will be making his way up to Columbus this weekend. Smith will take in the Buckeyes’ contest against Michigan State on Saturday, and with the expectation being that Smith will be one of the very best prospects in his class, it will be a big opportunity for the Scarlet and Gray to make an early impression on the underclassman from the Lone Star State.

Smith may be an unfamiliar name among Buckeye fans at this point, but don’t expect that to be the case for much longer. While Ohio State has yet to offer, Smith has secured a couple of big time offers from both Notre Dame and LSU among others.

In 247Sports’ early rankings for the 2024 recruiting class, Smith is penciled in as the 19th best prospect in the class so far. He also is slotted in as the second best defensive lineman in the class and the second-highest graded player among all Texas prospects.

Quick Hits

• According to Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors, Ohio State has “increased their contact” with 2023 three-star defensive lineman Will Smith Jr. of Dublin Coffman (OH). The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder has made a couple of game day visits to Columbus this season, in which he saw the Buckeyes take down Maryland and Purdue.