In just a few hours, the clock will strike midnight and close the door on another August. Leaves have already begun to change, fall classes are in full swing, and teams have taken the field for fall ball across the country. That changeover will also usher in a brand new recruiting cycle. And it's fixing to be a humdinger.
The staff has largely wrapped up the 2022 high school class. There will likely be a surprise addition or two, depending on transfers. But right now, that class is about as done as can be reasonably expected. Now, we ride into 2023 recruiting on a surprising high note.
The 2022 class has been much better than I believed it would be. In large part, that's a credit to recruiting coordinator Travis Crane, now newly promoted to Associate Head Coach, who has been a mainstay in Columbus for longer than the past 3 offensive coordinators combined.
That's not hyperbole. With 2023 dawning, this new recruiting success could pay huge dividends.
For this post, I am going to go through each position group and make some wild predictions, with the full knowledge that most of these will be off or flat wrong. But it's Recruiting Christmas Eve, and we are going to choose to be happy here.
Attack
Historically, Ohio State likes to take a lot of attackmen, and anyone who doesn't stick low will end up running out of the box as a midfielder. I think they're starting to get away from that philosophy, because it's really not panned out for them the past 5 years.
That said, a lot of attackmen are headed out the door the next couple of years, including Jack Myers. So I am calling 3 commits in 2023.
This class is really top heavy, and has some absolute studs in it for the top 50. McCabe Millon is rated #1 in some spots, and is a priority for this staff. Out of McDonogh in Maryland, McCabe is the son of Mark Millon, the legendary attackman for UMass and Team USA.
Owen Duffy is another stud, from the St. Anthony's pipeline that brings Johnny Maccarone to the Bucks. He has all the tools, and fills up the scoresheet even with older teammates in the lineup.
Trey Deere, an indigenous upstate NY player, is another slick attackman the Buckeyes want. Deere is incredibly creative, a fantastic scorer, and is honing his game at prep power Salisbury in Connecticut.
The one thing all these players have in common, aside from 5-star rankings, is that they're not coming to Columbus. Millon is almost certainly headed to Maryland or UVA, Duffy is going to Duke (I feel it), and Deere will be a Syracuse player to watch.
Where's that leave the Bucks? In a pretty good spot, actually. While I don't think all of the super elite attackmen will be in Scarlet and Gray, the next tier very well could. The top target has been Kyle Lehman, out of Wissahickon HS in Pennsylvania. Lehman is a top eight player in 2023, and the Bucks got in on him early.
Lehman, along with current Buckeye Matt Fritz, helped his team to it's best record as a program in 2021, while only a sophomore. Even though he doesn't play at a national power, Lehman is a real difference-maker. And I think he signs for the Bucks.
Next, the Bucks are going to dip into Ohio. Marek Tzagournis is a new name on the board, but this is going to be a huge year for Buckeye state talent. Tzagournis put up 150 points in his sophomore season for Dublin Jerome, and will look to add to that this upcoming season. The Buckeyes need to start doing a better job with keeping Ohio talent home, and I think it starts in 2023.
Finally, the third slot will be a bit of a wildcard. There are a ton of options, but I think that Bucks are looking to be very Canadian, and there's only a couple on my big board. As a complete WAG, Nick Roode from Culver Military Academy takes my third slot. Culver is a national power, and Ohio State has had some success getting players from there.
Attack signees: Kyle Lehman, Marek Tzagournis, Nick Roode.
Offensive Midfielders
This has been Ohio State's Achilles heel for years Now, and the staff needs to hit on some prospects in order to take that next step. There's been a notable shift in the past couple of classes from getting players to getting athletes. Ohio State's biggest problem has been middies who can't get a step on their defender to draw slides.
Players like Ari Allen and Owen Heinecke have been brought in to be athletic nightmares. Blake Eiland, Dillon Magee, and Tate Jones are similar specimens in the 2022 class. The Bucks are going to try to go into overdrive for 2023, and really separate themselves.
Again, there's a lot of talent at the top, none of which I really see suiting up for the Buckeyes in this class. Intriguing prospects can be found below that tier, though, and I think the Buckeyes cash in.
Tyler Olsen, a prospect out of burgeoning hotbed Colorado, is a player I expect the Bucks to get on the board early. Olsen is more of a dodger than an athlete, but he gets open nonetheless and has a good shot. A great player to break the ice with.
Cayden Christopher, a Pickerington North prospect, is my next pick for the middie class. Christopher is a stud athlete, as he plays football in the fall, and will certainly bring that physical nature to Ohio State lacrosse.
Christopher is a project more than an instant impact player, but only because he doesn't play the most elite competition. Given some time, though, I think he could be an elite player.
Jordan Faison, from Pine Crest HS in Florida, is that athletic impact player the Buckeyes are looking for, and hopefully will end up in this class. Faison is right-handed to the point of Canadian, but is so quick it doesn't matter. Similar to Ari Allen, Faison is a dodger to be feared from the top or wing. If he can withstand the rigors of Big Ten play physically, Faison could really do some exceptional things for the Buckeyes.
I think the Buckeyes take three here, but a dark horse prospect is Carson Krammer, a huge middie out of California power Torrey Pines. Krammer is 6'4", and a bruiser on the dodge. I can find at least one outlet that likes him for the Buckeyes, but I am less bullish on the prospects. We will see though.
Signees: Tyler Olsen, Cayden Christopher, Jordan Faison. Maybe: Carson Krammer.
LSM/D
The surprise weakness of the Buckeyes in 2020 and 2021 was the defensive side of the ball. Once the season ended, the staff ramped up a complete overhaul of the defensive roster. That hopefully pays dividends this year, but a renewed defensive focus already popped up in the 2022 class. For the 2023 class, Ohio State legitimately could make an excellent class out of the players in Ohio itself.
First up, I believe Aiden Bodonyi will be a commit sooner rather than later. Bodonyi is at Western Reserve, a teammate of Blake Eiland in the 2022 class, and is a special defender. Probably more likely to end up at LSM than close D, but is exactly what you're looking for at that position. Bodonyi can run, check, and handle the ball. Can't ask for anything more.
Grant Kenley, out of Olentangy Liberty, is the younger brother of Aidan Kenley and will likely commit as soon as the staff gives him the okay. Kenley needs a bit more weight, but could absolutely be in the mix at close defense for the Buckeyes in a year or two. The Patriot pipeline continues unabated.
There will be at least one more defender, maybe two, in this class, but I am hard-pressed to make a call today. Ty Banks would be it if I had my druthers, but he's headed for the Ivy League or Hopkins. John Grant Jr is a killer draw for Canadian players.
Others like Mac Christmas or Brett Koopman sound good, but likely aren't looking at Columbus. I think a top 50 player signs, but it'll be a surprise for us all. Still, it's a cop out to not make picks, so I am going to roll the dice and say Ohio State signs Colin Singleton, from Ohio, and Donny Scott, an American at the Hill Academy.
Signees: Aiden Bodonyi, Grant Kenley, Colin Singleton, Donny Scott
Goalie
The goalie position has been a huge problem for the Buckeyes since 2017. Caton Johnson should take care of that, but his replacement should be in this class, if not already on the roster. That call will be a tough one.
Anderson Moore, from Alabama, is the number 1 keeper in the class, and the Buckeyes have a major draw for players from football states. Moore can literally go anywhere, and it will be a huge challenge to get him. This is a tossup battle at best. Bucks lose out, but barely.
I think the most likely signee is Ben McMullen, out of Edge Lacrosse in Canada. McMullen is a lesser known, but really good player. Former Buckeye Eric Fannell is a coach up there, which has to help, and the Buckeyes certainly need good keepers. I am going to call it, and say Ben McMullen ends up in Columbus.
Signee: Ben McMullen
FOGO
Ohio State has a long history of excellent faceoff men, and there are more than a few options in this class. Jackie Weller at IMG is an option, but multiple services have him as an ACC/Ivy lean.
I think Sean Creter, from Huntingdon Central in New Jersey, is the most likely option to end up in Columbus. Missing on Weller stings, but the Bucks have another target, Jack Oldman, in the fold for the 2022 class. Having a deep set of options is key, so hitting a home run here is not required. That said, Sean Creter is a good option, and the Buckeyes would be glad to have him.
Signee: Sean Creter.
There you have it, the Buckeye HS signing class for 2023. We will follow along vigorously at the 2023 recruiting thread, but there's nothing like hot recruiting takes to laugh about later. If I hit on 30% of these, start buying lottery tickets. Feel free to debate in the comments where I am wrong, who you think might be in this class, or tell me I am full of it because that's how the internet works.
Happy Recruiting Christmas Eve, one and all!
Go Bucks!
