Another 2022 offer extended while Buckeyes land PWO commit in 2021 class

While Thursday brought with it some unfortunate news of more guys being added to the unable to participate list this spring, Ohio State is still hard at work as they continue using these 15 practices to get ready for the 2021 campaign. Though the majority of the coaching staff’s time is being spent on the practice field inside the Woody, there was still recruiting news taking place yesterday, giving the typical showing of just how relentless this staff is when it comes to building for the future.

Buckeyes offer 2022 Oklahoma native

Almost 24 hours after the most recent OSU offer went out to a 2022 DT on Thursday, once again Ohio State has offered yet another 2022 defensive tackle prospect, showing that they’re not quite finished with evaluating talent in the class. Though they are already at 11 commits and several of them are on the defensive side of the ball, there’s still work to be done. Defensive line is a top priority for the Buckeyes, and while they continue to churn out elite NFL players thanks to their talent and development, the recruiting wins will surely continue moving forward.

The latest to earn the Buckeye offer, Chris McClellan, took to his Twitter account yesterday evening to announce that Ohio State has joined the fold after a Zoom call with the staff. The second defensive tackle offer in as many days, McClellan may not have the higher ranking Buckeye fans are accustomed to, but with 30 offers to his name from the likes of Florida, USC, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, and now Ohio State among several others, clearly McClellan is turning heads enough that programs see his potential. Drawing attention from these top schools shows he can be a major player at the next level, and the Buckeyes are now the latest to enter his recruitment under that same impression.

Right now, the 6-foot-3, 290 pound prospect ranks as the 48th-best defensive tackle in the 2022 class and the No. 10 player in Oklahoma in this cycle according to the 247Sports Composite. Coming in as the 658th-best player nationally, McClellan as mentioned has the offer list that would make you think he’s ranked higher, but with still another prep season to play and develop, it’s not out of the ordinary to think he could be one of the players that sees the biggest jump in his stock before signing day. Knowing they need defensive tackles, Ohio State will get right to work building a strong relationship with him.

One final note to consider on McClellan is his prep career is at a familiar place to Ohio State. While the Buckeyes definitely don’t recruit the state of Oklahoma as often as several others, they’ve still been able to see some recent success in the state when they were able to poach current safety Josh Proctor from the Sooners and bring him to Ohio. It just so happens that McClellan hails from the same high school — Owasso — that Proctor also attended. If the Buckeyes need some extra help in this recruitment, it never hurts to have a current guy on the team seeing success on and off the field pitching why he chose to leave Oklahoma to suit up and play for Ohio State.

Quick Hits

• With sights mainly on the 2022 and 2023 classes now, Ohio State still saw some positive news for their 2021 class yesterday when they gained a commitment from in-state kicker/punter, Garrison Smith. The Norwalk, Ohio native accepted a preferred walk-on from the Buckeyes and will stay at home for his college career.