Two more top prospects list Ohio State among college leaders

In between tuning into the NFL Draft and spending time with friends and family over the weekend you might’ve missed out on some of the latest recruiting news surrounding your Ohio State Buckeyes. Don’t worry! Land-Grant Holy Land is here to help get you caught back up with things.

Stokes commits

Well that didn’t take too long. Just about a week after locking in his scholarship offer from the Ohio State coaching staff, three-star athlete Kye Stokes (Seffner, FL/Armwood) is now the 11th class of 2022 prospect to verbally commit to the Buckeyes.

Announcing his pledge to OSU via his Twitter page, Stokes stated he’s “1000% committed”.

One of the most underrated athletes in the country, Stokes reported offer list is better than many of the recruits rated in front of him. Before shutting down his recruitment in favor of the Buckeyes, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Indiana, Oregon, and many others were after the 6-foot-2, 185-pound now-Ohio State safety during the process.

A two-way player at Seffner High, Stokes accounted 170 receiving yards on offense, but really displayed his talent in the secondary seeing time at free safety and cornerback. Helping lead his team to the state playoffs, the soon-to-be-senior finished his junior season off with 34 total tackles, and five interceptions.

Want to see for yourself what he’ll bring to the table? Get a better feel for what Kye Stokes will add to the Buckeyes roster with these highlights of him in action on the field:

Buckeyes make the cut

Even before a long list of former Buckeyes heard their name called during the 2021 NFL Draft this weekend, recruits from across the country were already giving a hard look at following in the footsteps of players such as Justin Fields, Pete Werner, Wyatt Davis, Shaun Wade, and Tommy Togiai and call Columbus their college home. That doesn’t look like its going to change anytime soon.

In what’s becoming a near daily occurrence, Ryan Day, and the Buckeyes once again found their name among the current leaders for a pair of the top rated prospects the class of 2022 has to offer.

Want to know who is still considering suiting up in the Scarlet and Gray on the next level? We’ve got you covered.

Four-star S Xavier Nwankpa

Class: 2022

Town: Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk

Size: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Top seven: Ohio State, Clemson, Iowa, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Arizona State

Scouting Report: “Great height length and has added good weight to his frame through his high school career. As a junior, he was excellent on defense, offense and special teams. Not afraid to deliver big hits and can also come down and blitz. But then can play man to man even out on the corner or go into the deep part of the secondary. Long arms and ball skills make him able to challenge any receiver or tight end on contested balls. Shows smooth change of direction and has good acceleration. Long strider who can cover a lot of ground. Shows instincts and smarts and gets himself into good position to make plays. Can still get stronger and refine man to man technique. Should be a great all-around safety who can line up in a variety of spots. Has a chance to be an early impact guy in college and has all the markings of an early round draft pick.” - Allen Trieu

Four-star DT Dominick “Nick” James

Class: 2022

Town: Bradenton, FL/IMG Academy

Size: 6-foot-2, 278 pounds

Top Six: Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Oregon, South Carolina

Scouting Report: “A big man that’s rather light on his feet. Carries 275 pounds better than most. The type of interior lineman that can not only plug gaps, but also get after the quarterback. Initial burst tends to overwhelm blockers. Uses strong hands to swipe and disengage from contact. Flexible enough to sink his hips and find some leverage. Raw power allows him to anchor and hold his ground vs. double teams, at least at the high school level. Doesn’t let many ball carries slip away, finishing off tackles more times than not. Will try to take away a throwing lane away by getting his paws up in the air and has one career interception to his credit. Makes his fair share of plays in the backfield, but upfield quickness seems to be better than his lateral range at this stage in his development. Could also get a little more consistent with his pad level. Transferred into IMG Academy for his junior season and found success right away lining up primarily as a three-technique for the Ascenders, who won a national championship. Also got some looks over the center. Must continue to progress over the next few years, but quick get off and impressive balance at the point of attack suggests that he can emerge as a starting defensive tackle that offers some pass-rushing value for a Power 5 program. Disruptive traits could eventually have him playing on Sundays.” - Andrew Ivins