Buckeyes send out their latest 2022 offer to four-star defensive tackle

Spring football practice wasn’t the only event garnering attention at the Woody this week. With the conclusion of Ohio State’s Pro Day, the Buckeyes were everywhere in the headlines as usual. Though the two are linked together, it’s typically the NFL Draft success that you think of as a big recruiting pitch more than a Pro Day, but after seeing Ohio State’s next group of guys to enter the NFL perform yesterday, Pro Day really is a recruiting pitch the Buckeye staff can use and probably already do when talking to their top targets.

Seeing the numerous NFL coaches and personnel yesterday on hand to evaluate the Buckeyes isn’t something to take lightly. The crowd in attendance is top caliber every year, and yesterday was just another notch in the belt for Ryan Day and his players about to hear their name called come draft day. Taking all of this to a prospect clearly doesn’t hurt, and in reality it’s just another one of the many aspects this staff can use in recruiting to show their top targets that when you come to Ohio State, the opportunities are endless.

Bucks dish out latest 2022 offer

For the most part, Ohio State’s newest offers right now are in the 2023 class. This far into the 2022 cycle, the Buckeyes have evaluated a strong majority of their recruiting targets. However, like many things thanks to the pandemic, there’s some wrenches thrown into the evaluations Ohio State and other programs would like to do. Without having the ability to see any of these guys in person on campus for visits or the ability to watch them last summer in camp circuits, the staff really hasn’t seen the amount of players they normally would have in a typical calendar year.

Yesterday however, the Buckeyes were active again on the recruiting trail in the current 2022 cycle when they sent out their latest offer on the defensive side of the ball. Kansas City, Missouri native Domonique Orange,was on the receiving end of the latest offer when he announced via his Twitter account that Ohio State had entered the race for his commitment. A 6-foot-4, 300-pound true defensive tackle prospect, Orange currently holds nearly 20 scholarship offers from the likes of Georgia, Florida State, Texas A&M, Oregon, Texas, Iowa, and a host of others now including Ohio State.

Currently, Orange is ranked as the No. 29 player at his defensive tackle position in the 2022 class. In addition, per the 247Sports Composite, Orange is listed as the No. 1o0 player in Missouri and the 358th best player nationally, giving him a four-star status. While his grades are already impressive, you have to figure a main asset to his game is his college-ready size. At already 300 pounds, Orange is that presence in the middle of the defensive line that can not only get after the quarterback, but also take on the double teams freeing up linebackers behind him to do their jobs as well. Surely college coaches are excited about his frame and see that as a big reason for going after his pledge.

Typically when Ohio State recruits the state of Missouri they stay east in St. Louis, but their overall success in Orange’s home state has to be something he’ll pay close attention to moving forward as the relationship between he and the Buckeyes begins to develop. Not to mention, being a defensive linemen, he’ll have the ability to speak with arguably the best position coach in the country in Larry Johnson. From here on it wouldn’t be out of the realm to think Ohio State’s offer will be under serious consideration for Orange.

Quick Hits

• Yesterday, 247Sports did a deep dive on the 2023 class as the recruiting rankings for that cycle received an update. While of course the Buckeyes are recruiting that class from a national perspective, the in-state Ohio players they are in on this early in the game are worth mentioning. Four targets from Ohio in the 2023 class so far look to be getting most of the attention concerning the Buckeyes and their efforts.

Looking at these players specifically, Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts goes in depth on the four prospects the Buckeyes have offered from their home state. Some of these guys moved up and some down, but still these four targets in Sonny Styles, Luke Montgomery, Josh Padilla, and Brenan Vernon are amongst some of the best in the country regardless of position, and are key guys Ohio State will look to keep at home as well as help anchor another top national recruiting class.