Ohio State football adds a pair of pledges, loses another

It was a roller coaster of a weekend for the football Buckeyes as the program saw two new prospects make their commitment in favor of the Scarlet and Gray. However, the coaching staff also saw a blue-chip prospect in the secondary step away from his pledge to Ohio State.

Ohio State adds a pair of commitments

On the bright side for head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, the program landed a pair of new pledges this weekend.

In the 2023 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 2 overall, Ohio State welcomed the verbal commitment of four-star quarterback Brock Glenn of Lausanne Collegiate School (TN). The Buckeyes also secured a very early pledge from 2025 cornerback Jontae Gilbert of Douglass (GA).

According to Hayes Fawcett of On3.com, Glenn chose the Buckeyes over Auburn, Florida State, LSU, and Tennessee. When discussing his decision with Fawcett, the Memphis native had glowing remarks for the program.

“I love Coach Day and Coach Dennis’ ability to develop QBs at a high level. Each year they produce QBs into the NFL, which is my ultimate goal. They are also great people, and I feel extremely comfortable with them.”

The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is currently pegged as the No. 335 prospect overall and falls just outside of the Top 15 signal-callers at 17th.

As for Gilbert, he was certainly the more surprising pledge for the Buckeyes this weekend considering the timing. 247Sports only reports seven offers for the Atlanta native, but he is a prospect that the Buckeyes have been tracking since they offered in May. Among the other programs that also gave Gilbert a scholarship opportunity include Arkansas, Buffalo, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and UAB.

Florida CB backs off Buckeye pledge

Unfortunately for Day and the rest of the coaching staff, the biggest news of the weekend was when 2023 four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson of Wharton (FL) announced his decommitment from the program on Saturday.

The loss for the Buckeyes is a tough one as new cornerbacks coach Tim Walton now watches a Top 100 prospect walk out of the secondary haul. Luckily, there are five other pledges in the defensive secondary that remain in the fold as Ohio State hopes to near the end of a forgettable few weeks on the trail.

Another name to begin monitoring for the Buckeyes appears to be 2023 four-star tight end Ty Lockwood of Independence (TN). The No. 9 tight end in the class and long-time Ohio State pledge recently added an offer from Alabama and the buzz around the situation indicates that he could be another potential flip.

Quick Hits

• On the men’s basketball front, 2023 four-star small forward Devin Royal of Pickerington Central (OH), a priority target for the Buckeyes, narrowed his commitment down to just three schools on Friday. The No. 73 overall prospect in the class is now focused on Alabama, Michigan State, and Ohio State.
• After revealing the Buckeyes as a finalist in his recruitment back in June, 2023 four-star safety Jayden Bonsu of St. Peters Prep (NJ) now knows when he will be making his decision. The Hillsdale native announced on Twitter that his commitment will be made on Aug. 14 when he will choose between Alabama, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Miami (FL).
• Once considered a top overall target for the Buckeyes in 2023, five-star running back Richard Young of Lehigh Senior (FL) is now off of the board as the No. 2 player at the position announced his pledge to Alabama on Friday. While it’s unquestionably a major addition for the Crimson Tide, Ohio State remains in good shape in the backfield with a commitment from 2023 four-star running back Mark Fletcher of American Heritage (FL) despite other programs still being in pursuit.