Buckeyes still in the mix for a top 2022 receiver target

There’s countless of reasons to get excited about Ohio State preparing for spring football practice. Of course the expectations in Columbus are always off the charts, and a large part of that is due to the talent they have on the roster each season. An aspect that is consistently one of the more intriguing pieces to the start of spring ball is seeing the new freshmen competing for the first time. Seemingly every year an early enrollee steals some of the spotlight, and this year should be no different.

Thanks to the recruiting success the Buckeyes have been having, the trend of seeing young players shine has no end in sight. With the coaching staff bringing in top-ranked players at several positions, it’s not a matter of rebuilding for Ohio State, but reloading. Spring ball cannot get here soon enough, and thankfully the wait isn’t that far off.

Buckeyes still in it for Antwi

It feels like it could be said at several positions right now due to the incredible recruiting efforts, but the position that is truly on another level with elite talent being brought in every year is the receiver room. Position coach Brian Hartline in his short tenure has already proved to be one of the very best at both recruiting and on-field development, and that is one of the main causes for the nation’s best receivers to choose Ohio State for their college careers. Ryan Day and his prolific passing attack don't hurt either, further showing potential Buckeyes that they’ll get their share of catches.

In this current 2022 class, Hartline and Ohio State already have Caleb Burton in the fold, who is ranked as the top receiver in the country per 247Sports. In addition to Burton, the most recent Buckeye commit Kyion Grayes is also already locked in, and is one of the fastest rising players in the country in terms of his ranking. Now slotted as the 14th-best receiver in the country, that dynamic duo for Ohio State further cements these last several classes as the gold standard for receiver recruiting. Still, as incredible as the Buckeyes have it right now, even more good news could be coming.

Yesterday, another receiver target for Ohio State, Kojo Antwi (Suwanee, Georgia/Lambert), dropped his final five schools that he will be deciding from for his college decision. Currently the eighth-best receiver in the 2022 class per 247Sports, Antwi also announced that he will be committing later this summer on July 5, his mother’s birthday. Rounding out the final five programs still in the mix for Antwi includes Alabama, USC, Texas A&M, Georgia, and of course, Ohio State.

The news is great for the Buckeyes, but not even a couple of weeks ago it seemed as if the ship for Antwi to Columbus had sailed. After the commitment of the aforementioned Grayes, all signs pointed towards Antwi ending up elsewhere and even several opinions surfaced that the Buckeyes were out of it with Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M as the final suitors. Taking into consideration the Buckeyes already having two receivers in the fold for 2022, it’s pretty reasonable to think Antwi had moved on, but clearly coach Hartline has other thoughts and made every effort possible to show him he was still a priority.

Truthfully, Ohio State has a real shot here to land Antwi. When looking at the 247Sports Crystal Ball though, there’s predictions in favor of Georgia, Ohio State, and even Texas A&M, which shows this is still anyone’s game right now. As stated, the Buckeyes at one point really looked to be out of it, but they are clearly still in the mix. While the other finalists will be in Antwi’s ear about Ohio State having too many guys already, the race to July 5th is on and Brian Hartline should never be doubted.

Quick Hits

• Yesterday word came out from 247Sports analyst Greg Biggins that 2023 quarterback prospect Malachi Nelson (Los Alamitos, California/Los Alamitos) could soon be narrowing his list of schools down to a final 10. Ranked as the sixth-best player nationally and the second best pro-style quarterback in his class per 247Sports, Nelson has over 20 offers from many of the premier college programs in the country. In regards to Ohio State, the Buckeyes have had success in California the last couple of years, and also have Nelson as their only quarterback offer in the 2023 class. If Nelson does narrow it down a bit to 10 schools, you’d have to like the Buckeyes chances of making the cut.