Ohio State still recruiting top player in 2021, trying to lock down a visit

With June less than a week away, it’s getting real close to crunch time for Ohio State. Next weekend kicks off the busiest recruiting month maybe ever, and there’s no room for relaxation for the Buckeyes. With countless top targets slated to arrive on campus over the course of this next month, Ohio State is looking to leave lasting impressions on its most coveted guys and even hope to lock up some commitments for their current and future classes.

Thanks to the relentless effort Ryan Day and his crew have put into these prep stars, they’ll have as good a shot as you could want while playing host the next several weeks. Buckle up — June is almost here and the recruiting frenzy be off and running in no time at all.

Still pursuing the nation’s best in the 2021 class

Sometimes it feels like the recruitment of certain players will never end. In the case of the top player in the country for the 2021 class, J.T. Tuimoloau, it really does feel as if he will just show up on someone’s campus next fall and that’s when the rest of the nation will know where he decided to play his college ball.

It’s been months and months of constant speculation for the five-star edge rusher, but eventually his recruitment is going to have to come to an end. Tuimoloau is not one to talk about his recruiting process with the media. Between his private personality and staying busy with his remaining high school sports seasons, he really hasn’t given us much intel to work with.

This week, however, his hand was forced a bit when Ohio State learned they would be in fact getting to host Tuimoloau on campus this summer. It was pretty safe to assume the Washington native would take a visit to Columbus considering his recruitment had always included Ohio State, but now an official visit is set in stone for June 18-20. This visit will cover multiple days and give the coaching staff every opportunity to hit a home run with Tuimoloau and his family further, hopefully proving why Ohio State is the best landing spot for him.

Obviously the crown jewel for any program, Ohio State has arguably been in this recruitment for the longest period of time, and certainly seem to be at the top of the list thanks to position coach Larry Johnson and the firm belief that he can and would mold Tuimoloau into a first-round NFL Draft pick. Still, Alabama has been a thorn in the side who almost felt like they stole all of the momentum away and were at one point the leader (if you could name one) to land Tuimoloau — which is amazing considering they seem to have 20 players over the scholarship limit already, but that’s another story.

Overall, the good news is that the Buckeyes will be hosting their top remaining target for a multiple day stay. Surely the chance to work with coach Johnson will occur over the visit and the staff will lay out why coming to Columbus is a perfect fit. In addition, having multiple guys that Tuimoloau knows from his home state thanks to Gee Scott Jr. and Emeka Egbuka can’t hurt Ohio State’s chances either. June 18 will be a big time start to potentially the most important visit Ohio State will host all summer long.

Quick Hits

• With the summer camp season about to begin, the Buckeyes will be set to host numerous in-state and national prospects for evaluations. On Wednesday, in-state 2025 signal caller announced via his Twitter his summer plans, which include camping at Ohio State. Findlay, Ohio native Ryan Montgomery will be in attendance on June 22 to workout with the staff. Only in 8th grade, Montgomery is already becoming a name to watch for, and is also the younger brother of current Ohio State target in the 2023 class, Luke Montgomery.