Buckeyes lock in visit with Jim Knowles’ top linebacker target in the 2023 class

The offseason grind continues for both Ohio State’s staff and players. Whether it’s in the weight room with the strength staff or on the recruiting trail, the Buckeyes are hard at work prepping for both the 2022 season and of course constructing the future roster.

Dead period or not, Ryan Day and his crew are in constant contact with their top targets and keeping the momentum going on the recruiting side of things. Counting down to the next commitment, the coaches are doing everything they can to show the top priorities on their board why Columbus is the best place to be, and they’ll get the chance in person within the next few weeks. It’s going to be a busy spring ball season for sure.

Top linebacker locks in visit with Ohio State

In Ohio State’s 2023 class, the linebacker target that the Buckeyes were in on from the get go was Florida product, Troy Bowles. The fourth-best linebacker in the class, Bowles has always been a major priority for the coaching staff, and that’s not going to change any time soon. Having the skillset as well as the intelligence to be a major player at the next level, the coaching staff is going to be in on him until the very end, and in large part is exactly why the Buckeyes are in a good spot for his recruitment.

With the coming of Jim Knowles to Columbus, Ohio State has a second major linebacker target, and one that looks to be the apple of the eye for coach Knowles. Louisiana native Tackett Curtis has been the talk of the town lately for the Buckeyes when it comes to defensive recruiting, and daily t seems Tackett’s name is being mentioned. Having been a major player for Knowles late in his tenure at Oklahoma State, the same desire to have him in the class was brought to Ohio State, and it looks good so far.

The sixth-best linebacker in the country, Curtis is an absolute phenom on the field. A tackling machine, there’s not an inch of the field he can’t cover. In the scheme coach Knowles is implementing in Columbus, Curtis fits the role perfectly, so it’s easy to see why he’s quickly become such a common topic even though Ohio State traditionally hasn’t had a lot of recruiting experience in Louisiana.

The good news is with the efforts Coach Knowles has been putting in every single day with Curtis, the first trip to see Ohio State for himself is now locked in. Heading to Columbus March 8, Curtis will be in attendance for what will likely be one of Ohio State's first spring practices, and will be doing so with his uncle who is also his high school coach.

Getting Curtis on campus was always the first major step to becoming a real threat to land his services, but with how much time and effort the staff is putting into him, he has to see how much of a priority he is for the defense in this current cycle. Make no mistake about it, the Buckeyes want Bowles in the class too, and if they can land both they’ll have the fourth and sixth best linebackers in the class. That’s a surefire way to really rebuild a defense that needs a major improvement from the linebacker position.

Quick Hits

• In sticking with the theme of the linebacker position, the Buckeyes also received some good news on the 2024 front. Sure to be a busy spring, Ohio State will also be playing host to another big time linebacker target this spring for a second visit.

The fifth best player in the country and top overall linebacker per 247Sports, Sammy Brown, has another visit to Columbus planned for his spring break coming up in the next couple of months. The Georgia native is already one of the top players in the country regardless of position, but if Ohio State can get in on him early on and build a strong relationship as they tend to do so often, they’ll be in a great spot moving forward. Having another chance to host him on campus is a major win early in his recruitment.