Top offensive lineman set to commit Friday, Buckeyes officially add J.T. Tuimoloau to roster

The July recruiting dead period won’t last much longer, and that should further continue Ohio State’s momentum on the trail. Though the visits have ceased since the end of June, the staff will once again be gearing up to play host to several of their top targets for their end of July cookout. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see another big weekend of visitors on campus leading towards even more success for their 2022 classes and beyond. The good news seems to just keep coming for the Buckeyes.

Givens ready to make commitment

In Thursday’s State Secrets, it was discussed how in the near future the Ohio State offensive line recruiting situation would start to really take shape. With two guys currently in the fold thanks to in-state product Tegra Tshabola and latest commit George Fitzpatrick, the staff would like to add probably two more players to reload the position group, but certainly at least one more. With several of their top targets getting closer to decisions being made, each day that passes gives a little bit of a glimpse as to who the Buckeyes are still heavily recruiting and what prospects are heading to different programs.

On Friday, the Buckeyes will once again find themselves in a situation where a recruitment will be wrapped up. Virginia native Gunner Givens will be committing to the school of his choice and doing so live on CBS Sports. As seen in his graphic, the schools Givens will be choosing between include Alabama, North Carolina, Penn State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State. Though the Buckeyes are listed here, it would be a shock to see Givens choose Ohio State in the end. Surely any school would be thrilled to add the nation’s 131st best player overall and the fourth-best at his position, but with every Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Givens staying home and choosing Virginia Tech, that looks to be the most likely destination.

As for the Buckeyes, this shouldn’t be worrisome at all. Thanks to incredible efforts by the entire staff and position coach Greg Studrawa, Ohio State sits very well for many top national guys as well as in-state blue-chip players along the line. The key here is to pay attention to the numbers game and where there’s momentum, because with over half of the class already filled up, it really does seem as if it’s going to be battle of who’s first to commit. Fortunately, whoever does decide to pick Ohio State in the end will be right in the same caliber of player that you’re used to seeing in the Buckeyes’ classes.

Quick Hits

• Thursday was another jolt of excitement for the future of Ohio State football. Yes, the commitment of J.T. Tuimoloau came earlier this month, but officially the highest ranked player in the 2021 class for the Buckeyes was added to the roster. While expected, it just cements in stone how incredible the 2021 class is as a whole and of course finishing with a five-star elite talent makes it that much better. A tip of the cap to Larry Johnson and Ryan Day for their tireless efforts.
• Everyone knows what Ohio State has in their 2022 signal caller Quinn Ewers. The top ranked player in the nation, Ewers is a phenom at quarterback, but one of the best aspects to his game is the desire to work after the accolades. Though he’s already committed and projected as one of the highest ranked players in the recruiting ranking era, Ewers continues to take every opportunity presented to him to further improve his game and development.