While the highly anticipated first weekend of official visits is now complete, the parade of recruits visiting Ohio State isn’t going to slow down any time soon.
Many more top prospects are set to visit OSU this week for the second week of June in-person recruiting, as the Buckeyes are set to hold two more camps on Tuesday and Wednesday while another group of official visitors will descend upon Columbus next weekend.
Several notable visitors on Monday
While many of Ohio State’s top targets in the recruiting class of 2022 were on campus over the weekend, another one will be arriving at Ohio State on Monday for a visit of his own. Kaleb Brown, the No. 6 wide receiver and No. 63 overall prospect in the senior class, is expected to be on campus today.
Ohio State is regarded as the favorite to land Brown, with six of seven 247Sports Crystal Balls pointing to the Buckeyes. If Brown and his family like what they see in Columbus, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chicago native – who projects as an H-back/slot receiver for the Buckeyes – commits to Ohio State in the near future.
Another 2022 prospect that will be on campus Monday is Sherrod Covil Jr., the No. 11 safety and 203rd overall prospect in the class. Covil, a hard hitter who compared himself to Kam Chancellor in an April interview with Eleven Warriors shortly after he received his Ohio State offer, could potentially be either a bullet or a safety for the Buckeyes. The Chesapeake, Virginia native visited Virginia and Penn State last week and is also expected to visit Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame and LSU.
In-state offensive lineman Ryan Baer, meanwhile, will be hoping to pick up an offer when he visits Ohio State on Monday. The three-star offensive tackle from Eastlake North High School, who holds offers from nearly 30 schools but hasn’t yet received one from the Buckeyes, will work out for Ohio State’s coaches during his unofficial visit to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
A pair of top running back targets for the 2023 class are also set to arrive at Ohio State on Monday for unofficial visits.
Treyaun Webb, who plays at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida – the same high school current Ohio State running back Marcus Crowley and former Ohio State cornerbacks Shaun Wade and Tyreke Johnson once played for – will be making a multiple-day visit to Columbus starting Monday. He is ranked as the No. 34 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
Justice Haynes, who plays at Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Georgia – the same high school current Ohio State running back Steele Chambers once played for – will also be visiting Ohio State on Monday. He is the 64th-ranked overall prospect in the junior class.
Two more camps on deck
After holding one camp last week on Wednesday, Ohio State will host camps on back-to-back days this week, as prospects will come to Columbus on both Tuesday and Wednesday to show the Buckeyes’ coaches what they can do.
Tuesday’s camp will bring prospects from all over the world to Ohio State, as Premier Prospects International’s DreamChasers Tour will camp at OSU for the second time in three years. Twenty-two total members of that group, which is made up primarily of players from Europe, are expected to participate in Tuesday’s camp. Notable prospects among them include:
- Hero Kanu, a 2022 defensive tackle from Germany who received an Ohio State offer in April
- Theodor Melin Öhrström, a 2023 tight end from Sweden who was offered by Alabama after camping there last week
- Lucas Simmons, a 2023 offensive tackle from Sweden who already has more than 15 FBS offers
- Thomas Collins, a 2023 defensive tackle from Sweden who has a Penn State offer
- Aric Burton, a 2022 defensive end from Germany who landed a Minnesota offer over the weekend
Many top prospects from within the United States will also be on campus on Tuesday and/or Wednesday for visits. The headliner among them might be five-star defensive end Shemar Stewart, who’s ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2022 class. The highly touted Florida pass-rusher is visiting the Buckeyes on Wednesday after visiting Miami and LSU this past week, while he’s also set to visit Notre Dame on Thursday, per recruiting insider Hayes Fawcett.
Richard Young, the No. 1 running back in the class of 2023, is also scheduled to arrive in Columbus on Wednesday for a three-day visit to Ohio State. The top-ranked running back visited Georgia last week and is being courted by just about all of college football’s top programs.
Carnell Tate, the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 42 overall prospect in the 2023 class, is also set to make a two-day visit to Ohio State on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tate, a Chicago native who now plays at IMG Academy, has described Ohio State as his “dream school.”
Joshua Padilla, one of Ohio State’s top interior offensive line targets for the 2023 class, will be at Ohio State on Tuesday. The four-star guard/center from Wayne High School also visited Notre Dame on Sunday and plans to visit Kentucky later this month, but grew up an Ohio State fan and has high interest in the Buckeyes.
Like last week’s camp, this week’s camps will also feature multiple notable quarterback prospects who could be candidates to earn offers from Ohio State once Ryan Day and Corey Dennis have the opportunity to watch them throw in person.
Cameron Edge, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 quarterback in the 2023 class, will camp at Ohio State on Tuesday. Dylan Lonergan, who’s ranked as the No. 4 quarterback and No. 41 overall prospect in the 2023 class, will camp at Ohio State on Wednesday. Adrian Posse, a 2024 quarterback who already has offers from Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Texas A&M, will be at Ohio State with his Monsignor Pace High School teammate Stewart on Wednesday.
Tausili Akana, who's ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 linebacker in the 2023 class, will also be at Ohio State for Tuesday's camp, 247Sports' Bill Kurelic reported.
Other participants in Wednesday’s camp will include 2023 North Carolina defensive tackle Keith Sampson Jr., who received an offer from Ohio State in April, and Christopher Jackson, a three-star 2022 linebacker from Toledo Central Catholic who could be a candidate to earn an offer from the Buckeyes with a strong camp showing.
More official visits next weekend
While most of Ohio State’s commits already made their official visits this past weekend, cornerback commit Ryan Turner is set to make his official visit next weekend, from June 11-13. Quarterback commit Quinn Ewers is also set to return to campus for an unofficial visit alongside his Southlake Carroll teammate Landon Samson, a three-star wide receiver who’s hoping to land an offer from the Buckeyes.
Uncommitted prospects from the class of 2022 who are set to make official visits to Ohio State this weekend include:
- Colorado running back Gavin Sawchuk, who’s ranked as the No. 2 RB in the senior class
- Four-star offensive linemen Joe Brunner, Jaylen Early and Carson Hinzman
- Four-star defensive ends Wilfredo Aybar and Ernest “RJ” Cooper IV
- Four-star North Carolina defensive tackle Curtis Neal, who played with current Ohio State running back Evan Pryor at William Amos Hough High School
- Four-star defensive backs Austin Jordan and Ephesians Prysock
As was the case this past weekend, Ohio State will also welcome some unofficial visitors from the 2023 class alongside the official visitors next weekend.
Juniors who are expected to make the trip to Columbus this weekend include IMG Academy defensive back Joenel Aguero, who’s ranked as the No. 38 overall prospect in his class; North Carolina wide receiver Christian Hamilton, who’s ranked as the No. 35 overall prospect in the class; and Pennsylvania wide receiver Rodney Gallagher, a two-sport star who will also make a June 29 return trip to Ohio State to visit with Chris Holtmann and the basketball staff.
Zachariah Branch gets offer
While most of the prospects who visited Ohio State this past weekend already had offers from the Buckeyes, one unofficial visitor who didn’t was 2023 four-star Las Vegas wide receiver Zachariah Branch, the younger brother of priority 2022 safety target Zion Branch. That changed on Sunday, however, after Zachariah accompanied Zion on his official visit over the weekend.
After an amazing talk with Coach @brianhartline l am extremely blessed and humbled to say that I have received an offer from THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucks @ryandaytime @OSUCoachKDub @OhioStateFB @bangulo @adamgorney @GregBiggins @BrandonHuffman @BishopGormanFB pic.twitter.com/d4IsxyD8Y6
— Zachariah Branch (@zachariahb03) June 6, 2021
Branch, who is ranked as the No. 13 wide receiver and No. 92 overall prospect in the 2023 class, adds Ohio State to a list of 20 offers that already includes a bevy of heavy hitters like Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
As you’ll see in the photo below, Zachariah is not built like a typical high school junior:
It doesnt matter where Im at imma get it in!! @VaBranch pic.twitter.com/QuL1sof0Ck
— Zachariah Branch (@zachariahb03) June 4, 2021
The possibility of both Branch brothers becoming Buckeyes is now a very real one, as several 247Sports Crystal Balls were placed Sunday predicting that Zion Branch will commit to Ohio State following this past weekend’s visit.
Header photo of Shemar Stewart: 247Sports
