Ohio State set for busy week of recruiting

Can you believe that it is nearly August already? Ohio State’s first regular season game is almost a month away, but until then we will continue to keep you updated on the hottest topic surrounding the Buckeyes this summer: recruiting. With another NCAA Dead Period in the books, Ryan Day and crew are gearing up for another busy week, and we here at Land-Grant Holy Land are here to keep you up to speed.

Ohio State hosts top recruit in 2023

It is incredibly rare for a player to achieve the perfect 1.000 rating, and the Buckeyes are fortunate to have one of those few players to earn such a ranking committed in 2022 in QB Quinn Ewers. However, the chase for college football dominance never stops, and so Ohio State is already in pursuit of another big name sporting that number on his recruiting profile.

Lebbeus Overton, the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class and the No. 1 defensive lineman, is a five-star prospect out of Alpharetta, GA who owns that elusive 1.000 rating. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher features a rare athletic profile, dominating along the defensive line on the football field while also turning heads as a basketball player at one of the country’s premier basketball programs at Milton High School. He holds offers from over 25 different programs across the nation, including basketball and football offers from Ohio State, and he made his way to Columbus on Sunday afternoon.

As you can imagine with a player of Overton’s caliber, the competition for his services will be fierce. All of the nation’s top football programs, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and more, have already offered the two-way star. However, him getting on campus on the very first day the dead period ended and getting in touch with Larry Johnson early on in the process is a huge positive for Ohio State. It will likely be an uphill battle the entire way for the Buckeyes to potentially land Overton, but his decision to make the trip to Columbus shows there is at least some mutual interest that can perhaps be built upon moving forward.

Buckeyes set for busy recruiting week

Overton was just the icing on the cake, as Ohio State is set to host a number of big names this week, all culminating in the Buckeye BBQ on July 29. Let’s take a quick run through some of the guys who are confirmed to be checking out Columbus in the coming days (the visitor list will likely grow as the week goes on and this list probably does not include every player already planning to visit):

Five-star 2023 RB Richard Young

Ranking: No. 1 RB, No. 17 Overall
Hometown: Lehigh Acres, FL
Measureables: 6-foot, 190 pounds

Four-star 2023 DL Derrick LeBlanc

Ranking: No. 11 DL, No. 50 Overall
Hometown: Kissimmee, FL
Measureables: 6-foot-4, 250 pounds

Four-star 2023 OT Luke Montgomery

Ranking: No. 5 OT, No. 55 Overall
Hometown: Findlay, OH
Measureables: 6-foot-5, 260 pounds

Four-star 2023 S/LB Ta’Mere Robinson

Ranking: No. 7 LB, No. 78 Overall
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Measureables: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds

Four-star 2023 OT Payton Kirkland

Ranking: No. 11 OT, No. 125 Overall
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Measureables: 6-foot-5, 330 pounds

Four-star 2023 IOL TJ Shanahan

Ranking: No. 3 IOL, No. 132 Overall
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Measureables: 6-foot-4, 300 pounds

Four-star 2023 IOL Joshua Padilla

Ranking: No. 9 IOL, No. 200 Overall
Hometown: Dayton, OH
Measureables: 6-foot-4, 265 pounds

Three-star 2023 IOL Clay Wedin

Ranking: No. 19 IOL, N/A Overall
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Measureables: 6-foot-6, 295 pounds

2024 QB Jadyn Davis

Ranking: N/A
Hometown: Fort Mill, SC
Measurables: 6-foot-1, 187 pounds

Ohio State will also be expecting a handful of their current 2022 recruits to be in town for the Buckeye BBQ, including of course Captain Buckeye C.J Hicks as well as cornerback Jyaire Brown and potentially tight end Bennett Christian.