COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football’s 2022 recruiting class hasn’t had a commitment in 97 days since offensive linemen George Fitzpatrick joined.
The Buckeyes’ only 2023 commitment is tight end Ty Lockwood, and that was 56 days ago. Since then, both classes have been pretty quiet as OSU continues its 2021 season, producing a 5-1 record heading into a bye week.
Neither of those numbers is normal for a recruiting class in the Ryan Day era.
Typically by now, whatever class is nearing Signing Day is basically full waiting out a few potential late-bloomers or highly rated guys still thinking things through. Meanwhile, the next cycle is picking up commitments, getting ahead of the curve.
This time around is different, although everyone in the program will tell you it’s not a bad thing.
“I think we’re in great position,” Day said at Big Ten Media Days. “I’m really proud of not just the talent, but the quality of people that we’re bringing into the program right now. Really impressed.”
Ohio State’s 2022 class is No. 7 nationally and second in the Big Ten. Why is it that low? Because three guys decommitted, its quarterback reclassified and is already on the roster and some reshuffling of the rankings means C.J. Hicks is the only guy classified as a five-star. The good thing is that class is far from done.
There are no defensive linemen yet because no one’s really sure what the numbers in the room will be like since no one’s playing like a sure-fire NFL talent right now. There are two top-100 safety targets still on the board who have a spot whenever they want to take it. Ideally, there’s at least one more offensive line addition with Earnest Greene and Kam Dewberry as the top options.
Then maybe, just maybe, a 2022 quarterback might take Quinn Ewers’ place, but that’s a big maybe. They took their swing at Drew Allar who’s doesn’t seem to be budging off his Penn State commitment unless something drastic happens. Next up is USC commit Devin Brown who earned an offer Tuesday night.
The options under each category have been made clear, and the first one might be coming off the board soon in defensive end Kenyatta Jackson, a four-star recruit who is the nation’s No. 78 player and No. 11 edge rusher. He’s already made two trips to Columbus. He’s also teammates with cornerback commit Ryan Turner at Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Florida. That’s a bonus point for the Buckeyes, who’ve had success bringing in multiple guys from the same school in the past.
In 2020, it was Paris Johnson Jr. and Darrion Henry-Young as Ohio’s top two players from Princeton, followed by Jakob James and Joe Royer from Elder. In 2021, it was Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr. from St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia. They’ve done it again in 2022 with Jyaire Brown transferring to Lakota West to play with Tegra Tshabola after spending most of his life in New Orleans.
There is no set commitment date for Jackson right now, but a decision is imminent, and momentum suggests the Buckeyes will soon be adding commit No. 15. His decision might open up the floodgates for guys like Omari Abor, Caden Curry, Hero Kanu and Enai White. Then there’s Shemar Stewart who’s gone from a longshot to a legitimate possibility over the recent month.
The 2023 class doesn’t have momentum yet, but it has potential. A.J. Harris is the only player with a decision date set for Jan. 11 as a birthday celebration. He left Columbus after attending the Maryland game over the weekend. It was his second trip and first game. Just like with the first visit over the summer, things went well.
The Buckeyes need this win. Harris would be the first 5-star cornerback to choose them since 2017, and it would also be a sign of how well things are going despite the recent shakeup on the defensive coaching staff. Kerry Coombs is the defensive coordinator only by name, and it’s not guaranteed he’ll be back next season. That’s important, since he’s the primary reason OSU’s defensive back recruiting is back on track.
“You know what I talk to recruits about? Playing ball at Ohio State, playing ball in an unbelievable environment, being a part of something really special,” Coombs said. “Recruiting to Ohio State is not nearly as hard as some people would like you to believe. This is an unbelievable place. I’ve had great opportunities to have great conversations with young people all over the country about it. "
Right now, Coombs’ status isn’t a topic of conversation, according to Ohio State. But one would be crazy to think that it won’t eventually be.
“I haven’t had any,” Day said. “No one’s really pressed me with any of those types of questions. They understand what Ohio State is. They understand this program, and our philosophy’s not gonna change.”
Harris is the start of the list of 2023 players who could be making commitments once the season ends. In-state players Luke Montgomery, Josh Padilla and Sonny Style require Ohio State to go to war with Notre Dame to keep them from making the same choice as Brenan Vernon. National recruits Richard Young and Derrick LeBlanc could be using this season to envision what things could look like in Columbus.
Then at some point, the 2024 class has to get started. Or maybe it doesn’t, depending on how firm Jadyn Davis’ decision not to reclassify still is six months from now.
It’s been 79 days since Day assured everything was going to plan on the recruiting trail. An opportunity to return to a normal process outweighed the need to pile up the names early then. Apparently, that’s still the case now.
There haven’t been many opportunities for the coaching staff to tweet out the phrase “Boom” along with some creative picture, gif or emoji. That’s OK for now. It’s just a matter of time.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Day said. “One of the things we’re able to do now is start to evaluate some of the guys who’ve played. It’s been a while since these prospects have been on the field and actually played in games. We’re gathering that information and evaluating those guys. We’re really trying to be thorough about it.”
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