Buckeyes continue to add big names to guest list for spring visits

The Buckeyes may be on spring break and off the practice field this week, but the coaching staff is still hard at work. Likely eager to get back to the last half of their allotted spring practices, Ryan Day and his crew seem to be excited with what they are already seeing from the current roster in early signs of what the 2022 campaign can bring.

On the recruiting end, this week has added plenty of names to the guest list in terms of spring visits. Making the most of their opportunities, the Buckeyes are bringing in some elite talent over the next couple weeks that they’ll hope to make lasting impressions on that eventually help them to secure their commitments. This spring has already been a busy one, and there’s still plenty more to come.

Buckeyes shooting their shot with five-star ND commit

If there’s a position group on the defensive side of the ball where Ohio State tends to have it’s way, it’s the defensive line. The best position coach in the game, Larry Johnson crushes the recruiting trail every year, and in the 2023 class he’ll look to do the same. Though he’s been linked to retirement by every other outsider the last couple of years, LJ is still rolling. While that day will come eventually, the Buckeyes are happy to continue reaping the rewards of his incredible abilities both as a developer of talent and recruiter.

Knowing this spring is a big time opportunity to host several of their top targets, the Buckeyes are seeing their campus full of guys they hope to secure for both this current 2023 cycle and in 2024 as well. Each day it seems that some top elite talent is making the trek to Columbus, and on Wednesday news came about that another top national product would be visiting Ohio State in the coming days.

Keon Keeley (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) is the nation’s 10th-ranked player and the top edge rusher in the 2023 class. Making his way to Columbus next week, Ohio State is thrilled to have this dynamic player in their sights as they’ll try and prove why coach Johnson is the guy he should be playing for at the next level. A current Notre Dame commit, Keeley has been an Irish pledge for almost a year now. However, the Buckeyes offered in December, and have now at least interested him enough for him to make a visit.

Certainly it’s not going to be an easy task to try and break Keeley away from his nearly year-long commitment, but if there’s one position coach who stands a chance, it’s Larry Johnson. With how hard the Buckeyes are recruiting the state of Florida in this 2023 class, it just makes sense that the staff is doing what they can to be a real area of consideration moving forward. Notre Dame will travel to Columbus this year for an on-field contest, but Ohio State’s hoping they’ll be able to beat them off the field first.

In-state defensive back set to visit OSU

Sticking on the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State locked in yet another visit in the near future with a defensive back in the 2024 class. Staying closer to home in this regard, Springfield, Ohio product Aaron Scott is planning to make the short trip to Columbus soon to get a better look at the Buckeyes and what they have to offer as his recruitment really begins to take off.

A 6-foot-1, 160 pound cornerback, Scott currently holds double-digit offers to his name this early on in the process. An unranked player strictly due to his class status, Scott has programs such as Georgia Tech, Boston College, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and a host of others already in the fold, but looks to be catching the attention of some other programs as well. With Springfield being a hotbed for talent in many cases, Ohio State is wasting no time getting familiar with Scott.

The Buckeyes have yet to offer at this point, but his visit coming soon may be a step in that direction as this staff has proven over and over they want to keep the best in-state players at home for their college careers.

Quick Hits

• With the Buckeyes gearing up for their first March Madness contest, recruiting for the future is already underway as they look to be highly interested in Neal Quinn, who is now in the transfer portal. Having already been in contact with the Lafayette transfer, the desire to be a priority makes sense with how the Buckeyes have really needed a big man in the middle of their lineup. This should be a name worth watching in the coming weeks.