Ohio State dishes out new offers in each of the next three cycles

It has been a solid week for the Buckeyes, and the addition of Tywone Malone to the 2023 roster has the coaching staff excited. There’s still potential to even add more if things trend in the right direction. Either way, the Buckeyes have done what they can to continue improving the current roster, and that’s the same theme for the future rosters knowing full well the efforts on the trail never end.

Dishing out several new offers on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the latest to see Ohio State enter their recruitment.

2024

You’d think this late into the cycle Ohio State would be mostly finished offering 2024 prospects, but Wednesday proved otherwise as the Buckeyes sent out a new offer to a Florida native. On the receiving end was four-star safety, Brandon Jacob. A 6-foot-2, 175 pound athlete, Jacob is currently the No. 142 player nationally and the 12th best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite.

With nearly 40 offers to his name, it is a bit surprising to see the Buckeyes just now getting their name into the mix, but with how important the safety position is to Ohio State’s defensive scheme, it makes sense to see the added name. Programs such as Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, and several others have already been in the fold for some time now, but with every school on his 247Sports profile listed as “cool” this could be a recruitment that is very much still up in the air.

Ohio State needs their defensive side of the ball in the 2024 class to really get going, and this looks like another name worth paying attention to as they try to make up for some lost time.

2025

Moving on to the 2025 class, Ohio State kept busy by offering two new names in the future cycle that’s already seeing some attention. Looking to get ahead and form those lasting relationships, it’s impressive to see these coaches juggling this many prospects from the various classes. First on the list, Dallas, Texas native Jayden Shelton took to his Twitter account to announce the latest news.

A 6-foot, 200 pound linebacker, Shelton is the No. 320 player nationally and the 34th ranked player at his position for the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite. Owning just under 20 offers to his name right now, schools such as Auburn, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, and Tennessee have already pulled the trigger by offering, and now Ohio State is in the fold for the South Oak Cliff High School product.

With how well Ohio State has recruited in Texas over the years, it’s only right that the staff continues to use their fertile recruiting grounds, and using former Texas natives as their examples when pitching Shelton will surely be on the agenda. Getting him to campus will be the next feat in this recruitment, but typically that’s not too hard for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State didn’t have to go very far for their next offer in the 2025 class when they stayed right in Dallas, offering 6-foot-2, 215 pound Elijah Barnes. The Skyline High School product also took to his Twitter account to share his latest offer coming from the Buckeyes, helping him also nearing the 20 offer count. Like the aforementioned Shelton, Barnes too is a linebacker in the 2025 class, and a good one at that.

The No. 84 player nationally, Barnes also checks in as the 11th best linebacker in the country and 11th best player in Texas per the 247Sports Composite. Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, Notre Dame, and a host of others have also offered, but with his high four-star status, certainly more of the bigger schools in the country will also be on their way with an offer in mind.

The Buckeyes clearly don’t want to waste any time in this recruitment, and pitching their success in Texas of course will be a theme for the long haul. Hoping to also get Barnes to Columbus, it would be a great chance to not only continue hearing from Jim Knowles, but to also get a chance to meet James Laurinaitis who has been a major asset to Ohio State linebacker recruiting efforts since his arrival.

2026

One more offer for good measure, Ohio State not only took a look at future players in the 2025 class, but also made some headlines in the 2026 class when they offered big time player, Kendre Harrison.

A massive 6-foot-8, 230 pound athlete out of North Carolina, Harrison is one of the more impressive kids in his class considering he’s just a high school freshman. A two-sport star also on the basketball court, Kendre does not have a ranking on his 247Sports profile yet because of his class status, but with his size and offer list at this early juncture, it won’t a shock to anyone to see him at or near the top of the board when available.

Already holding double-digit offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and others, this is one athlete that certainly will be mentioned several times concerning Ohio State recruiting over the next couple of years. Playing tight end, position coach Keenan Bailey is getting in on this one as early as he can, and now hopes to spark a solid relationship for the long haul.

Knowing his frame could continue to develop in the next couple of seasons, it’s hard to really predict where he will end up position wise, but either way this is a player that has everything you’d want as a college coach looking to recruit both size and talent.