Five-star defensive end from California reveals three official visit dates

Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson have been in pursuit of one of the top defensive end prospects in the 2023 class for quite some time now, and on Tuesday, the program found out his upcoming visit plans that include a stop in Columbus. Plus, the Buckeyes once again dip into the state of Florida as they sent out a new offer at the offensive line position in 2024.

Uiagalelei sets three official visits

When it comes to the top uncommitted prospects in the 2023 recruiting class that the Buckeyes are pursuing, you would be hard-pressed to find someone more highly-coveted than five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei of St. John Bosco (CA). The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder is no stranger to the Buckeyes, as the program has been after the Bellflower native since offering him back in March of last year.

On Tuesday, in a piece from Nick Cosko of 247Sports, it was revealed that Uiagalelei, the younger brother of Clemson starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, has set three official visits to programs across the country.

Ohio State is set to get the first official visit on June 10, at least for the time being, as Greg Biggins of 247Sports mentioned on his podcast that the week prior is currently still open for Uiagalelei. Regardless, following his stop in Columbus, the California standout will then take official visits to USC the following week and Oregon the week after that. Biggins also stated that Alabama is also a team that Uiagalelei will visit, but a set date is not in place thus far.

While it comes as no surprise that the Buckeyes are on the receiving end of an official visit from Uiagalelei, it shows that the program is a serious contender for the elite defensive line prospect. However, Ohio State will have to outlast a host of powerhouse programs if they want to pull Uiagalelei from the west coast.

As of today, the Polynesian Bowl commitment comes in as the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. Uiagalelei also slots in as the second highest graded edge defender and the third best player from the always-talented state of California.

Buckeyes offer Pierre-Louis

Switching gears from this year’s recruiting class to next year’s, Ohio State had their sights set on the state of Florida on Tuesday as the sent out their latest offer in the class to four-star interior offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis of Tampa Catholic (FL).

Pierre-Louis currently stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 320 pounds with programs seemingly lining up at the door to send him a scholarship offer. The Tampa native already holds an impressive 36 offers thus far including Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC, and more. It is worth nothing that According to 247Sports, Pierre-Louis is the younger brother of current Florida offensive tackle Richard Gouraige.

Pierre-Louis’ offer sheet does more than enough talking as to the player he is. However, the Florida left guard does find himself at No. 253 overall in the 2024 class. He also comes in as the 47th highest graded player from the state of Florida.

Quick Hits

• With day one of camp season beginning today for Ohio State, 2023 interior offensive lineman Layth Ghannam of George Washington (WV) revealed on Twitter that he will be one of the many participants. The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder will arrive in Columbus holding offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and more.
• The Buckeyes are also set to welcome 2023 offensive tackle Jordan Hall of KIPP Columbus (OH) on June 6 for camp, he announced on Twitter. According to On3.com, Hall currently holds offers from Massachusetts, Ohio, Penn State, Toledo, and Youngstown State.