Ohio State spring visitor list continues to grow

Recruiting never stops for Ohio State, and with the dead period coming to an end, the Buckeyes will soon be playing host to some of the nation’s top recruits. With the recruiting trail about to get much busier for Ohio State, the football team added two members to its recruiting staff in Zach Grant, named the new Director of Player Personnel, and Nick Murphy, named the Director of Recruiting Strategy. In case you missed Ohio State making the recruiting headlines Monday, no need to worry as Land-Grant Holy Land has you covered.

Ohio State adds two more Spring Visits

As was previously mentioned, the recruiting dead period has finally come to an end. While this did not stop Ohio State from garnering some well-earned recruiting wins, the recruiting landscape is about to pick up a ton of steam in the coming months. This was the case for Ohio State on Monday, as the team learned they will be playing host to two more recruits this spring.

The first to announce his spring visit was 2024 Ohio quarterback Landon O’Connell. Head coach Ryan Day has made it a priority to secure the best in-state talent Ohio has to offer. O’Connell, while young, has already been impressing in his two years of high school football. Ohio State has already likely seen tape on O’Connell, but soon they will be able to see his talents in person as he announced he will be making a visit to the Buckeyes on March 24.

It is very early in O’Connell’s recruitment, but some of the best schools in the country are already taking notice of his potential. O’Connell has received an offer from in-state school Bowling Green and has taken an unofficial visit with Penn State. Additionally, both Ohio State and Cincinnati have already been in communication with him.

O’Connell’s March visit will be his first unofficial visit to Ohio State. However, being from Pickerington, he likely is already familiar with the Buckeyes and what their campus has to offer. If the visit goes well, an offer could easily follow shortly.

The next blue-chip 2024 prospect to announce a spring visit to Ohio State was 2024 Virginia athlete, Mekhai White.

White is likely not as familiar with Ohio State’s campus as O’Connell, but he will soon have a chance to see what it and the Buckeyes have to offer as a whole. The visit will be important if the Buckeyes are interested in him joining the team, as his recruitment has already taken off.

The Virginia native projects as a wide receiver at the next level and has already visited with Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Additionally, he has also received more than a dozen offers from programs like Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Pitt, Virginia and West Virginia.

Ohio State may find it more challenging to convince White to leave his home state of Virginia than what may be expected, as he has said on multiple occasions he is interested in finding a family atmosphere. The Buckeyes’ Brotherhood is certainly known across the country, and seeing it in person may be enough to make Ohio State a contender in his recruitment.

Basketball Buckeyes to play host to four-star SF

Not to be outdone by the football team, Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State men’s basketball team has also been dominant in the recruiting landscape the last few years. The team will hope this trend continues as they will soon be playing host to one of the nation’s top small forwards in the 2023 recruiting class.

Four-star SF Scotty Middleton will reportedly be visiting with Ohio State the weekend of March 4-6.

Middleton is one of the top recruits in next year’s class, and the Buckeyes officially offered him in late January. Ohio State already holds two verbal commitments in next year’s class in four-star guard George Washington III and three-star center Austin Parks. Being able to add Middleton alongside the two would help the class remain one of the nation’s best, as it ranks No. 4 early.

Jamie Shaw of On3.com recently spoke with Middleton and the blue-chip prospect had the following to say on Ohio State and his upcoming visit:

“They like my versatility and my energy. They talk to me about staying positive. I don’t really know much about them yet. I am going to take an official visit there from March 4-6. Jacob Diebler is my main recruiter there.”

Middleton mentioned he was more unfamiliar with the Ohio State program than his other schools of interest, so the upcoming visit will be of vast importance for Holtmann and the Buckeyes if they are to become true contenders for his commitment and outlast programs like Kansas, Texas Tech, Xavier, DePaul, etc.

Middleton is the No. 10 SF in next year’s class and is the No. 50 overall prospect. He is also the No. 2 recruit from Kansas.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State 2023 verbal commits Luke Montgomery and Ty Lockwood have been busy recruiting some of the nation’s top talents to join them in Columbus. Late last weekend, the pair seemed to focus in on a couple of blue-chip prospects they want to join them, and the Buckeyes would love commitments from both.

Five-star cornerback AJ Harris and four-star defensive lineman Tomarrion Parker had exchanges with Montgomery and Lockwood, and both blue-chip prospects seem more than interested in Ohio State.