Buckeyes dish out latest 2023 offer, top targets plan visits to other schools

What a week it has been for Ohio State and their football program. If we’re being honest, it hasn’t been a great last few days. The Buckeyes’ loss on Saturday to Oregon exposed some issues that really need fixed in a hurry. With most of the fingers being pointed at the defense, there’s so many narratives as to what is the main issue. While things seem like the sky is falling after this single loss, it’s important to take into consideration the Buckeyes still have a ton in front of them for the rest of how this season could play out. Sure, this one will sting for quite some time, but all is not lost.

In regards to off the field and Ohio State’s recruiting efforts, the Buckeyes are still hot on the trail. Yes, most of the attention is being directed at fixing the issues for the on-field product, but the staff clearly is still hard at work on their pursuit of elite talent. Needing to really get the ball rolling in the 2023 cycle with more commits in the fold as the fall continues on, this staff will push to get the momentum rolling a little bit as 2022 comes to a close and 2023 takes center stage.

Bucks dish out latest offer in 2023 class

With the Early Signing Period only a couple of months away, the Buckeyes are doing their best, like last year, to have pretty much their entire class signed come December. That said, looking ahead to 2023, the coaching staff hasn’t exactly seen every player they are interested in. Sure, most of the top national names are already offered by Ohio State, but new names and offers still come as it’s not exactly “late” in the cycle. Evaluations are still present and new targets will come about as time goes on.

On Wednesday, Ohio State added a new name to their recruiting board when they offered 2023 Florida native Lewis Carter. A 6-foot, 200 pound athlete out of Tampa Catholic, Carter took to Twitter to announce that the Buckeyes were the latest school to enter his recruitment. Now up to nearly 30 offers to his name, Carter is not an under the radar prospect by any means. Schools such as Florida, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Penn State, and a host of others have already thrown their names into the mix, and now with the Buckeyes also in the fold, it’s not a stretch to say almost every top program is in on him.

Currently, Carter is ranked as the No. 112 player in the country and the 10th-best linebacker in the class . Additionally, he checks out as the 26th best player in a very talent-rich state of Florida, all per the 247Sports Composite. Listed as an athlete per his 247Sports profile, Carter projects a linebacker at the next level, but regardless of where he ends up, he will serve the defense very well thanks to his speed and his ability to defend both the run and pass game.

The Buckeyes do very well in Florida, and now that Carter is the latest Sunshine State player to have an offer, look for the relationship between he and the Buckeyes to grow rather quickly as they look to get him on campus and really show him what Ohio State is all about.

Buckeye targets heading to other campus visits

Last weekend, Ohio State hosted several of their top targets in both the 2022 and 2023 class. A huge game day experience for these highly sought after recruits, the end result certainly wasn’t what the coaching staff wanted, but still, the theme coming out of the visits seems pretty positive in terms of how the top targets felt about Ohio State overall. It won’t be the last time the staff plays host to recruits on Saturdays this fall, but of course many of the top uncommitted guys they’re still chasing will be doing the same at other schools as well as they try to come to a final decision.

This weekend, defensive end target in the 2022 class, Enai White, will be making a trip to Athens to see Georgia. A five-star defensive end, White is ranked as the 34th best player nationally and the third-best edge rusher. One of the few remaining guys the Buckeyes are trying to land at the position, White’s visit to Georgia is a key one as he gets closer to naming the school of his choice. Selfishly, you have to hope the game day atmosphere isn’t as solid as Ohio State’s. Buckle up! There’s a ways to go before he commits.

Additionally, Oklahoma native Chris McClellan will be on the road this weekend as he will be in Florida to see the Gators take on Alabama. McClellan is certainly not a new name to Ohio State recruiting followers, as he has for some time been the one who was thought to be the first defensive lineman in the class to commit to the Buckeyes. The 93rd best player in the country, McClellan is also the 17th best player at his interior defensive line spot and the third best player in Oklahoma in the class.

Like the aforementioned White, this visit for McClellan is a big one, but if the 247Sports Crystal Ball feature is correct, the Buckeyes still have every prediction in their favor for him to end up in Columbus.