It’s been a fruitful few weeks for Ohio State on the recruiting trail.
Scooping up five four-star prospects and one five-star in a 15-day span, the Buckeyes have vaulted all the way up to second in the 247Sports team composite rankings, with 10 commitments averaging a rating of 94.20.
“When you see guys start to jump on board and recruit each other, I think that’s a sign of how things are going in recruiting,” OSU head coach Ryan Day said. “I think it’s a sign of how people view the program and the culture and what’s going on here.”
Through that peer recruiting and the culture of the program, Day feels that Ohio State is laying the foundations of what will be one of the best classes in the country for the 2024 cycle.
“When guys are coming on these visits, they’re getting around our players, they’re getting around our coaches,” Day said. “They see who we are, they see the foundation of the program here. They see not only a program that competes nationally for championships every single year, but it also has a culture that you want to send your son to be a part of.”
Two home-grown twins got the ball rolling for the Buckeyes on this 18-day run they’ve enjoyed.
Deontae and Devontae Armstrong, both four-star offensive linemen from Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward, pledged their services together on March 27. They immediately got to work enticing others into Ohio State’s fold.
“That’s the great thing about committing early, you get to actually have an impact on your recruiting class and your teammates,” Day said. “I say it all the time, how cool is that, to be able to lead your recruiting class or your side of the ball? And we listen to those guys, because they tell us the real information. Sometimes recruits, they put on a different face in front of the coaches.”
Both in public and in private, the duo have been fostering relationships with fellow top prospects.
Six days later OSU filled a huge need at running back after not landing one in the class of 2023, picking up San Antonio (Texas) Veterans Memorial four-star James Peoples, the 81st prospect in the country regardless of position and No. 5 running back.
Two days after that New Haven, Ind. five-star wide receiver Mylan Graham gave the Buckeyes their second five-star wideout pledge in 2024. And in four more days, a commitment came from the player who may be throwing Graham the football in the future, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star quarterback Air Nolan.
Nolan is ranked as the 11th-best quarterback in the class, No. 71 overall. Giving OSU its ninth commitment total, eight were on the offensive side of the ball. On April 11, to close the 15-day run of recruiting wins, the Buckeyes improved that ratio.
Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy four-star linebacker Payton Pierce gave the team its second defensive commitment, joining Sunbury (Ohio) Big Walnut linebacker Garrett Stover. Pierce is ranked 152nd nationally and 15th at linebacker.
“It’s big, it’s huge,” Day said of getting so many commitments before May. “It’s great for the program, it’s great for the recruiting class. But we always say you have to be 100 percent in, because we don’t want you going on visits (to other schools) and doing all these other things after you’ve committed. We try not to put a lot of pressure on them (to commit). But at the same time, we want them bad. We’re competitive. And we’re getting some of the best players in the country to jump on board.”
Ohio State’s momentum should only grow after a gaggle of prospects are on-hand for Saturday’s spring game, including seven four-stars in the class of 2024.
