Pair of 2025 prospects set to visit Columbus for primetime matchup this weekend

Times are good when it’s finally game week. After what seemed to be the longest offseason ever, the Buckeyes are just a few short days away from kicking off the 2022 season under the lights against Notre Dame in a Top 5 contest.

A game that couldn’t be any more highly anticipated, hearing from the staff and players this week has shed some light to the thinking that this team is more than ready for the task at hand. Whether it was from Ryan Day himself, Jim Knowles or the other various players, their words should have fans excited about the potential of this roster.

Certainly not a surprise, the guest list for this weekend is off the charts. With a record amount of top talents coming into Columbus for this game, Ohio State’s staff has their work cut out for them when it comes to playing host. Both the 2023 and future cycles will have more than their fair share of top targets in attendance to see what the Buckeyes have to offer, and a win on the field may lead to further developments off the field as well.

Saturday can’t get here soon enough.

Tight end confirms visit plans to Columbus

If Ohio State comes out victorious on Saturday evening, a large part of that will be due to the offensive and defensive lines. With the battle being won and lost up front, the Buckeyes know all too well that this weekend is a big chance to impress some of their top targets in the trenches.

Needing to continue adding guys up front, one position that can’t be overlooked in that aspect is the tight end spot. While it may not be the glorious pass-catching role so many desire, the tight end in this offense is critical to the ground attack, and hosting top players this weekend at the position will be a key to continued success.

Confirming that he will be making the trek this weekend, Bear Tenney is all set to se Columbus on Saturday night. While he announced the visit a couple of weeks ago, his follow up on his social media accounts cementing those visit plans is big considering his commute from Arizona is no small task. Bear will be in town with his family also by his side, so this guarantees a chance for them all to see what the Buckeyes have to offer as a whole and why Columbus would suit their son well for his college career.

The 6-foot-5, 230 pound tight-end is a prep teammate of current 2024 quarterback commit Dylan Raiola, and with the size he already has as high school sophomore, it’s easy to see why Ohio State is excited to have him on campus. It helps as well that it’s during a time when his own quarterback can further show him why the Buckeyes should be the call in his own recruitment.

Unranked right now by 247Sports, it won’t come as a shock if he’s near the top of the rankings for his position group when available. With nearly 20 offers to his name already, Ohio State is certainly in the mix here and has a great recruiting pitch going for them with Raiola doing some recruiting of his own. For the next year, Bear should be a name that sees steady attention not only from Ohio State’s staff, but in the recruiting headlines as well.

Gilbert heading back to his future home

Sticking right in the class of 2025, another top player in the cycle will be visiting Ohio State this weekend. The lone commitment in the 2025 class for the Buckeyes, Georgia native Jontae Gilbert (Atlanta, Georgia/Douglass) is coming up to see his future home and coaches for the primetime contest against Notre Dame.

Committing to the Buckeyes in late July, the announcement came out of nowhere a little bit, especially with how early on it is for the 2024 class, let alone 2025. Still, Ohio State accepting his pledge this far in advance shows the coaching staff has high praise for Gilbert, and believes he will be one of the better players at his position not only in the rankings, but in general.

While the 2023 and 2024 cycles are certainly more present and are more of a priority right now, having players on hand for this caliber of game gets the ball rolling for the 2025 players too. It’s never too early to start building lasting relationships with these guys, and odds are if the Buckeyes can do just that, it will benefit them in the long run. In this aspect, they already have one member in their future class that can and will be doing some recruiting of his own.