Ohio State stays busy on football, basketball recruiting trails

While the four weekends in June were hyped up as being huge recruiting bonanzas for Ohio State, it seems like every single day Monday-Sunday the Buckeyes are hosting a number of top talents from all around the country. Tuesday was no different, as the latest camp in Columbus brought with it a number of new offers both on the football field and on the basketball court.

Latest football offers

One of the biggest names at Ohio State’s camp on Tuesday was five-star 2023 defensive lineman David Hicks. A native of Allen, TX, Hicks comes in as the No. 8 DL and the No. 22 prospect overall in his class. He also ranks as the third-highest player in the talent rich state of Texas — a place Ryan Day and his staff have had no shortage of success these past few years.

With around 34 offers to his name thus far, including the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and many others, Hicks is clearly a player drawing interest from all the heaviest hitters. Getting a chance to work out with D-line guru Larry Johnson this week, Hicks impressed enough to earn his latest offer: Ohio State.

Needless to say, an offer from the Buckeyes is a special one to almost every athlete around the country, and Hicks is no different...

Hicks wasn’t the only guy to earn that coveted Ohio State offer on Tuesday, as that honor also went out to four-star 2023 linebacker Troy Bowles. If that last name sounds familiar, it is because Bowles is the son of former New York Jets head coach and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.

Bowles, a native of Tampa, FL, is the nation’s No. 9 linebacker and No. 109 player overall in the 2023 class. Listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Bowles really impressed the coaching staff during Tuesday’s camp, and seemed to really hit it off with Ryan Day and position coach Al Washington. He excelled in pass coverage drills, including hauling in a deep-ball interception, and spent some extra time afterwards working one-on-one with Washington.

Another highly sought after prospect, Bowles currently holds around 30 offers, including from programs like Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M and of course now Ohio State. Bowles told reporters on Tuesday he has ‘a lot’ of interest in the Buckeyes, and said that he grew up watching them and knows they are a lot of peoples’ dream school. He projects as an inside linebacker, though Bowles feels he could play any linebacker spot.

Latest basketball offers

Ryan Day and his guys weren’t the only ones busy yesterday, as Chris Holtmann was making sure to get his ducks in a row as well. The basketball Buckeyes sent out a trio of offers early in the week as well, starting with 2023 combo guard George Washington III.

Hailing out of Louisville, KY, Washington is currently listed as the No. 15 CG and the No. 74 player in the 2023 class overall by 247Sports’ own rankings. Standing at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds, it is still very early in the process — as evidenced by his three total offers thus far, which are from Auburn, Louisville and now Ohio State. The Buckeyes were actually the first DI scholarship offer Washington received following his unofficial visit, with the Tigers and Cardinals quick to hop on the bandwagon shortly thereafter.

Another new offer from the hoops squad went out to four-star combo guard Jahnathan Lamothe of St. Frances Academy.

Rated as a high four-star prospect, Lamothe current ranks as the No. 5 CG and the No. 36 overall player in the 2023 class according to 247Sports’ own rankings. Lamothe is a bit further along in his process than the aforementioned Washington, holding nearly 20 offers from the likes of schools like Creighton, Georgetown, Maryland, Penn State, Seton Hall and now Ohio State. The Buckeyes are still looking for their first commit in the 2023 class, and I'm sure Holtmann wouldn’t hate to add the 6-foot-4 Baltimore native down the line.

Before Washington and Lamothe got their offers, however, it was actually Mackenzie Mgbako — a five-star small forward out of New Jersey — who was the first to hear from the Buckeyes, getting his official offer on Monday.

Standing at 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, the Gladstone, NJ product is the highest-rated of this new bunch of offers, coming in as the No. 3 SF and the No. 10 player overall in the 2023 cycle in the 247Sports Composite. Mgbako has been drawing interest from all over the place as of late, recently earning offers from OSU, LSU and George Washington while already holding over a dozen offers from programs like Auburn, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, St. Johns UCLA and more.

Chris Holtmann is a very good recruiter, and with Tony Skinn joining him in Columbus has built a good recruiting staff around himself as well. Ohio State seems to be getting in on a bunch of these 2023 prospects early on, and that can only spell good things as they continue to build relationships and put together more talented classes moving forward.

Quick Hits

• In addition to Bowles and Hicks, another name to keep an eye on from Tuesday’s football camp was three-star in-state running back Kaleb Johnson. Ohio State has yet to offer the nation’s No. 53 RB and the No. 19 player in Ohio in the 2022 class, but it could be coming soon as the Hamilton native has locked in two more return trips to campus this month.