Ohio State sends out over a half dozen new offers on Thursday

It is clearly offer season for the Buckeyes’ staff. Every day this week, the coaches have been hard at work on the trail, and many times it’s ended up in new names popping up thanks to offers being dished out. In addition, Ryan Day and his crew have made stops all over the country to see high profile targets both in and out of state that will hopefully be pieces for the 2023 and 2024 classes when all is said and done.

Buckeyes offer big time 2024 offensive lineman

Now that Ohio State has their new offensive line coach, Justin Frye, the work for him really centers around recruiting right now. Since his start with the Buckeyes, Frye has been working on the trail like his hair has been on fire, but that’s what going to be asked of any Ohio State assistant coach. Whether it’s making up for lost time with prospects already linked to the Buckeyes or the pursuit of new names, games are lost and won up front, so coach Frye will need to rise to the occasion.

On Thursday, Frye was at work again when Ohio State offered a big time 2024 offensive lineman out of Roswell, Georgia. Taking to his Twitter account to share his latest offer, Daniel Calhoun was on the receiving end and shared his excitement that the Buckeyes had entered the mix.

A 6-foot-5, 330 pound monster in the trenches, Calhoun has the perfect frame to play offensive tackle at the next level. Currently, Calhoun hold 20 offers to his name from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and several more. Ranked as the second-best offensive tackle in the 2024 class by 247Sports, Calhoun is also considered to be the No. 74 overall player nationally. Obviously he’s worth all of the high profile offers and the four-star status attached to his name.

2023 linebacker adds Ohio State to offer list

It’s been pretty apparent that the Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is more of a schemer than a recruiter when it comes to his coaching role. Surely Ohio State has lacked in the scheme department the last couple of seasons when you see the defensive production, but the confidence moving forward is knowing what Knowles has done in his previous stops with less talent than what the Buckeyes typically provide. Whether he recruits as much as other coaches or not, the formula for success in terms of the ability to land elite defensive players will directly be in how this defense performs.

On Thursday, Ohio State was back on the grind when they sent out another defensive offer, and to an elite player at that. On the receiving end, 2023 linebacker Raul Aguirre was next in line for the Buckeyes.

From the Peach State like the aforementioned Calhoun, Aguirre is also a Georgia native and one of the top players in the state for his cycle. Currently, Aguirre checks in as the eighth-best linebacker in the country and the No. 120 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. With schools such as Georgia, Florida State, Oregon, and several more already on his offer sheet, the Buckeyes weren’t wasting any more time before getting in the mix.

An interesting aspect to his recruitment, Aguirre also has an Oklahoma State offer to his name, and knowing that’s where Knowles came from, odds are this is a player coach Knowles thinks highly of and now wants to recruit in hopes he comes to Columbus. It’s a safe bet this won’t be the only time you hear this name moving forward as Ohio State looks to add players to this new system that are the perfect fit.

Texas native receivers land OSU offers

Like many of the other staff members, Brian Hartline was out in full force on Thursday as well, making his presence known in Houston, Texas. Sending multiple offers out in the 2023 class, Ohio State is set on getting back into Texas to land top receivers as they have done in the past. Fortunately, having guys like Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba — who of course played their high school ball in Texas — only helps the recruiting pitch after seeing these Buckeye careers.

The first prospect to mention, Jonah Wilson (Houston, Texas/Dekaney), received an Ohio State offer while Hartline was in town. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound receiver is currently the 28th-best receiver in the 2023 class and No. 228 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. Wilson adds Ohio State to a double-digit offer list that includes the likes of LSU, Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and more. With Hartline doing the recruiting work, you have to think Ohio State immediately becomes a big player in his recruitment.

Next up on the list, Jaquaize Pettaway also saw the benefits in regards to Ohio State stopping in to see him. A major receiver target in the 2023 class, Pettaway is considered to be the eighth-best receiver prospect in the class and the No. 42 overall player nationally. At 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, Pettaway is built like an inside slot receiver type of position, and with JSN’s record breaking season as just a sophomore for the Buckeyes, that blueprint provides yet another perfect recruiting pitch.

Sought after by every major program in the country, Pettaway currently holds over 20 offers and has schools such as Florida, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Penn State, USC, and several more involved. Once again, you have to figure that this Ohio State offer and the combination of Brian Hartline and the success other Texas native receivers are having in Columbus puts Ohio State right in the mix of things moving forward.

The offer frenzy continues

The Ohio State coaching staff was not nearly finished sending out new offers on Thursday, as the Buckeyes’ assistant coaches continued their onslaught on the national trail. Continuing the trend of adding Georgia natives to the list, 2024 linebacker Myles Graham also received an offer from Ohio State.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, the Woodward Academy product does not yet have a rating as a result of his 2024 class status. However, that hasn’t stopped over two dozen schools from entering the mix in his recruitment early, including the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas, among others. Clearly Graham has caught the attention of many of the nation’s top programs, and will likely be ranked highly once his class gets on the board.

Moving over to Washington, DC for the next Ohio State offer was 2024 defensive lineman Dylan Stewart.

Also not yet rated as a result of class status, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound lineman received his offer from none other than Larry Johnson, who as we know by now has a pretty good eye for talent at his position. Ohio State is one of the early entrants for Stewart’s services, as the Friendship Collegiate Academy product has just six official offers to his name thus far, including schools like Boston College, Maryland, NC State and others. As things usually go, once other big schools see the Buckeyes get involved, they will surely come knocking.

Rounding out this afternoon wave of OSU offers, we return to Georgia, where 2024 edge rusher Eddrick Houston was also on the receiving end of a Buckeye offer sheet.

Unlike his fellow classmates, Houston already has a rating on 247Sports, where he has been listed as the No. 5 EDGE in the class and the No. 82 player in the cycle overall. Still early in his recruitment, Houston is up to 10 official offers thus far, including some heavy hitters such as Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan State and Ole Miss. Like with Stewart, Larry Johnson getting involved early on in a recruitment is generally a good sign for both player and program alike, so we will have to wait and see how this relationship develops moving forward.

Quick Hits

• On Thursday, Brian Hartline was on duty checking in on multiple 2023 receivers. Making several stops in Houston, Hartline was also in to see Ryan Niblett. The 11th-ranked receiver and the 108th-best player nationally, Niblett does not currently have an Ohio State offer, but that could be changing in the near future thanks to a visit like this.
• Sticking with some receiver news, per Director of Recruiting for 247Sports, Steve Wiltfong, the Buckeyes are still in a solid spot for five-star receiver Brandon Inniss because of how highly he thinks of Brian Hartline. Inniss, who was once committed to Oklahoma, is the nation’s top receiver and the ninth best player nationally in 2023.
• Some news broke on Thursday that could have an impact on Ohio State in regards to Jim Knowles. Former Oklahoma State cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. An All-Big 12 selection at cornerback with 47 starts under his belt, this could be a player that the Buckeyes take a look at. If they choose to leave the situation alone, it has to be because the staff is already comfortable with their depth and roster overall.