Ohio State moves to No. 1 in recruiting rankings after pair of commitments

Another successful recruiting weekend is in the books for Ohio State, as the program welcomed a pair of new pledges to their now top-ranked class in the country. Plus, a five-star defensive back from Florida included the Buckeyes as a finalist when narrowing down his list of potential suitors.

Buckeyes add No. 5 DL for 2023

Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson was back to his typical ways on the recruiting trail as he reeled in yet another highly-coveted prospect along the defensive front. This time, it was 2023 four-star defensive lineman Jason Moore of DeMatha Catholic (MD).

Moore, a Hyattsville native, was originally offered by the Buckeyes back in January, and would ultimately commit to the program over Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others.

The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder is ranked as the No. 1 player from the state of Maryland and attends a high school program that should be of no stranger to Ohio State fans across the country — one that brought the Buckeyes Chase Young, a former five-star defensive lineman that is now suiting up at the highest level for the Washington Commanders.

As for Moore, he will bring a high-profile to Columbus that includes currently being ranked just outside of the Top 50 prospects in the class at No. 53 overall. The Polynesian Bowl pledge is also penciled in as the fifth highest graded defensive line prospect in the class.

Moore joined 2023 three-star offensive tackle Miles Walker of Brunswick School (CT), who committed to the Buckeyes on Friday morning. The combination of commitments helped push Ohio State past Notre Dame, giving them the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

Ricks reveals Top 10

The Buckeyes and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton also got some positive news in regards to 2024 five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks of IMG Academy (FL). The top-tier defensive back, who has plenty of time to make his decision, felt that it was time to narrow down his recruitment on Saturday.

Despite nearly committing to Florida State just months ago, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3, Ricks did not include the Seminoles in his top group. Instead, the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder will focus on Alabama, Florida, Jackson State, LSU, Miami (FL), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, and USC going forward.

Ricks is originally a Virginia native, but has since made a move to Florida to develop as an Ascender, much like 2023 five-star Ohio State wide receiver commit Carnell Tate has.

The highly-coveted prospect is wanted by blue blood programs across the country, and his on-field play is backed up by the high ranking he possesses. Ricks comes in as the early favorite to be both the top prospect from the state of Florida and the top cornerback in the class. He will also have more than a punchers chance to wind up as the very best prospect overall when all is said and done, as he is currently No. 2 just behind 2024 five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola of Chandler (AZ) — an Ohio State commit.

Quick Hits

• Aside from Ricks, Ohio State also made the Top 5 for 2023 four-star defensive lineman Jalen Thompson of Cass Technical (MI) on Saturday. The Detroit native also included Cincinnati, Michigan State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh in the group with the Buckeyes.
• 2023 four-star linebacker Raul Aguirre of Whitewater (GA) announced on Saturday that he would be pushing his commitment date up. The No. 9 ranked prospect at linebacker will now be making his pledge tomorrow, and despite an offer from Ohio State, the likely scenario is that Aguirre winds up with Alabama or Miami (FL).