Buckeyes make the cut for another top receiver in the 2023 class

This weekend is setting up to be a big one for Ohio State. First and foremost, the Buckeyes are hoping to end the 2021 season the right way with a win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. All of the focus the last couple weeks has been devoted to preparing for this matchup, and with all of the doubt surrounding how Ohio State will perform, it’s safe to say there’s plenty of motivation still for this Buckeyes team to go out and get the job done. Fortunately, tomorrow the wait is over, and we’ll get to see how this team looks as it will be a big insight to the 2022 campaign with so many young players in prominent roles.

On the recruiting side of things, Ohio State is hoping that their performance on Saturday speaks well to California and the West Coast in general. Any time they’re playing on that side of the country, it’s important to put forth a solid product. In addition, Sunday’s Under Armour All-American game will also hopefully present another member to the 2022 class when Omari Abor makes his commitment live during the televised game.

As you can see, this end of 2021 and start of 2022 still has a ton going on concerning Ohio State football.

Imagine that... Ohio State makes the cut for a top receiver

When Ohio State sends out an offer to a top receiver target, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Buckeyes will be in the mix of that recruitment. Thanks to position coach Brian Hartline and his incredible efforts both on and off the field, as well as the development he brings to the table, Ohio State consistently finds their name in great positions for more elite players at the wide receiver spot.

On Thursday, the Buckeyes once again found themselves on the short list for another receiver when class of 2023 target Rico Flores released a list of 10 schools he is still considering before making a final call. Taking to Twitter to announce the latest update in his recruitment, Flores included UCLA, Oregon, Pitt, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, LSU, Alabama, USC, and Ohio State all as finalists. Trimming the list down from an offer list of nearly 30 programs shows Flores is making some progress in his recruitment, but there’s still some time to go before he’s ready to get down to one.

Ranked as the 23rd-best receiver in the 2023 class, Flores is also considered to be the No. 153 player nationally, and the 12th-best player in California per the 247Sports Composite. In terms of Ohio State, the Buckeyes clearly made a solid first impression, as they haven’t been in his recruitment as long as other suitors having only offered just a month ago. Still, Ohio State being in the mix shows how great of a job Hartline does on the trail, and also proves the on-field product the Buckeyes are producing with their receivers is being noticed by recruits.

Moving forward, the Buckeyes will look to remain a major threat among the other finalists. As they try to land other top targets such as Carnell Tate, there may be some new names that appear thanks to USC landing Zachariah Branch, who the Buckeyes were after for some time, but the commitment of his older brother Zion to USC pretty much spelled out how that would go down. As mentioned, with how well Hartline does on the trail, Ohio State will be in a great spot in this cycle when it comes to receivers.

Quick Hits

• Current class of 2023 Ohio State commits Ty Lockwood and Joshua Padilla look to be doing some recruiting of their own as they try to continue going after Luke Montgomery, the second-best player in Ohio and 64th-best player nationally.

This is seen often, but Ohio State’s leaders in their respective recruiting classes have their ways about them to help out, using social media to make it public who they want to join them in Columbus. Montgomery is a major priority for the Buckeyes in 2023, and knowing how talented he is on both sides of the ball, he’s a player the staff will continue to try and keep home with every effort possible.