Four New Offers, Five-Stars Brenan Vernon and Brandon Inniss Highlight Ohio State's Sixth Recruiting Camp of June

By Dan Hope on June 22, 2021 at 10:39 pm
Dante Moore
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Ohio State’s sixth high school football camp of June was its most talent-laden camp of the month yet, featuring some of Ohio State’s top targets in the recruiting class of 2023 while also leading to four new offers between the 2023 and 2024 classes.

Two of those offers went to quarterbacks, as Michigan five-star Dante Moore became the fifth quarterback to land an Ohio State offer in the class of 2023 while Fort Mill, South Carolina’s Jadyn Davis became the second quarterback in the 2024 class to receive an offer from the Buckeyes.

It’s certainly no surprise that Moore, who is ranked as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 14 overall prospect in the class of 2023, earned an offer after visiting Ohio State and throwing for Corey Dennis in person for the first time. He’s an elite talent with all the tools to be an excellent college quarterback, and Ohio State should be a player in his recruitment. Moore used to live in Elyria, Ohio, before moving to Michigan, and told Eleven Warriors earlier this year that he grew up as an Ohio State fan – and particularly, a fan of Braxton Miller, whose picture he included in his offer announcement.

Moore joins Malachi Nelson, Dylan Lonergan, Nicholaus Iamaleava and Eli Holstein as quarterbacks in the 2023 class who have received offers from the Buckeyes.

Davis, meanwhile, is well on his way to becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2024. He adds Ohio State to a list of offers that already also includes Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee. He’s the second quarterback in the 2024 class to receive an offer from the Buckeyes, joining Adrian Posse.

Davis, who said he has been in communication with Ohio State since he was in eighth grade, told Eleven Warriors after the camp that he loved his first trip to Columbus. He has no plans to make a commitment any time soon, but said he would “definitely” return to Ohio State for a game.

“Ohio State is a winning program, it's a rich tradition, so I like Ohio State a lot,” Davis said.

Ohio State also made offers to a pair of linebackers, Jaiden Ausberry and Ta’Mere Robinson, after they went through a workout with Al Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Ausberry is ranked as the No. 2 linebacker and No. 32 overall prospect in the 2023 class, while Robinson is ranked as the No. 4 linebacker and No. 62 overall prospect in the class. 

They become the third and fourth linebackers in the 2023 class to receive offers from Ohio State, joining Tausili Akana and Josiah Trotter.

Participants in Tuesday’s camp also included seven players in the 2023 class who already had Ohio State offers: wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate, offensive lineman Luke Montgomery, defensive ends Brenan Vernon and Derrick Leblanc, cornerback Ethan Nation and safety Caleb Downs.

Vernon and Leblanc are two of Ohio State’s top defensive end targets in the 2023 class, and both of them looked the part as they went through their workouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday morning.

Vernon, who is ranked as the No. 18 overall prospect and No. 2 Ohioan in the 2023 class, called it “a blessing” to be able to camp at Ohio State on Tuesday and felt the opportunity to learn from Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson made him better.

“Buddy’s a guru,” Vernon said after the workout. “He’s a wizard with his craft. There’s no other way to describe him.”

Leblanc, who had already made an unofficial visit to Ohio State earlier in the month, made a second trip from Florida to Columbus so that he, too, would have the opportunity to get in some on-field work with Johnson.

“I just really wanted to work with him,” said Leblanc, who is ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect in the 2023 class. “I finally got to come out here and just work with him, which I really liked a lot.”

Montgomery, who is ranked as the No. 3 Ohioan and No. 53 overall prospect in the 2023 class, impressed during offensive line drills on Tuesday and won most of his one-on-one reps, showing quick feet and strong hands.

Greg Studrawa’s excitement was apparent watching Montgomery on Tuesday, and Montgomery said after the camp that he loved working with Studrawa.

“I love Coach Stud,” Montgomery said. “He’s a character. He’s got a lot of energy. Obviously he knows the game. He’s put players in the NFL year after year. He knows his stuff.”

Tate, like Montgomery and Leblanc, was back at Ohio State for the second time this month and went through a full workout as part of a loaded group of wide receivers at Tuesday’s camp – other receivers of note included Santana Fleming, Anthony Brown, Joshisa Trader and Jeremiah Smith – and showcased why he is one of Brian Hartline’s top targets for the 2023 class.

The highest-rated prospect of all at Tuesday’s camp, though, was Inniss, and he stood out even with all the talent around him. At 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, Inniss showcased exceptional quickness, route-running ability and ball skills for his size, demonstrating why he is the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 7 overall prospect in the entire class of 2023.

After the camp, Inniss graded his performance as “pretty good” – pointing out that he had a drop and slipped on a couple routes – but said he has “a lot of interest in Ohio State.”

“They produce guys for the NFL, and they have the coaches to go with it, the wins to go with that,” Inniss said.

Two other prospects with Ohio State offers were at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday for unofficial visits but did not participate in the camp: Indiana defensive lineman Caden Curry, one of the Buckeyes' top targets for the recruiting class of 2022, and Florida five-star linebacker/defensive end Malik Bryant, the No. 12 overall prospect in the class of 2023.

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