Ohio State wide receiver target set to visit campus this month

While today is National Signing Day, it doesn’t quite have the same level of excitement as it used to. With the Early Signing Period now receiving most of the action, Ohio State is expecting very little noise on Wednesday outside of one potential big commitment from a West Coast linebacker. After that is out of the way, the Buckeyes can focus the rest of their recruiting energy on one last 2021 target, and then it’s fully on to 2022 and beyond.

Wide receiver target coming to town

Speaking of 2022, Ohio State has been the favorite to land wide receiver Kyion Grayes for quite some time now. A former Arizona commit, the Chandler, AZ native was just a three-star prospect when he and the Buckeyes began engaging, but since then has earned a fourth star as the 6-foot-1 pass-catcher is now the No. 46 WR and No. 312 overall recruit in the junior class, per the 247Sports Composite.

Grayes has made made it no secret by any means that Ohio State is his top choice at this time, but is remaining patient in the process as he continues to ponder a life-changing decision that will alter the rest of his football playing career. Speaking with Eleven Warriors a little over a week ago, Grayes said that he knows where his heart is, but just wants to make sure he is 100% certain before pulling the trigger.

It looks like the wideout will get one step closer to making things official later this month, as Grayes is planning to visit Ohio State the weekend of Feb. 26-27, first reported by Buckeye Scoop’s Mick Walker. With the COVID-induced recruiting dead period still ongoing, Grayes still won’t be able to meet with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff, but he can certainly get a good feel for campus as well as mingle with any of the players currently in Columbus, including the 2021 early enrollees. There is also the chance he chooses to meet up with fellow 2022 recruits looking to make the trip, which could further entice him to finally make his commitment.

Grayes may not be as highly-touted as some of the other wide receiver prospects Ohio State has been bringing in as of late, but there is clearly a reason Brian Hartline and the rest of the staff are so high on him, even prioritizing the Chandler High School product over some other higher-rated prospects in the class. He has three Crystal Ball predictions in favor of the Buckeyes, and it would be quite shocking at this point if he wound up committing elsewhere.

Four-star Texas OL puts OSU on short list

As the calendar turns to February, the recruiting process is really starting to heat up for many of the top juniors across the country. Over the course of the next several months, we will begin to see a bunch of top schools list from all of the quality talent 2022 has to offer. That trend continued on Tuesday night, as four-star offensive tackle Cameron Williams dropped his top 11.

Williams listed Ohio State among his top schools, with the Buckeyes making the cut alongside Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, and SMU. At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, the Texas native comes in as the No. 29 offensive tackle in the 2022 class, and the No. 239 prospect overall in the 2022 class. Football games are won in the trenches, and all of those schools would love to add a tackle of Williams’ size and caliber.

Ryan Day and his staff have done a phenomenal job at recruiting the Lone Star State, and so it isn’t all that surprising that another one of Texas’ top players is taking a look at making the jump to Columbus. Ohio State has already hauled in two of the state’s top talents in the 2022 class in No. 1 QB Quinn Ewers and No. 1 WR Caleb Burton, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add a few more from such a talent-rich area.

Quick Hits

• On Tuesday, Ohio State brought in a preferred walk-on in long snapper Mason Arnold. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound special teamer out of Tampa, Florida was getting looks from Kansas and Texas as well, but has ultimately chosen to become a Buckeye. It is the team’s second preferred walk-on less than a week, as the team added RB/DB Cayden Saunders as a PWO last Thursday.

• In speaking with Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts this week, five-star cornerback Will Johnson says he is really down to a top three of Michigan, Ohio State and USC. The Michigan legacy doesn’t feel he needs to visit those schools again before he makes a decision, and that a commitment should be coming not too far from now. Johnson’s relationship with Kerry Coombs has kept the Buckeyes in it, but they would appear to be in third place among the trio. Johnson could choose to team up with fellow DB Domani Jackson at USC, or he could stay home with the Wolverines, but I would be surprised if he chose Ohio State.
• With the news on Tuesday that EA Sports would be reviving its college football video game franchise, Ohio State’s graphic department wasted no time in using that to their advantage on the recruiting trail. They debuted their new graphic with four-star 2022 RB target Dallan Hayden, putting him on the cover of the PS5 edition of the game.

• Ohio State also sent out a new scholarship offer last night to 2022 corner Ryan Turner. A three-star prospect, the 6-foot DB hails out of Hollywood, FL, and is the No. 55 CB in the class according to the 247Sports Composite. The Buckeyes already have one Florida DB committed in the class in five-star corner Jaheim Singletary, and are continuing to scout talent in one of their bigger pipeline states.