Pair of 2024 DBs take in Ohio State Rose Bowl practice

The Ohio State football team arrived in California on Monday to prepare for its game against Utah in the 2021 Rose Bowl. In what will certainly be a busy week preparing for the last game of the season, recruiting may be somewhat quiet. That being said, Ryan Day and the Buckeye football coaching staff know recruiting never stops and still found a way to make the recruiting headlines Monday.

St. John Bosco pair watch Ohio State practice

After arriving in Los Angeles, the Ohio State football team wasted little time before stepping on the field for practice. However, the Buckeyes were not alone during this session, as a hometown 2024 cornerback decided to watch the team prepare for its bowl game.

Four-star CB Marcelles Williams took to Twitter Monday to announce he was in attendance for the Buckeyes’ Monday practice in LA.

Monday was not Williams first experience with Ohio State, as back in June, he and some of his fellow St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) teammates took a weekend visit with the Buckeyes. Williams appeared to enjoy the visit, and had the following to say when speaking with Greg Biggens of 247Sports afterwords:

“It was a great time, I loved it there,” Williams said. “The first day we did the tour of the campus and the second day was their camp. I loved the facilities and the coaches office. They had all their rings, trophy’s and national championships on display there, it was really cool.

“I met with coach (Kerry) Coombs and he talked about their tradition at DB and all of the players they have had there who went to play in the NFL. We watched film of the defense and it was cool to get a feel for how they do things there.

The two-day visit resulted in Williams receiving an official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes, one which Williams said he was surprised to receive so quickly.

“I wasn’t expecting that first day when we met with the coaches, they said they don’t like to offer too many freshmen,” Williams said. “I had a good camp, I felt like I was doing well, tested well, ran a good 40 and then did well in the drills.

“I worked with coach (Matt) Barnes, the DB coach and liked him a lot. After the camp, he called me in to his office and said, ‘we don’t normally do this but we want to offer you.’ He said there was no point in waiting so that was a great feeling for me. Ohio State is a great program with a great DB tradition and I loved it there.”

Williams has already shown in his first two years of high school football that he has potential to be great at the next level. This has resulted in his recruitment taking off earlier than most in the 2024 recruiting class. While only a sophomore, Williams has more than a dozen offers under his belt from some of the best college football programs in the country, including Arkansas, Arizona State, Oklahoma, USC, Oregon, Michigan, etc.

However, Williams was not the only 2024 recruit from St. John Bosco to attend the Ohio State practice, as he was joined by 2024 safety Peyton Woodyard.

Woodyard, similar to Williams, attended the June summer camp with Ohio State and walked away with an official scholarship offer. He is also seeing his recruitment take off rather quickly due to his potential to be an elite DB at the collegiate level of football. The blue-chip safety also has an impressive offer list ranging from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Penn State, etc.

Ohio State has been trying to re-establish its connection with the prestigious St. John Bosco program, and both Williams and Woodyard attending the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl practice shows the interest is mutual. Look for the Buckeyes to work hard to get both back on campus next season, as well as more of their high school teammates.

Williams is the No. 8 CB and the No. 70 overall prospect in the 247Sports 2024 rankings, while Woodyard is the No. 2 safety and is the No. 20 overall prospect.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State extended an offer to 2024 wide receiver Ryan Pellum on Monday afternoon. The Long Beach, CA native is currently rated as the No. 12 WR and the No. 56 overall player in the class, according to 247Sports’ own rankings. Pellum has already accumulated a laundry list of big-time offers, including the likes of Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas and USC among his whopping 33 total offers. Brian Hartline will look to work his magic with another West Coast receiver as the two sides continue to form a relationship in the early stages of Pellum’s recruitment.

• Ohio State also had a visitor for its Monday practice outside of St. John Bosco. 2024 safety prospect Marquis Gallegos out of Chaminade (West Hills, CA) also attended the Buckeyes practice.