Ohio State makes the cut for four-star safety

Ohio State had a busy start to the week, as is usual for this Buckeyes’ coaching staff. The Buckeyes continued to make the recruiting headlines Monday as the team moved one step closer to securing a commitment from a safety in next year’s class, and the men’s basketball team will soon be playing host to a rising 2024 small forward.

Fagan lists Ohio State in top 8

Ohio State is hard at work building on its 2023 recruiting class. The team has seen great success in securing talent from in-state to begin the cycle, but the Buckeyes are also targeting the nation’s top talents.

On Monday afternoon, four-star safety Daemon Fagan (Fort Lauderdale, FL / American Heritage) released his top eight schools, and Ohio State made the cut.

Ohio State has long been a player in Fagan’s recruitment, as the program offered him back in March of last year. The Buckeyes’ ability to establish a relationship with the blue-chip safety seems to have paid off now that the team is in his top schools.

However, Ohio State is not alone in Fagan’s recruitment. Miami, NC State, Penn State, Georgia, Florida State, LSU and UCF all made his top schools list. Home-state school Miami seems to be the favorite in Fagan’s recruitment, as he has already made a handful of visits to the program. Ohio State, while far from out of it, will need to get Fagan on campus this season if it is to have a chance in stealing him from the Sunshine State.

The Buckeyes have quickly made the safety position one of great importance in next year’s class. Ohio State has already secured a commitment from four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins, who also hails from Florida. Ohio State has also recently increased its recruiting presence in Florida, and securing a safety tandem from the state would be all the proof needed to see it is working.

Fagan is the No. 24 safety in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and is the No. 247 overall prospect. He is also the No. 46 prospect from the talent-rich state of Florida.

Ohio State targeting rising 2024 SF

Ohio State’s men’s basketball program has had an up-and-down season this year. The program rebounded in a big way following the weekend loss in Iowa when they found a way to beat Indiana at home in overtime on Monday night.

One of Ohio State’s top players this year has been freshman Malaki Branham, which is a credit to Holtmann’s recruiting prowess. Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class recently wrapped up, and Holtmann was able to secure the No. 5 class in the country. The team is already off to a quick start in the 2023 cycle as well, securing commitments from four-star guard George Washington III and three-star center Austin Parks.

This head start has allowed the Buckeyes to shift some of their focus on the 2024 class. Small forward Darren Harris has seen his recruitment gain more attention as of late, and the Buckeyes are one of the team’s expressing interest. Jake Weingarten of stockrisers.com recently spoke with Harris regarding his recruitment and the Buckeyes were a topic of discussion. Harris mentioned he has an unofficial visit planned for March 6 to Ohio State.

Harris also spoke on the status of Ohio State and how he views the program. Specifically, he said, “I know they play in a great conference, and Coach Tony Skinn talks to me the most, and he’d say I’d be a great fit there.”

Harris has not yet received a star ranking in the 2024 class, but he has already received interest from some of the top programs in the nation. Programs such as Duke, Georgetown and George Mason have all offered Harris. As long as his upcoming visit to Ohio State goes as planned, expect Ohio State to join his offer list shortly after.