Legacy defensive lineman trending towards Ohio State

The college football season is wrapped up, and with that Ohio State’s coaching staff will soon be hitting the trail in efforts of building the best future possible for the team. This offseason, Ohio State’s coaching staff will likely be busier than normal as the majority of next year’s staff will be new. Not only will the new coaches need to reestablish relationships with recruits, they will also be looking to create new ones as well. While the recruiting landscape isn’t electric just yet, Ohio State is still finding ways to make the recruiting headlines.

Ohio DL trending towards Ohio State

Much of the focus for Ohio State will turn towards the 2023 class as this year’s class is all but wrapped up. Ohio State has three verbal commits in the next cycle, which may seem small, but it is good for 10th place nationally in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.

The Buckeyes have been working to establish relationships with not just the best talent in the nation, but at home as well. This focus on Ohio may soon result in the Buckeyes earning their next commit sooner than later.

Three-star DL target Will Smith (Dublin Coffman, Dublin, Ohio) received his official Ohio State scholarship offer less than a week ago. The hometown kid looked to be more than excited about the news.

Ohio State is always looked at having a leg up on in-state talent, especially those that have gone under the radar. This appears to be the case for Smith as multiple predictions have been placed in Ohio State’s favor on the 247Sports Crystal Ball. While these predictions are never a guarantee, when 247Sports Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong and Ohio State insider Bill Kurelic agree, the smoke is usually fire — especially when these predictions are placed just days apart.

The Buckeyes are not alone in their pursuit of Smith, however. Nationwide interest from schools like West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Toledo, Northwestern, Illinois and Duke has all offered Smith a scholarship to play for them.

Smith has not made any inclinations that a commitment will be coming soon, as he may wait until he has had a chance to visit with some of his suitors. With Ohio State being in Smith’s backyard, and of course the legacy aspect of his recruitment, it should be able to get him on campus multiple times, whether for summer camps or for a game next season. Hopefully, both.

Quick Hits

• Multiple future Basketball Buckeyes were featured in games playing on ESPN2. One of the Buckeyes’ commits, 2022 four-star point guard Bruce Thornton, continued a recent hot streak of his with another impressive state line.

• Fellow 2022 Basketball Buckeye commit, center Felix Okpara, also showed out on Monday on ESPN2.