Ohio State makes the top seven for a pair of four-star prospects

While Tuesday was a bit of a slow news day on the recruiting trail for the Buckeyes as they are focused on preparation for the upcoming Rose Bowl showdown against Utah, Ohio State was able to find themselves in the top group for a pair of prospects with offers from the program already under their belt.

Cook reveals top schools

One thing that seems to be a yearly theme for OSU is wide receiver coach Brian Hartline making a major splash on the recruiting trail by landing highly-pursued pass catchers seemingly each cycle. On Tuesday, Hartline and Ohio State found themselves well-positioned for another elite receiver as 2023 four-star wide receiver Johntay Cook II revealed his top seven programs.

The Buckeyes will have to outlast the likes of Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Texas A&M if they want to bring the No. 7 WR in the class to Columbus. The 6-foot-0, 170-pounder sits as No. 40 prospect nationally and is the sixth highest graded player from the state of Texas.

Cook comes from a program that may be a familiar one to Buckeye fans that follow recruiting. DeSoto High School was also home to former Ohio State playmaker Dontre Wilson who committed to the Buckeyes in the 2013 class after flipping from Oregon.

Down to seven for Rappleyea

Much like Cook, 2023 four-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea of Milton Academy (MA) also narrowed things down to seven programs on Tuesday and the Buckeyes were among that group as well.

While the inclusion of Ohio State in the seven should not come as a surprise, it is worth mentioning that the Buckeyes already have a commitment from a tight end in the 2023 class as four-star tight end Ty Lockwood of Independence (TN) committed back in August over Florida State, Penn State, and South Carolina. This likely suggests that Ohio State very well could be planning on adding two tight ends in this cycle.

Rappleyea is a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder and comes in as the No. 332 overall prospect in his class. The Milton, Mass. native, who was offered by the Buckeyes earlier this month, sits as the No. 20 TE and the fifth highest graded player in his state.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State top target and 2023 five-star running back Richard Young of Lehigh Senior took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that he will make a visit to Jackson State. The No. 1 RB in the country noted that Tigers head coach Deion Sanders, who recently was able to sign the No. 1 overall prospect in 2022, is also from his hometown of Fort Myers, Fla.
• A trio of Buckeye targets landed new offers on Tuesday as 2023 five-star cornerback Javien Toviano of Martin (TX) picked up an offer from USC and 2023 five-star defensive lineman Vic Burley of Warner Robbins (GA) added an offer from Miami (FL). In the 2024 class, Ohio State wide receiver target Joshisa Trader of Miami Central (FL) saw a new offer from Michigan come in.