If the June recruiting period was a 1-mile race, it would be time to ring the bell for the start of the final lap.
Ohio State has already held three-star studded weeks of recruiting visits this month, in which it has hosted many of its top targets for the 2022 and 2023 classes as well as the top uncommitted player in the 2021 class, five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, this past weekend.
While we'll still have to wait at least another week or two for a decision from Tuimoloau, he told 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman on Sunday that his visit to Ohio State “surpassed” his expectations, so there's reason for optimism about the Buckeyes’ chances of landing Tuimoloau – though he will still make two more official visits this week to Oregon and Alabama.
In one week from today, recruiting will enter a dead period again until July 24, allowing Mark Pantoni – who joked last month that his phone would be turned off for the month of July – and his staff to get some well-earned time off. Before then, though, Ohio State has one more big week of visits ahead, as Ohio State will hold two more camps this week – including one in the Shoe on Wednesday – and host many more official visitors.
Two Top-60 official visitors arrive Monday
Ohio State will start the final week of June on-campus recruiting by hosting a trio of top-60 prospects in the class of 2022 for official visits: offensive tackle Tyler Booker and cornerback Terrance Brooks.
Booker, the No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 42 overall prospect in the 2022 class, will be on campus Monday through Wednesday for an official visit. It will be the fourth of five official visits for the IMG Academy senior, who’s already visited Florida, Oregon and Georgia and will also visit Alabama later this week. Adding a top offensive tackle prospect remains one of the Buckeyes’ biggest needs for the 2022 recruiting cycle, and Booker is one of their top targets.
Brooks, the No. 8 cornerback and No. 58 overall prospect in the 2022 class, will also make his fourth of five official visits from Monday through Wednesday. After just receiving an offer from the Buckeyes last week, Brooks quickly added Ohio State to his official visit schedule, sandwiching a trip to Columbus in between visits to Texas and Alabama. Like Booker, his first two visits were to Oregon and Florida, though in the opposite order.
Kamari Ramsey, the No. 8 safety and No. 141 overall prospect in the 2022 class, had also planned to make an official visit to Ohio State from Monday through Wednesday. However, that visit has now been canceled, he told Eleven Warriors on Sunday; he has not yet decided whether he will visit at a later date.
Two more star-studded camps
Ohio State is set to host its final two camps of the month on Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and Wednesday at Ohio Stadium, and there are expected to be plenty of top prospects in Columbus for both of them – some for the first time and some for return visits.
The most important midweek visitor for the Buckeyes just might be Caden Curry, who was ranked as the No. 1 player on Ohio State’s board in Andrew Ellis’ most recent Heat Check. A defensive lineman from Greenwood, Indiana, ranked as the No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 88 overall prospect in the class, Curry will be at Ohio State for an unofficial visit on Tuesday.
Texas running back Emeka Megwa, the No. 323 overall prospect in the 2022 class, is another senior who’s expected to be on campus this week for an unofficial visit.
Other marquee prospects who are expected to be at Ohio State on Tuesday and/or Wednesday for their first visits with the Buckeyes include:
- Brandon Inniss, the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 7 overall prospect in the class of 2023
- Linebacker/defensive end Malik Bryant, the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 class
- Jaiden Ausberry, the No. 2 linebacker and No. 32 overall prospect in the class of 2023
- Caleb Downs, the No. 3 safety and No. 37 overall prospect in the 2023 class
- Ta'Mere Robinson, the No. 4 linebacker and No. 62 overall prospect in 2023
- Santana Fleming, the No. 15 wide receiver and No. 96 overall prospect in 2023
- Ethan Nation, the No. 11 cornerback and No. 113 overall prospect in 2023
- Braylon James, the No. 18 wide receiver and No. 130 overall prospect in 2023 (and a former high school teammate of 2022 wide receiver commit Caleb Burton)
- Justin Benton, a four-star 2023 defensive lineman from IMG Academy
- Cedrick Hawkins, a four-star 2023 defensive back from Florida
- Brycen Sanders, a three-star 2023 offensive lineman from Tennessee
- Kaleb Beasley, who’s in line to be one of the top cornerbacks in the class of 2024
- 2024 Monsignor Pace wide receivers Joshisa Trader and Jeremiah Smith, who both already have nine FBS offers and are high school teammates of recent Ohio State quarterback offer Adrian Posse
Notable quarterbacks at this week’s camps will include 2023 Colorado four-star Brayden Dorman; Fort Mill, South Carolina’s Jadyn Davis, who’s expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class; and Findlay’s Ryan Montgomery, a 2025 quarterback who already has offers from Michigan, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Louisiana three-star Rickie Collins, who had been expected to attend this week’s camp, told Eleven Warriors he will no longer be coming to Columbus this week, though he still wants to visit Ohio State in the future.
Montgomery is the younger brother of Luke Montgomery, the No. 3 Ohioan and No. 5 offensive tackle in the 2023 class, who will also be back on campus to work out with Greg Studrawa this week after previously visiting Ohio State on June 1.
Other prospects who are expected back at Ohio State this week for the second time this month include Carnell Tate, the No. 6 wide receiver and No. 42 overall prospect in the 2023 class, who will be visiting with his family after previously visiting Ohio State two weeks ago; Anthony Brown, the No. 5 Ohioan and No. 22 wide receiver in the 2023 class, who Brian Hartline asked to return for a second camp after he previously camped at Ohio State on June 2; and defensive end Derrick Leblanc, the No. 54 overall prospect in the 2023 class, who previously made an unofficial visit to Ohio State on the first weekend of June.
Carnell Tate will be back at Ohio State this week for the second time this month.
A big final weekend of official visits
With no more visits for nearly a month, the last weekend of June will be a huge opportunity for Ohio State to leave a lasting impression on its final official visitor group of the month.
The most important official visitor this weekend might be the one who’s already committed: Five-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary, who’s been committed to Ohio State since January but has continued to explore his options, visiting Georgia and Miami. This weekend could be crucial to ensuring he is fully sold on becoming a Buckeye and ultimately signing him in December.
Another five-star prospect on campus this weekend will be Florida defensive end Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2022 class. He’ll be joined by two other top defensive ends in the class: No. 39 overall prospect Enai White and No. 76 overall prospect Kenyatta Jackson.
Other official visitors this weekend will include:
- Oklahoma defensive tackle Chris McClellan, the No. 94 overall prospect in 2022
- Kam Dewberry, the No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 102 overall prospect in the class
- Omarion Hampton, the No. 12 running back and No. 142 overall prospect in 2022
- Markeith Williams, the No. 15 safety and No. 241 overall prospect in the class
- Malik Spencer, who’s rated as a three-star safety but could be a linebacker/bullet for the Buckeyes
All of those official visitors hold offers from the Buckeyes except Spencer, who’s currently committed to Michigan State but could become a candidate to flip if he gets an offer from Ohio State this weekend.
Ohio State is also set to host a couple of major unofficial visitors this weekend, including Tony Mitchell, the No. 1 cornerback and No. 10 overall prospect in the 2023 class. Johntay Cook II, the No. 10 wide receiver and No. 59 overall prospect in the class of 2023, is also expected to be at Ohio State this weekend.
