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Which June Ohio State mens’ basketball visit should everyone pay the most attention to?

We look at two players that the Buckeyes would be very happy to land.

City Of Palms Classic Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

As the summer heats up, so will Ohio State’s basketball recruiting. In the month of June, the Buckeyes are hosting seven highly touted 2022 basketball recruits in the hopes to put together their most impressive recruiting classes during Chris Holtmann’s tenure. With the way the lineup is shaping up, it looks like at as of right now, Ohio State could have as many as seven, eight, or even nine scholarships to fill following this coming season, so the 2022 class will have to be a big one.

As of right now, the 2022 class consists of four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle, three-star shooting guard Bowen Hardman and four-star and rising point guard Bruce Thornton, which gives Ohio State the No. 1 recruiting class in the country; and the staff is far from done.

Last weekend, five-star power forward AJ Casey took an official visit to Columbus. Casey is one of the top targets to Holtmann and his staff and is becoming one of the top recruits in the country in general. Casey is currently ranked as the 20th overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

This weekend, four-star power forward Kyle Filipowski visited Columbus and met with Holtmann and his staff. Filipowski is the 56th ranked recruit in the country in the 2022 class. The 6-foot-11 power forward is a young player with size and athleticism that would fit well in the Ohio State mold.

With those two recruits already having visited, that leaves five more guys that Ohio State has left on the list to visit this month. Here are the two I am most excited to see what happens.


Jarace Walker

Jarace Walker is the easy one to choose on this list, but it doesn’t make it any less true. He is “the guy” in this recruiting class for the Buckeyes and for everyone that has their eyes on him. Walker will be in Columbus from June 16- 18 and will have plenty of time to get to know Holtmann, his staff and the inner workings of the program.

Walker is a 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward who plays out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He is currently ranked as a high five-star recruit and the seventh overall recruit in the 2022 class. He is the top power forward and the second best player in the state of Florida, only being topped by Jalen Duran from Montverde Academy and is the second ranked recruit in the class. Most people believe Duran is heading to the pros out of high school.

Walker is a do-it-all kind of guy. He can get you points, rebounds, assists, and can play strong defense on multiple different positions. He is a physical specimen who can post up anyone, even though he is only 6-foot-8. A fair NBA comparison would likely be a Draymond Green or Blake Griffin of sorts. The one thing Walker can afford to work on is his jump shot, which is something that can come with time. Look at guys like E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young to see how that can evolve. Walker is an athletic monster that will make whatever team he chooses very happy.

Walker’s current list consists of Florida State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Auburn, Houston, and Maryland, Illinois amongst others. He has visited with Auburn and will visit Houston the week after Ohio State.

He will be the top recruit to watch as he takes visits because he is the only top-15 recruit that the Buckeyes are currently in the running for, unless Casey jumps into that position. He is the type of guy that can help cement the No. 1 class in the country title for Holtmann this year.


Donovan Clingan

Donovan Clingan is the biggest big guy in the group that Ohio State is chasing. The 7-foot-1, 255-pound center is visiting Ohio State June 24-25 and is sure to be shown the red carpet treatment, as this would be the highest ranked center Holtmann and his staff brought into Columbus.

Clingan is currently ranked as the 41st overall prospect in the country, the sixth ranked center, and the top recruit in Connecticut.

He is from Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Connecticut. Clingan currently has UCONN, Georgetown, Michigan, Boston College, Syracuse, Maryland, Iowa, and Michigan State on his list in addition to the Buckeyes.

A prototypical big man, Clingan is a recruit who — with his size — could have an immediate impact for the Buckeyes who have been playing without a true center for the entirety of Holtmann’s tenure. For Clingan, UCONN is currently viewed as the heavy favorite, but with the current class at Ohio State, that could entice a guy like Clingan to head to Columbus.


All seven of the guys visiting this month are top-60 ranked recruits, according to 247Sports. This could be a huge month for Holtmann, Ryan Pedon, and the Buckeyes.

Stick to Land-Grant Holy Land all summer for updates and breakdowns as these recruits visit Columbus.