BOOOOM! Four-star cornerback Kayin Lee commits to Ohio State

Ohio State football has been dominating the recruiting headlines as of late. Just last week, the team earned commitments from three top-100 wide receivers. Last week it was WR’s, this week it is CB’s the Ohio State is collecting. Following what is being called the biggest recruiting weekend of the summer for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are back to reaping the rewards of their hard work as the team earned a commitment from a four-star cornerback Monday, and could add a second commitment at the position later this week.

Kayin Lee commits to Ohio State

Ohio State added the newest member to its No. 1 ranked recruiting class on Monday when four-star cornerback Kayin Lee (Ellenwood, GA / Cedar Grove) committed to the class. Lee marks the 14th member of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class.

Ohio State has made the secondary a point of emphasis in this years class. Lee is now the second cornerback to commit to the Buckeyes in this class, joining four-star Dijon Johnson. In addition to Lee and Johnson, Ohio State has also secured commitments from both four-star safeties Malik Hartford and Cedrick Hawkins. While this haul is obviously impressive, the Buckeyes will look to continue to add to it in this class — but more on that later.

Lee is a huge pick-up for Ohio State. The team made him a priority target after Lee decided to de-commit from his home-state school of Georgia, so his commitment to the class on Monday was a huge win for the team and for the class as a whole.

While Lee may seem to be a bit undersized, compared to the modern-day model for the position, his incredible athleticism and his determination make the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the ball.

As was previously mentioned, Lee was at one time committed to Georgia. However, the Bulldogs were not the only team the Buckeyes had to beat out to earn his commitment. Lee picked the Buckeyes over programs like Oregon, Nebraska, Miami, Florida, Florida State, LSU and USC.

For more on what Lee will be bringing to Ohio State, here is what 247’s Andrew Ivins has to say about the blue-chip CB:

A lunchpail type of cornerback that is physical enough to play in the boundary, but also fluid enough to get it done on the field side. Made a name for himself as a sophomore picking off three passes and defending plenty more while competing in the Peach State’s AAA classification. Aggressive with his hands and will put his hip right on a wide receiver. Does a nice job of reading and reacting to what’s going on in front of him. Fights off blocks like a veteran and understands how to drop a ball carrier in the open field with sound tackling. Not the biggest of corners as he measured in at roughly 5-foot-11, 160 pounds the spring before his junior year, but should continue to keep filling out once lifting and eating in college. Also likely to get more explosive and improve long speed, although it should be noted that he has reportedly gone 4.4 in the 40-yard dash multiple times. Has some of the tools required to make an impact at the Power 5 level if he keeps progressing. Violent play style suggests that he could excel as an inside corner. Might also have a future at safety if that’s a quicker route to playing time.

Lee is the No. 145 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 18 CB. He is also the No. 13 prospect from the talent-rich state of Georgia.

Four-star CB has Ohio State in top 4, to commit Friday

As was mentioned above, Ohio State has already earned four commitments from blue-chip prospects in the secondary, but the team wants to add to the impressive haul. They will have a chance to do so later this week as four-star CB Daniel Harris (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep) is set to announce his school of choice at the end of the week.

Harris is another blue-chip prospect that visited with Ohio State in June. This visit went as well as possible and put the Buckeyes in a great position to earn his commitment. However, the Buckeyes are not alone in pursuing Harris, and are competing with Penn State, Michigan and Georgia.

Similar to Lee’s recruitment, Harris’ recruitment seemingly comes down to Ohio State and Georgia, although all four of his top schools earned official visits from Harris. The Bulldogs seem to have the upper-hand in this one though, as they hold 100-percent of the Crystal Ball Predictions on 247Sports. While these predictions are far from guarantees, they do shed some light into what a recruit is feeling. The overwhelming feeling is that he will choose Georgia Friday.

However, the Buckeyes are far from out of contention, as Harris has stated on multiple occasions that he is impressed with the Ohio State football program and knows the history the program has with developing first-round talent at the position. Additionally, Harris’ former head coach, and now Quality Control of Defense at Ohio State, Miguel Patrick, hinted that the team isn’t done adding talent. Whether he was referring to Harris or not will soon be revealed.

If Harris were to spurn the Buckeyes, they are still heavily involved with other CB’s in the class, like four-star Tavoy Feagin (Tampa, FL / Carrollwood Day.) Feagin recently included Ohio State in his top schools. Harris is the No. 151 overall prospect and is the No. 19 CB. He is also the No. 30 recruit from the talent-rich state of Florida.

They are also involved with four-star in-state prospect Jermaine Mathews, who is set to commit this Friday with the Buckeyes currently the favorite per the 247Sports Crystal Ball. Mathews included Ohio State among his top six schools last week, also listing Cincinnati, Penn State, LSU, Oklahoma and Deion Sanders’ Jackson State as potential landing spots.

Quick Hits

• Switching to the hardwood from the gridiron, Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State men’s basketball team is also hard at work preparing for the future. The program has been busy hosting prospects on visits as well as offering those they see could make an impact. This was the case this past weekend, as the team played host to 2024 four-star point guard Travis Perry (Eddyville, KY / Lyon County) and he left Columbus with an offer. Perry is already regarded as one of the top guards in the class and the Holtmann may need to pull off a miracle if the Buckeyes are to steal him from Kentucky.