New-look Ohio State staff staying busy on the trail with new offers, visits

Ohio State has been non-stop this offseason when it comes to piecing together this new coaching staff, and all of these new changes look to be set in stone. With their official starting dates now in the past for the various new hires, the Buckeyes are wasting no time getting started as they look to revamp the program, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

On the recruiting side of business, this new-look coaching staff is keeping the tradition alive of being relentless on the trail. All week long so far we’ve seen new offers going out and other news surfacing in regards to who the Buckeyes are after. Wednesday was no different, as once again multiple new offers were dished out to some elite targets, and many of the coaches were seen again all over the country doing recruiting work of their own.

There’s not much of an “offseason” when you’re Ohio State.

Buckeyes dishing out offers left and right

As mentioned, Ohio State’s coaching staff was out in full force on Wednesday as they extended offers to three different prospects. Without further hesitation, here’s a breakdown on the latest to receive an offer from the Buckeyes.

Samuel M’Pemba

The highest graded prospect to receive an offer yesterday, Ohio State went down into Florida to the dominant IMG Academy and threw their hat into the ring for five-star prospect, Samuel M’Pemba. A 6-foot-4, 230 pound star on both sides of the ball, M’Pemba excels in a variety of roles and has lined up at receiver as well as even defensive end. The 2023 stand-out from St. Louis, Missouri is the 15th-ranked player nationally, the top overall player at the athlete position, and the fourth-best player in his home state.

With a whopping 35 offers to his name from many of the best programs in the country, M’Pemba is clearly one of the more sought after players in the 2023 class. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Miami, and several more are all currently in the fold, so this Ohio State offer may be coming a little later than it typically would. Still, the Buckeyes being in the mix now certainly won’t be something to take lightly for M’Pemba.

Ohio State has crushed it when it comes to landing elite St. Louis natives, and it looks as if they’ll look to do the same again. Fortunately, players on the current roster can further explain why Columbus is the best option for a player that could play in any number of positions at the next level.

Desmond Umeozulu

In the 2023 class, Ohio State sent out an offer to Desmond Umeozulu out of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. A 6-foot-5, 220 pound edge rusher, Umeozulu is currently ranked as the 25th-best player at his position and the No. 307 player nationally. In addition, he currently holds upwards of 20 offers from several top programs around the country. Schools such as Florida State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, and a host of others are already in the running, but now the Buckeyes have been added to the list, which of course may start a domino effect.

A lower four-star, Umeozulu has all of the of the measurables that prove why he’s a force on the defensive line, but another season of prep football to play will surely only help his stock continue to rise. Where he’s from too is a major benefit to the Buckeyes if they get real serious in his recruitment. Position coach Larry Johnson thrives in the DMV area, and has the track record from his Penn State days to back that up.

With an offer now in the fold, the Buckeyes can really start working on the player relationship and they tend to thrive in that aspect. In addition, look for Ohio State to get Umeozulu to campus and maybe even as soon as spring practice.

Armondo Blount

Jumping all the way up to the class of 2025, the Buckeyes dished out their third and final offer Wednesday to a big time freshman from the Sunshine State. Ohio State isn’t one to offer prospects this early in the process, but in this case, the player’s current and future trajectory make it worth the while. Taking to his Twitter account to share the latest update in his recruitment, Armondo Blount was the next in line to hear the good news from Ohio State’s coaching staff.

A 6-foot-3, 230 pound defensive lineman, Blount does not yet have a ranking from 247Sports due to his class status, but when the time comes, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see his name among the top of the country. Offers from Miami, Florida State, and now Ohio State should really help his recruitment start to take off, and the Buckeyes are glad to get in on this one as early as they have. Over the next couple of years, the staff will lean on their ability to create impacting relationships as they pitch to Blount why coming to Ohio State is the best decision for both his development and off-field success.

Quick Hits

• While the staff was busy offering multiple players out of Florida on Wednesday, Ryan Day had plenty of time to stop in and see their top running back target for the 2023 class, Richard Young. The 16th-best player overall and top running back in the country, Young has made it clear how interested he is in the Buckeyes and position coach Tony Alford.

Thanks to the stellar season true freshman TreVeyon Henderson had for Ohio State this past fall, the Buckeyes will use his example as a perfect pitch for Young that he too can excel as an underclassman in Columbus. This will be a battle until the end, but the Buckeyes have plenty going for them with the nation’s top runner.

• Ohio State’s top 2022 defensive line commit Omari Abor has yet to sign and won’t until February, as most already know. The interesting aspect to this recruitment has been that though he’s committed to the Buckeyes, he was pretty vocal that he was still planning on taking other visits.

At this point, however, Abor does not have any scheduled visits. Sure, Texas is the school that would be the choice to still see a visit, but if Ohio State is fortunate enough that he stays off of other campuses, it really does seem that the Buckeyes will in fact land his signature in the end. Even if he does visit elsewhere, Larry Johnson may just be the deciding factor for Abor to his word.