Recruiting Outlook is a regular series on Buckeye Sports Bulletin designed to be your one-stop shop for all news related to the Ohio State football recruiting trail.
Cleveland Glenville four-star tight end Damarion Witten (6-4, 215) announced his top five schools on Tuesday that included Kentucky, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.
Witten is the No. 401 overall prospect and No. 23 tight end in the class, and is the 14th-ranked prospect out of Ohio. He was offered by the Buckeyes after visiting campus last fall, and is expected to return for an official visit on June 23.
Ohio State already has one tight end committed in Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School four-star Max LeBlanc (6-4, 222). Witten has been connected with the Buckeyes for most of his recruitment, already holding a pair of crystal ball predictions to Ohio State from 247Sports, and is expected to make a decision shortly after wrapping up his official visits.
In-State Corner Aaron Scott Sets Official Visit
According to a report from 247Sports, Witten will be joined that weekend by Springfield, Ohio, four-star cornerback Aaron Scott (6-0, 170), who will take his official visit to Columbus.
Scott is the No. 56 overall prospect and No. 6 cornerback in the class, and had recently released a top five that included Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee. While he has announced his top five schools, the battle for his recruitment is likely to come down to Ohio State and Michigan, the latter of which Scott has a visit scheduled to for June 16-18.
He is one of several in-state cornerbacks being pursued by Ohio State along with Cleveland Glenville four-star Bryce West (5-11, 177) and Cincinnati Withrow four-star Terhyon Nichols (6-0, 180). The Buckeyes do not currently have a cornerback committed in the 2024 recruiting class.
Top Linebacker Target Brown Commits To Clemson
The top linebacker on Ohio State’s recruiting board is now off the table, as Jefferson, Ga., five-star linebacker Sammy Brown (6-2, 230) announced his commitment to Clemson on Monday.
Brown is the No. 14 overall prospect and second-ranked linebacker in the class. He played on both sides of the ball for Jefferson, posting 1,459 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on offense and totaling 113 tackles, three pass breakups and an interception on defense.
He committed to the Tigers after taking an official visit to the school over the weekend. He was scheduled to visit Ohio State in June but that visit will now not take place, with Brown committing to Clemson over Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
With Brown out of the picture, Ohio State will look to several other targets at linebacker, including Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (6-3, 230), Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy four-star Edwin Spillman (6-1, 216) and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas three-star Nicholas Rodriguez (6-1, 190), who visited Ohio State this past weekend.
Cornerback Target Fields Commits To USC Over Ohio State
One potential cornerback target came off the board Monday as Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Sera four-star Dakoda Fields (6-2, 175) announced his commitment to USC.
Fields is the No. 78 overall prospect and No. 10 cornerback in the class, and his other top schools included California, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
