Ohio State makes top 10 for four-star RB

Ohio State is 10-0 following this weekend’s victory over Indiana. After a few questionable performances from the team, mainly on offense, the Buckeyes were back to their usual dominant selves in a 56-14 victory. The team’s performance on both sides of the ball was hard to ignore, and was sure to catch the eyes of most of those in the college football landscape, including recruits.

The Buckeyes have just two regular season games remaining to show the world what they are capable of, and there will be plenty of eyes on them in two weeks. Ohio State must remain focused on this week, with an upcoming game with Maryland who has a sneaky-good offense. Many of the headlines surrounding OSU this week will be focused on this current roster but, as always, expect them to continue to make the recruiting headlines as well.

2024 four-star RB has Ohio State in top 10

Ohio State is still working on closing out its 2023 recruiting class, but as they look to add the finishing touches to it, the coaching staff has already been putting in work for next year. The Buckeyes already hold two verbal commitments in the 2024 class in five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola (Chandler, AZ / Chandler) and four-star offensive lineman Ian Moore (New Palestine, IN/ New Palestine).

While it is still very early in the 2024 recruiting cycle, the Buckeyes moved one step closer in securing another commitment in the class. Four-star running back Aneyas Williams (Hannibal, MO / Hannibal) released his top 10 schools Monday when speaking with Clint Cosgrove of Rivals.com, and Ohio State was among those included.

Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, Penn State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Ohio State all made the cut for the blue-chip back. Williams also spoke with Chad Simmons of On3.com and went into more detail on all of his finalists.

When speaking on Ohio State, Williams had the following to say:

“Just another team that you can always never count out. Definitely another school like Bama, very serious, straight-to-business school, which obviously I’m a winner, so I don’t mind that.”

Williams did mention that Ohio State is not one of the schools in his top ten 10 is recruiting him the hardest currently, but there is still some time for this to change. However, if the Buckeyes are serious in their interest in Williams, they will need to start increasing their efforts. He told Simmons that he is not planning any upcoming visits, since his team is in the playoffs and games may be on Saturdays, but he does want to make multiple trips to his top schools in 2023. He also plans on committing before his senior year of high school.

Williams has already been to Ohio State this year, visiting for the home-opener versus Notre Dame. The Irish are currently viewed as the favorites in his recruitment, but the game is sure to have left an impression on him.

Expect Ohio State to increase their efforts in recruiting Williams if they view him as a player that would make a good fit for the program, as well as trying to get him on campus this spring and summer for an official visit.

Williams is the No. 24 ATH in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 185 overall prospect, despite position, and is the No. 4 recruit from Missouri.

Daniel Harris de-commits from Georgia

As was previously mentioned, Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class is almost full. The team has seemed to narrow its remaining focus on securing a couple commitments along the defensive line but there may soon be a new position the Buckeyes will focus on as four-star cornerback and former Ohio State target Daniel Harris (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep) announced his de-commitment from Georgia.

Harris was a priority target for Ohio State prior to his commitment to Georgia on July 1, 2022. In fact, the Buckeyes were one of his top four schools alongside Michigan, Penn State and Georgia.

It seems as if the original three finalists will be the favorites to land Harris, following the re-opening of his recruiting. There is no team that initially separates themselves from the pack and expect all of them to increase their efforts in recruiting him.

Harris took an official visit to Ohio State on June 10, 2022, prior to his commitment. Ohio State only has two regular season games remaining this season, and the Buckeyes would certainly love for a return visit.

Harris is the No. 18 CB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 154 overall prospect. He is also the No. 37 recruit from Florida.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State’s visitor list for ‘The Game’ in two weeks is sure to be massive. The list of visitors and potential visitors continues to grow, and on Monday we learned another blue-chip prospect is planning on making the trip to Columbus. 2025 five-star offensive tackle Mason Short (Evans, GA / Evans) made the announcement Monday that he plans to make the trip to Columbus when Ohio State hosts Michigan. The visit will be his first to Ohio State.

• Ohio State received a Crystal Ball on Monday for 2026 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. by Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts. The Cincinnati product was in town for the Buckeyes win over Indiana this past weekend, and is projected to be not only one of the top prospects in Ohio in his class, but also one of the top receivers nationally when the rankings come out. Ohio State is currently among one of the eight official offers for the 6-foot-3 pass-catcher.