Four-star wide receiver from Pennsylvania includes Ohio State as finalist

Another weekend is in the books, and yet again wide receiver coach Brian Hartline has the Buckeyes in a good position for a highly-coveted pass-catcher who announced a group of finalists in recent days. Plus, one of the top offensive line targets came off the board on Saturday. What is plan going forward at the position?

Denmark focused on a dozen

As things currently stand for Ohio State, just one prospect is in the fold for the program in the 2024 recruiting class with five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola of Chandler (AZ) claiming the lone spot. However, the Buckeyes found out this past weekend that they are firmly in the mix for another blue-chip prospect to potentially join him in the class.

On Friday evening, 2024 four-star wide receiver Tyseer Denmark of Roman Catholic (PA) decided the time was right to narrow things down a bit in his recruitment. The Philadelphia native sorted through over 30 scholarship opportunities, and now made it clear which programs he will focus on going forward.

Ohio State, thanks to another phenomenal job by Brian Hartline, was one of the dozen programs that were included in the list. The Buckeyes will look to outlast the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC who were also included as finalist for Denmark.

Ohio State initially jumped into the picture for the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder back in December of last year when they dished out an offer to Denmark. Fast forward to today, and the scarlet and gray could become the program who welcomes the No. 78 prospect overall to their respective haul.

Denmark also slots in as the No. 13 wide receiver in next year’s cycle, and sits as the second-highest graded prospect that the state of Pennsylvania has to offer. With plenty of competition remaining, the next step in this pursuit for the Buckeyes and Hartline will be getting the pass-catching prospect to make a trip up to Columbus from the city of brotherly love.

Alinen pledges to Alabama

The weekend wasn’t all good news for the Buckeyes, of course, as a top offensive line target and 2023 four-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen of The Loomis Chaffee School (CT) announced his pledge to Alabama.

The Buckeyes were a real threat in this recruitment, as Justin Frye put up a valiant effort in attempting to reel in Alinen. However, as the decision date slowly approached, the feeling was as if Ohio State was running behind not only the Crimson Tide, but Miami (FL) as well.

Alinen indeed included the trio of programs in his list of finalists that he revealed just a couple of weeks ago. Georgia and Oregon were the other couple of teams that were in-play, but ultimately it seemed like a three-team race until all speculation came to a close on Friday morning.

The loss of Alinen can not and should not be understated for Ohio State. The good news is that there are already four prospects along the offensive front that are currently in the class with Luke Montgomery, Joshua Padilla, Austin Siereveld, and Miles Walker. However, it seems as if another big pull is needed at the position to avoid many considering this an underwhelming group on paper.

The only prospects still on the market that have already garnered offers from the Buckeyes include four-star offensive tackle Oluwatosin Babalade of DeMatha Catholic (MD), who is announcing in a matter of days, and four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling of Oceanside Collegiate Academy (SC).

Quick Hits

• Aside from the aforementioned Alinen, the Buckeyes also lost out another blue-chip target when 2023 four-star safety Joenel Aguero of St. John’s Prep (MA) announced his commitment to Georgia on Saturday. The Polynesian Bowl pledge and No. 3 safety in the class chose the Bulldogs over a trio of other finalists in Florida, Miami (FL), and Ohio State.
• After making a stop to visit the Buckeyes in March that ultimately resulted in an offer, 2024 four-star tight end KingJoseph Edwards of Buford (GA) is ready to get back once to Columbus again. The 6-foot-5, 242-pounder took to Twitter on Friday afternoon that he “can’t wait to get back on campus” and you can bet the feeling is mutual as Ohio State will always enjoy an opportunity to impress a Top 50 prospect overall.