2025 DB checking out Ohio State on Thursday, top 2023 safety shows OSU some love

As the summer rolls on, camp season is still in full effect for Ohio State. Hosting and evaluating top prospects in the current and future cycles almost daily, the coaching staff is making the most of their time with the amount of talent that is flocking to campus.

Not even halfway through the month, Ohio State has already seen tons of big names on the field and inside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but the best is yet to come. The end of the month will be quite the scene for the Buckeyes, as they have some of their biggest recruiting opportunities of the year planned.

Fast rising 2025 DB in town

Most of the recruiting attention is reserved for the current 2023 class and the next in line with 2024, but this camp season has shown that the Buckeyes are all in when it comes to early evaluations. Having all of that younger talent already on their radar, the coaches are able to do the most important aspect on the recruiting trail, and that’s build relationships.

Like many others, later today Ohio State will have a younger target on campus when class of 2025 defensive back, Jontae Gilbert, checks out all that the Buckeyes have to offer. A current high school freshman, Gilbert hails from Atlanta, Georgia and already holds nearly double-digit offers to his name, including his biggest being from Ohio State.

A 6-foot-1, 175 pound cornerback, Gilbert doesn’t yet have a ranking per 247Sports due to his class status, but the Buckeyes already being in the mix shows what kind of prospect he is and will be when his class has come into focus.

Other schools such as Pitt, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and a few others have also offered, but again, it’s not out of context to deem Ohio State as the biggest one to date. Surely other major programs will follow suit and do so in the near future, but with how important the state of Georgia is right now to the recruiting landscape, Ohio State getting in the mix this early with another top rising player from Atlanta should set them ahead of the others when it concerns how well the two parties know each other. At any rate, this is one target that will surely be mentioned several times over the next couple of years.

Buckeyes look to still be heavily involved with a top 2023 DB

Ohio State already has two safeties in the 2023 class thanks to Malik Hartford and Cedrick Hawkins, but the Buckeyes are still heavily involved with recruiting the position for the current cycle, and definitely want to add one more. Fortunately, Ohio State is still in a great spot for some of the best safeties the country has to offer regardless of recruiting class.

As it gets deeper into the recruiting calendar, the coaching staff will continue to have these top players on campus for official visits, and while it’s not expected for the Buckeyes to land four safety targets in the class, the talent still out there would certainly be impossible to say no to. It may be a situation where Ohio State has to wait until late in the game for a third target, but position coach Perry Eliano is proving his worth already during his short tenure in Columbus as someone with quite the recruiting chops.

One target the Buckeyes are in on specifically is Joenel Aguero. The No. 34 player nationally and the second best safety per the 247Sports Composite, Aguero has long been coveted by every big time school. In regard to Ohio State, Aguero on Wednesday per his Twitter account showed some positive vibes to the Buckeyes and the aforementioned Eliano. Maybe not the end game, it still shows how seriously Ohio State is being considered by the five-star target.

Other names such as Caleb Downs and Jayden Bonsu continue to be serious contenders along with Aguero, but there’s still plenty of time before this battle sorts itself out. The Buckeyes are still very much in the mix for these top players at the position, and certainly plan on taking more than just the two they currently have.

Quick Hits

• 2023 receiver Rico Flores has his Ohio State official visit scheduled for June 24, which of course is the biggest recruiting weekend of the month for the Buckeyes. The No. 185 player nationally and the 27th best receiver per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Flores is a bit of an interesting recruitment. Brian Hartline is already in the mix for three other receivers in Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Noah Rogers in addition to already having Bryson Rodgers in the fold, so it seems as if Flores would be the odd man out, but he’s made it very clear how highly he thinks of the Buckeyes.

Currently, he’s pegged to Notre Dame with his lone 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction, but the submission coming from Steve Wiltfong makes it worth noting. His commitment date is set for July 3, so there’s not much longer to wait to see how this all unfolds.

• In more official visit news, 2023 tight end target Riley Williams shared via his Twitter account that he will be in Columbus this coming weekend and staying through Sunday for his official. The No. 66 player nationally and the second best tight end in the class, Williams is one of the tight ends the Buckeyes will still love to add to the current class. Making the trek from Oregon, this weekend is a great chance to pitch Williams why Columbus is the best destination for his career for the next few years.