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Buckeyes land commitment No. 12 in 2022, another DB set to visit campus in June

Ohio State continues to recruit the defensive back position heavily in the 2022 cycle.

NCAA Football: Big Ten Championship-Northwestern at Ohio State Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday proved to be a bit of a busy day on the recruiting front for the Buckeyes as they were able to secure commitment No. 12 from Florida’s Ryan Turner. A three-star cornerback, Turner has been on the Ohio State radar for some time now, and while his ranking isn’t the typical four or five-star status Buckeye fans are used to seeing at the position, the high praise and approval from the coaching staff should be the only opinion you need to consider.

Down to Ohio State and Clemson as the two programs who were after his services the hardest, this is a big get for OSU and Kerry Coombs. Though they’ll continue to try and add a couple more pieces to the defensive secondary in the 2022 class, this is another testament to how well the staff is doing on the trail whether it be in-state and or nationally.

2022 four-star DB heading to see Ohio State

Over the last several weeks now we have seen an uptick in top prospects setting their visit dates to the schools they are closely considering. On the Ohio State side of things, it seems as if the Buckeyes are planning to host virtually every single player in the country in June. With the start of the summer months finally allowing players to meet with coaches on college campuses, everyone is taking advantage. June will be a pivotal recruiting month for Ohio State and their 2022 class. Using those several opportunities to pitch their best effort at locking up their top remaining targets, the staff will be hoping for some “BOOOMs” to go along with the visits.

On Wednesday, another high-profile athlete in the 2022 class made it public he would be making the trek to Columbus to see Ohio State when Texas native Julian Humphrey tweeted he would be in town for the Buckeyes on June 3. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound four-star prospect, Humphrey is currently ranked as the 16th-best cornerback in the country for his class and the 135th player overall per the 247Sports Composite rankings. With over 30 offers to his name, it’s easy to see why Humphrey is one of the top players not only in his home state of Texas, but in the country as well on the defensive side of the ball.

With his longer frame and solid weight, Humphrey is the prototypical cornerback the Buckeyes and Kerry Coombs love to bring in for the back half of their defense. Having both the length and physicality, it’s not a surprise to see why the likes of LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, USC and others have offered to this point.

In regards to the Buckeyes, Ohio State has not offered just yet. The visit this June could surely change that though as Humphrey will be one to watch moving forward and as Ohio State continues to narrow down their sights for the few remaining pieces to their defensive secondary haul in the cycle. Certainly one pitch they’ll want to use if they do pursue Humphrey is the Jeff Okudah narrative of leaving Texas for Ohio, and then of course leaving the program as a top draft pick. There is certainly proof on concept there.

Buckeyes dish out new 2023 offensive line offer

Ohio State’s staff was also focused on the 2023 class in addition to 2022 when they sent out their latest offer to an offensive line prospect. Samson Okunlola, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle out of Brockton, Massachusetts was on the receiving end of the latest Buckeye offer, taking to his Twitter account to announce the news. Still only a high school sophomore, Okunlola lives up to his name with the already incredible frame he has to play out the outside of the offensive line at the next level.

Currently, Okunlola is ranked as seventh-best offensive tackle in the class, the 78th-best player overall nationally, and the top player in his home state for the 2023 class all per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Highly deserving of his four-star status, Okunlola already holds over 20 offers from many of the best programs in the country. With schools such as Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, and more already in the fold, this latest Ohio State offer is just another to add to the accolades. The Buckeyes will want to make a splash in his recruitment as he looks to be one of the premier offensive line targets in 2023.

Quick Hits

  • Ohio State’s vocal leader in the 2022 class has long been C.J. Hicks or “Captain Buckeye” as he’s known, but the second player and somewhat of a sidekick to Hicks was for a long time Dasan McCullough. However, with McCullough switching his commitment to play for his dad at Indiana, the secondary leader position has been up for grabs. Four-star receiver commit Kyion Grayes looks to be the next in line to be one of the better peer recruiters in the class.