Ohio State trending for four-star DL from Oklahoma

Plenty of recruiting news came about on Tuesday as it relates to the Buckeyes. Land Grant Holy-Land has you covered on everything you need to know about a busy day on the recruiting trail.

Buckeyes on the verge of a BOOM?

Back in the beginning of April, Ohio State set their sights on 2022 four-star defensive lineman Chris McClellan when they extended an offer to the 6-foot-3, 295-pounder. With that being said, it seemed as if the Buckeyes wouldn’t have a true shot at the Owasso High School (OK) standout unless they were able to get him on campus. This past weekend, Ohio State did just that as they welcomed McClellan to Columbus for his official visit with the program, and the early returns have been nothing other than positive — very positive.

Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson could be on the verge of adding yet another highly-touted prospect to his DL room. On Tuesday, 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong and Bill Kurelic both cast Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Ohio State adding McClellan to the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class. If that indeed ends up being the case, it will be the first time the Buckeyes have reeled in a prospect from the state of Oklahoma since Josh Proctor — who coincidentally was also an Owasso Ram in high school.

Montgomery down to 12

After picking up over 30 scholarship offers thus far, four-star 2023 offensive tackle Luke Montgomery of Findlay (OH) has trimmed things down and will now focus on 12 schools going forward.

Montgomery is currently ranked as the 53rd best prospect in the 2023 cycle. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder is also the No. 5 offensive tackle and the third-highest graded player in the class. It’s no surprise that the Buckeyes made the cut for Montgomery, with many around the recruiting world considering them the favorite to land the in-state talent.

Owens secures Buckeye offer

With Christian Brothers (TN) four-star running back Dallan Haydan in the fold already for the 2022 recruiting class, Head Coach Ryan Day and company can now go all-in in hopes of finding their guy for 2023. Coming into Tuesday, Ohio State had already extended offers to four backs in the class. However, five-star running back Rueben Owens of El Chapo (TX) made it a handful after he received an offer from the Scarlet and Gray in the late afternoon.

Owens was a one-time Texas pledge before decommitting from the program not even two weeks ago. Since backing off of his commitment to the Longhorns, Owens has received offers from Miami (FL), Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Wisconsin and now the Buckeyes.

Tony Alford and staff will now look to strengthen their relationship with Owens and eventually get him on to campus. The Texas native is currently penciled in as the second-highest graded running back in his class and a top-25 player overall.

Quick Hits

• Five-star 2023 defensive lineman Brenan Vernon of Mentor (OH) announced his pledge to Notre Dame over Ohio State and many more. The loss on the recruiting trail to the Fighting Irish is a tough one for the Buckeyes, with Vernon being one of the very best that Ohio has to offer. Vernon is fresh off of a visit to the South Bend campus, and in the end they did enough to impress the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder.
• Four-star 2022 offensive tackle Joe Brunner of Whitefish Bay (WI) committed to Wisconsin over offers from Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and more. Though the Buckeyes weren’t exactly thought of as the leader for Brunner, they were definitely in the mix and will now shift their focus elsewhere with hopes of adding anywhere from 3-5 offensive linemen to the class. As of today, four-star offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola of Lakota West (OH) is the lone offensive line pledge in the fold.
• Decision day for five-star 2023 athlete Treyaun Webb of Trinity Christian Academy (FL) is approaching as the 6-foot-0, 188-pounder announced on Twitter that he will be making his commitment on July 17th. Webb revealed a top-three list one week ago that included Ohio State, as well as Georgia and Oklahoma. At this time, the Sooners look to be in a favorable position for the Sunshine State standout, and with the consensus penciling Webb in at running back at the next level, perhaps this news directly correlates with the Buckeyes dropping an offer to the aforementioned Owens in the 2023 class.
• Four-star 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy (FL) revealed on Twitter that he will be announcing his top schools later today. It would come as more of a shock if Ohio State wasn’t on that list than if they are. The Buckeyes recently had Tate on campus, and he is one of the top wide receiver targets for Brian Hartline in 2023.