The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Offers 2025 OT Jackson Lloyd, Former Michigan State Safety Jaden Mangham Will Visit OSU This Weekend and a Former MLB Player Commits to Arkansas

By Garrick Hodge on May 8, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Jaden Mangham
Nick King/Lansing State Journal/USA TODAY Network
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Over the past few days, Ohio State has been busy on the recruiting trail extending offers to various prospects.

One prospect offered is at a stark position of need in the 2025 class, while the other two are promising linebacker prospects in the 2027 cycle. We’ll go over each below.

Jackson Lloyd

As we creep closer to the ultra-important recruiting month of June, Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye continues to add prospects to his big board for the 2025 class. Frye stopped by Carmel High School (Carmel, California) on Tuesday to offer a top-200 prospect in the current cycle, four-star offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd. 

Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Lloyd is considered the No. 185 prospect and the No. 18-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive lineman has earned nearly 20 Division I offers, including Alabama, Tennessee, Cal, UCLA, Washington, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State and USC. 

The Crimson Tide are seen as the favorite for Lloyd throughout the recruiting industry, so Frye will have to make up plenty of ground over the next few months if the Buckeyes want to remain in the thick of things for Lloyd. OSU hopes to take at least three offensive linemen in the 2025 class and already have one committed in Carter Lowe. David Sanders Jr. is by far the Buckeyes’ top remaining target at that position, but between offers to Lloyd and other offensive linemen such as Andrew Stargel as of late, Frye has given himself other options if needed with these offers.

Per 247Sports, Lloyd will taken an unofficial visit to OSU this weekend and has set official visits to Alabama and USC this summer.

Max Brown

Ohio State established a strong relationship with class of 2024 five-star linebacker Sammy Brown, who eventually signed with Clemson. New OSU linebackers coach James Laurinaitis has now started recruiting his younger brother, Max.

Laurinaitis offered Brown on Wednesday, giving the Georgia prospect his fourth Division I offer along with Auburn, USF and Arkansas.

As a freshman at Jefferson High School, Brown recorded 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a blocked punt.

Jake Godfree

Laurinaitis offered another 2027 Georgia linebacker this week in Jake Godfree, a 6-foot, 200-pound standout who already has double-digits offers. Other schools that have offered Godfree so far include Mizzou, Tennessee, App State, Arkansas State, Ball State, UConn, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Marshall and Western Michigan.  

Godfree attends North Gwinnett High School, the same school that produced current Buckeyes Kayden McDonald and Jordan Hancock. As a freshman, Godfree racked up 78 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, one quarterback hurry, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. 

Transfer safety Jaden Mangham to visit OSU this weekend

While Ohio State may not be overly active in the spring transfer window, there are still a few positions worth addressing for the Buckeyes with the five scholarships they have remaining. Safety depth is certainly one of them, and OSU could take up to two transfer safeties if it finds the right players.

Per 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, former Michigan State safety Jaden Mangham has scheduled a visit to Columbus this weekend and will also take trips to Nebraska and Michigan next week. 

Mangham spent two seasons with the Spartans and was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He entered the transfer portal on April 30.

Mangham played free safety for the Spartans in 2023, playing in 11 games and recording 53 tackles, four interceptions, a fumble recovery and three pass deflections. As a freshman in 2022, Mangham played in eight games and racked up 20 tackles. 

Per Pro Football Focus' grades for the 2023 season, Mangham turned in an overall grade of 69.6. He graded out excellently in run defense (82.7) and turned in modest grades in coverage (64.8) and pass-rushing (54.8) in 606 total defensive snaps. 

Caleb Downs will be OSU’s starting free safety in 2024, but Mangham’s presence would provide excellent depth for the Buckeyes if they can land his commitment.

Nearly 30-year-old former MLB player commits to Arkansas

The plotline to the 1991 movie Necessary Roughness might be playing out in real time. 

On Tuesday, former Major League Baseball player Monte Harrison committed to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks this season. Harrison was a four-star wide receiver recruit in the 2014 class. 

Harrison, who will turn 29 before the 2024 season kicks off, played two seasons for the Miami Marlins and one season for the Los Angeles Angels. He hasn’t played in an MLB game since 2022 and is a lifetime .176 hitter across 50 games. Maybe he’s trying to follow the opposite pro career arc of Tim Tebow? 

Harrison will be a walk-on for Arkansas.

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