Five-star wide receiver and longtime Ohio State target to decide later today

It was a key weekend on the recruiting trail for Ohio State, as the university welcomed over a dozen prospects to campus for their highly-anticipated official visits. Among the notable uncommitted 2023 players that were in Columbus throughout the past couple of days include five-star safety Joenel Aguero of St. John’s Prep (MA), four-star safety Jayden Bonsu of St. Peter’s Prep (NJ), five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss of American Heritage (FL), and four-star athlete Jermaine Mathews of Winton Woods (OH).

Not to be forgotten, a handful of Buckeye pledges also were in town using their official visits for the massive official visit weekend like four-star running back Mark Fletcher of American Heritage (FL), four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson of Wharton (FL), four-star tight end Ty Lockwood of Independence (TN), and four-star wide receiver Bryson Rodgers of Wiregrass Ranch (FL). Four-star offensive tackle Luke Montgomery of Findlay (OH), the highest graded prospect in the Buckeyes’ 2023 class, was also in attendance this weekend on an unofficial visit.

Nonetheless, that wasn’t the only noteworthy news to come out of the weekend for the Buckeyes. The program will learn their fate for an elite pass catcher that wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has long pursued later today. Plus, a 2023 linebacker from Georgia includes Ohio State as a finalist as he beginnings narrowing down his list of possible suitors.

Tate to decide today

After a long, tough battle for suitors of five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy (FL), all involved will learn their fate this afternoon, as the former Chicago native announced that he will be making his decision at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Tate, as shown above, will be selecting his new home from the likes of LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee in just a few hours. The All-American Bowl pledge narrowed his possible destinations down to four after receiving well over 30 offers as a prospect on the recruiting trail.

As of Sunday night, it is the Buckeyes leading the charge on the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Tate. Four predictions, including notable forecasts from Steve Wiltfong and Bill Kurelic, all favor the scarlet and gray to be the beneficiary of Tate’s highly-anticipated decision.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has been one of the top targets on the pass-catching board for wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, and it isn’t hard to see why. Tate is currently slotted in as the 28th best prospect in the class regardless of position. The now Sunshine State standout also is penciled in as the third highest graded receiver in the class and the No. 7 overall prospect from the state of Florida.

Six remain for Aguirre

While the Buckeyes will surely be locked in to what Tate has in store later today, they were able to pull-in some optimistic news on the defensive side this weekend.

After offering back in January of this year, Ohio State has made enough of an impact on 2023 four-star linebacker Raul Aguirre of Whitewater (GA) that he felt as if they belonged in his group of finalists that he revealed on Sunday night.

Aguirre, a Fayetteville native, also will be making his decision between the six programs in less than a month, as July 16 will be the date that he ends his recruitment and settles in on one of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Miami (FL), and Ohio State.

According to his 247Sports profile, Aguirre looks to have an official visit set to Columbus for later this week. The Peach State defender was also listed as an official visitor for Texas, a program that wasn’t included on his list, this past weekend.

Aguirre is currently falls just outside of the Top 100 prospects in this years class and he comes in at No. 118 overall. The Polynesian Bowl pledge also slots in as a Top 10 prospect at both the linebacker position and among all players from the state of Georgia.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State sent out an offer to 2025 linebacker Weston Port of San Juan Hills (CA) after a visit this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder also holds offers from Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Texas A&M, among others.
• Not even two weeks after placing the Buckeyes in his top ten, 2024 five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV of IMG Academy (FL) now knows when he will take his official visit to Ohio State. On Friday morning, the No. 9 overall prospect in his class reveled that he will be in Columbus on June 23-24.
• After initially announcing that he would be making his decision on June 24, 2023 four-star defensive lineman Stephiylan Green of Rome (GA) is pushing things forward a bit. The Top 250 prospect will instead reveal his collegiate decision on June 22, according to his Twitter.