Top-100 offensive lineman earns Ohio State offer, prized Texas linebacker sets visit date

With spring practice just days away for the Buckeyes, the Ohio State coaching staff is getting in as much work on the recruiting trail as possible these days; from dishing out offers to arranging campus visits, the OSU staff has been busy, especially offensive line coach Justin Frye.

Top-100 Offensive Lineman Earns Ohio State Offer

Not only is Chauncey Gooden a really good football player, but apparently he also has a pretty impressive vocabulary. On Tuesday night, the 2025 four-star offensive lineman “ebulliently” announced that he had received an offer from Ohio State. The No. 78 player in his cycle according to 247Sports (since other services haven’t released their ratings for the class, there is no composite score available yet), also has offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Wisconsin, and others.

Texas Linebacker Sets Non-Foolish Ohio State Visit Date

The 2025 recruiting class hasn’t completely gotten all of its star ratings yet, but that doesn’t mean laymen are out of luck when determining the value of a prospect. One major way is by looking at what schools — and how many — have offered scholarships to a player. This is the case with Texas linebacker Kelvion Riggins who will be coming to Columbus for a visit on April 1.

Though just a sophomore at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Riggins has 27 offers including from Baylor, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC. In January, Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano visited the 6-foot, 200-pound Riggins according to Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic, and the 2025 prospect is hoping to come to campus for two or three days next month in order to “take in everything.”

Two In-State Offensive Linemen Set Visit Dates

If Ohio State is going to continue to boast one of the best offenses in the country and build on the toughness-focused approach that Ryan Day and company championed in 2022, the team will need to continue to bring in talented linemen to keep the quarterbacks clean and open up holes for running backs.

Yesterday, Rivals’ Jeremy Birmingham reported on a pair of in-state prospects that will be making the trip to Columbus in the coming weeks. The first — 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman from Toledo Central Catholic Marc Nave — will be in town on March 25 with his parents and grandfather. A 2024 three-star prospect, Nave earned an offer from the Buckeyes in January, by far the biggest option afforded to him thus far.

Also making the trip from Toledo on March 25 will be 2025 prospect Carter Lowe. A sophomore at Whitmer High School, Lowe comes in at 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds and already has offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Cincinnati, and the Buckeyes, amongst others.

Both prospects are looking to get to know the staff, and especially position coach Justin Frye, better as they chart the next few years of their recruitment processes.

Quick Hits

• Four-star tight end out of Chattanooga Max LeBlanc will visit Columbus on March 23 according to Birm. The 2024 recruit also holds offers from Arkansas, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, and others. He has been in regular contact with TE coach Keenan Bailey since earning an offer a month ago.
• Three-star offensive tackle prospect Eagan Boyer from Cornelius, N.C. will be in Columbus on April 4 according to Eleven Warriors. The 6-foot-8, 265-pound 2024 recruit does not own an offer from the Buckeyes, but he does have them in hand from Clemson, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and more.