Four-star Ohio State safety commit sets upcoming visit

While the focus for Ohio State athletics on Tuesday came in the form of a contest against Minnesota on the hardwood, the Buckeyes were able to get some optimistic news on the gridiron regarding two blue-chip defensive backs from the state of Florida. Plus, some more good news arrives as the program awaits a decision from arguably the top target in 2023.

Hawkins plans April visit

Ohio State is set to welcome 2023 four-star safety and Buckeye commit Cedrick Hawkins of Cocoa (FL) to campus for the first time since he announced his verbal pledge to the program during the Rose Bowl contest against Utah on Jan. 1.

The news of Hawkins setting a visit, which will be his second, was revealed by 247Sports' Bill Kurelic, and Eleven Warriors' Garrick Hodge discussed that the trip to Columbus will take place on April 15-17. That means the 6-foot, 165-pounder will be in attendance for Ohio State's annual spring game that is scheduled for April 16.

The expectation is that there will be many other highly-touted prospects also in attendances for the scrimmage, and having Hawkins roaming the sidelines and doing some recruiting of his own could only be another benefit for the Buckeyes.

Hawkins, a Titusville native, is currently graded as the No. 228 prospect that the 2023 class has to offer. The Tigers standout defensive back also comes in as the No. 22 safety and the No. 41 player from the always-loaded state of Florida.

Fagan set to trim list

After jumping into the mix for 2023 four-star safety Daemon Fagan of American Heritage (FL) just under a year ago, the Buckeyes are hoping that be included among the eight that the blue-chip standout will reveal on Monday.

Fagan will have plenty of options to sort through in the coming days, as he has already secured offers from the likes of Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, and many more thus far.

With that being said, it seems as if it is a safe bet that the Buckeyes will be included in the final group that Fagan will begin focusing on. The reason being is that according to Lettermen Row's Jeremy Birmingham, Fagan is scheduled to visit Ohio State on two separate occasions in the month of April.

Fagan is currently penciled in as the No. 246 overall player in the class. The Patriots defensive standout also finds himself slotted as the 24th best safety and the 46th highest graded player from the state of Florida. While those numbers might not jump off of the screen, Fagan will certainly look to make a major move up the rankings during his senior campaign.

While Fagan is determined to narrow things down to just eight programs next week, the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Fort Lauderdale was still on the receiving end of an offer on Tuesday. LSU is the latest to drop a scholarship opportunity to Fagan, and it looks as if they will have to make up some ground if they want to make a play for the talented defensive back.

Quick Hits

• As Ohio State awaits an upcoming decision from 2023 four-star offensive tackle Luke Montgomery of Findlay (OH), the Buckeyes continue to look like the favorite in this race. On Tuesday, 247Sports' Sean Fitz was the latest recruiting analyst to join in on the party as he also forecasted the No. 1 player in Ohio to chose the local team tomorrow.