Ohio State named as a finalist for four-star tight end from Georgia

Fresh off a pair of pledges earlier this week, Ohio State received some good news at the tight end spot as a top 10 prospect at the position narrowed down his recruitment on Tuesday. Plus, one recruiting analyst gives more reason for optimism with a top signal-caller that the Buckeyes are hoping to land.

Thurman down to eight

Ohio State enters today with the No. 3 ranked recruiting class for 2023 in the country, and one of their top prospects already in the fold is four-star tight end Ty Lockwood of Independence (TN). However, it's been well-documented that the Buckeyes are aiming to add another at the position.

One specific player that remains in-play for offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson is four-star tight end Jelani Thurman of Langston Hughes (GA). The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder, who picked up an offer from the Buckeyes in February, visited the program last week and decided the narrow things down in his recruitment on Tuesday.

Thurman, a Fairburn native, did include the scarlet and gray in the group of programs that remain in contention and now the Buckeyes know what their competition looks like going forward. Aside from Ohio State, Thurman is also still considering Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

The Peach State standout is currently penciled in as the No. 133 prospect overall in this year's class. Thurman is also slotted in as the ninth best tight end in the class and the 14th highest graded player from the state of Georgia.

While the timeline for a decision from Thurman is unknown, we will see what the next steps for the two parties become. If the Buckeyes win out for Thurman, it will be the first time since the 2016 class that the program signed a pair of tight ends in a class; Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann.

Elite QB forecasted to OSU

In recent weeks, the Buckeyes 2024 quarterback pursuit has seemed to narrow down to one specific candidate in five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola of Chandler (AZ), who visited the program twice this month alone.

While things were certainly trending upwards as of late for Ohio State's chances of landing Raiola, one recruiting analyst gave reason for more hope for Buckeye fans across the country.

247Sports recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic casted a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Ohio State to land the highly-coveted prospect on Tuesday. Kurelic joins Blair Angulo, Greg Biggins, and Steve Wiltfong as analysts on the site that have the Buckeyes landing Raiola, a Nebraska legacy.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder checks in as the No. 8 overall prospect in next year's cycle. The Arizona standout is also the third best quarterback that the class has to offer and the top player from his state.

Quick Hits

• 2023 four-star wide receiver Braylon James of Stony Point (TX) announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Tuesday. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder held an offer from Ohio State and included the Buckeyes in his Top 9 back in last month.
• On the hardwood, Ohio State welcomed Kansas State transfer guard Nijel Pack for a visit to campus yesterday. The former four-star recruit out of Lawrence Central (IN) averaged 17.4 points per game last season for the Wildcats.