Two big five-star prospects set to visit Ohio State

If you somehow haven't heard by now, Ohio State is set to host pretty much every blue chip prospect under the sun this June. After a year off from in-person visits as a result of COVID-19, June 1 will mark the end of the recruiting dead period as we inch closer and closer to a return to normalcy. As such, the Buckeyes are wasting no time in getting the nation’s top talent on campus as they look to fill out the 2022 class and get to work on 2023.

The full list of guys set to make a trip to Columbus this summer is seemingly never-ending, but on Monday we learned of at least two more five-star prospects with concrete plans to visit Ohio State.

In the 2022 class, five-star defensive end Omari Abor will be in town on June 4 — one of his five official visits which will also include trips to LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama and USC in that order, with the Buckeyes being the first stop.

Abor is the No. 2 strong-side defensive end in the 2022 class, and the No. 21 player in the nation overall in the 247Sports Composite. He is the fifth-best player from his home state of Texas, where Ohio State has obviously already had a tremendous amount of success with commitments already from Quinn Ewers (No. 1 in TX) and Caleb Burton (No. 10 in TX). The Buckeyes are still searching for that elite edge rusher in 2022, and Abor would be a massive get for Ryan Day and Larry Johnson.

The visit coming on June 4 is significant, as that first weekend is what the current commits are calling “Buckeye Bash 2.0” with most if not all of the guys already in Ohio State’s class set to be in town for the festivities. In addition to the large group of 2022 Buckeye commits, other notable names confirmed/rumored to be in attendance that weekend include five-star OT Zach Rice, four-star safety Zion Branch, four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa, and many more.

Doubling back to that fertile recruiting ground known as the Lone Star State, Ohio State will be looking to snag another big name out of Texas — this time directly out of the hands of the Longhorns themselves — with five-star Texas commit Rueben Owens looking to visit Columbus on June 15, according to Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.

Owens is not a name we’ve heard that much yet in regards to Ohio State, but with it being highly unlikely the Buckeyes shoot for another five-star RB in the 2022 class after landing both TreVeyon Henderson and the high four-star APB Evan Pryor, 2023 could be the cycle where running back is once again at the forefront of the conversation.

Owens is the No. 2 RB in the 2023 class, and the No. 24 player in the country overall according to the 247Sports Composite. Collecting over 25 offers for his services thus far including all of the big brand names, the El Campo native committed to Texas back at the end of February. However, as a 2023 prospect with still a long ways to go in his recruitment, that certainly does not mean this race is over just yet. We’ve already seen Day and his staff flip Ewers away from the Longhorns, so truly anything is possible.

In addition to Ohio State, Owens has plans to check out Clemson on June 2 and Alabama on June 8. Overall, he plans to make stops at six or seven schools this summer, and the Buckeyes are hoping theirs can make the biggest impact on the talented back.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State hoops has offered 2022 forward/center Felix Okpara. The 6-foot-11, 210-pound big man is a four-star prospect, currently ranked as the No. 5 center in the country and the No. 37 player in the class overall. Hailing out of Chattanooga, TN, Okpara has hauled in over a dozen offers for his services thus far, including from the likes of Florida, Tennessee, Texas and more. The Buckeyes are still looking for their next star big man, and Okpara is another name to add to the watch list.