Buckeye BBQ a success, OSU hoops sends out new offer

The Buckeyes football program hosted their highly anticipated cookout as the latest opportunity to see many of their top targets, and it appears they had a fantastic day as they typically do when it comes to recruiting events. This coaching staff has done a second-to-none job with hosting their desired players, and Thursday was no different as several came away raving about their time spent in Columbus. The near future should see some developments due to this Buckeye BBQ, but again, hats off to this coaching staff for continuing to do nothing but dominate on the trail building the future of the roster.

Buckeye BBQ leaves targets impressed

To start off, one of the visitors on campus Thursday who was a repeat guest and definitely worth mentioning is 2023 target Derrick LeBlanc. A 6-foot-4, 250 pound defensive lineman, LeBlanc is the No. 50 overall player nationally and the 11th-best at his position per the 247Sports Composite. What makes LeBlanc such a big name is the fact that this was already the third time he visited the Buckeyes this summer alone. Incredible as that is, it’s even more telling that multiple visits are on his own dime, which shows how highly he thinks of Ohio State and where the Buckeyes stand in his recruitment.

With over 40 offers to his name from every top program in the country, it’s Ohio State that is the frontrunner, and Thursday went so well that according to Kevin Noon of Buckeye Grove, LeBlanc almost committed to Ohio State shortly after the cookout. A big development for the Buckeyes, who are yet to have a commit in their 2023 class, it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see LeBlanc become the first member of the cycle and do so relatively soon. The lineman raved about the Buckeyes, and while he may not have committed, telling analysts such as Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts that the Ohio State is “definitely number one” shows his feelings pretty clearly. It could just be a matter of time.

Sticking to the defensive line subject, but in the 2022 class this time, the Buckeyes got another important visitor on campus Thursday when Hero Kanu arrived. What makes this visit so important is that Kanu wasn’t 100% going to make the trip, and this showing came as a bit of a last minute surprise. However, one day after his unofficial visit to Notre Dame, Kanu was back in Columbus for another summer visit and that again shows how highly he thinks of the Buckeyes and how much of a priority he has become in the 2022 class for the coaching staff and specifically Larry Johnson.

The 12th-best defensive lineman in the class and the No. 80 overall player nationally, Kanu might just be the prospect who has seen his stock increase the fastest both in terms of ranking and how highly Ohio State and other programs see him. Larry Johnson has made a huge impression on Kanu, and he has echoed that sentiment numerous times which bodes very well as far as landing his commitment is concerned. Ohio State will have to fend off other major suitors such as Notre Dame, USC, and others, but you have to like the way this is trending for the Buckeyes with yesterday’s surprise visit.

Basket-Bucks dish out new offer in 2023

With how successful the football program has been on the recruiting trail, Chris Holtmann and the basketball program have done everything to keep pace with their counterparts. The 2022 hoops class is currently ranked atop of the country on 247Sports with four commits, and the class may not even be finished yet. Having both the football and basketball programs with the top recruiting classes nationally isn’t something to just look past, and the momentum looks to continue not only in the current cycle but in future classes as well.

On Thursday, the Buckeyes dished out their latest hoops offer to Ja’Kobe Walter. A 6-foot-5, 180 pound shooting guard out of McKinney, Texas, Walter is the fifth-ranked player at his position and the 27th best player in the country in the 2023 class per the 247Sports Composite. Having nearly 15 offers to his name from the likes of Alabama, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, UCLA, and more among Ohio State, Holtmann and crew clearly like what they see in Walter and will work to get him on campus soon enough. This will be a recruitment worth watching moving forward.

Quick Hits

• The Buckeyes did have a bit of some bad news in their 2022 class when tight end Benji Gosnell de-committed earlier this week, but the tight end recruiting is still in very solid shape, and Thursday proved that to be the case. Tennessee native Ty Lockwood was on campus yesterday, and due to how well the cookout went, Lockwood left giving the news that Ohio State was now in the lead in his recruitment. A 6-foot-5, 225 pound target, Lockwood is considered to be the fifth-best tight end in the country and the 98th best player nationally in the 2023 class. Obviously, this would be a huge addition to a position that will need depth in the very near future.

• Not so much of news for Ohio State, but one of their defensive line targets in the 2022 class is taking a little bit of a step back in his recruitment to focus on his upcoming prep season. Enai White, the third-ranked edge defender and the 36th best player overall took to his Twitter to share that he wouldn’t be taking any visits this weekend, and instead would be a taking a bit of a break from being on college campuses.