Aamil Wagner has lived his entire life in Ohio, but he's never attended an Ohio State football game.
The four-star 2022 prospect has 60 cousins in the Columbus area as a product of his mother’s 16 aunts and uncles, most of whom are staunch Ohio State fans.
“They’re the people that are out there tailgating,” Wagner said.
A 6-foot-6, 265-pound offensive tackle, Wagner can remember watching former Buckeye quarterback and wide receiver Braxton Miller every Saturday he could. Wagner looked up to Miller, who went to the same school Wagner attends now, Wayne High School in Huber Heights.
In his family, Wagner is the youngest child of four siblings, all of whom are athletes. His oldest brother, Ameer, played college football at Texas Southern. Another brother, Ahmad, played basketball at Iowa before transferring to Kentucky to play wide receiver for the Wildcats through the 2019 season. His parents, Lee and Teresa, were adamant about Aamil attending his siblings’ games on weekends to show support. He’s been to Ohio Stadium once to watch his brother compete in a state championship, but has never seen the Buckeyes take the field in person.
“We were always on the move,” Wagner told Eleven Warriors Tuesday night. “I’ve been to Michigan State numerous times, I’ve been to maybe five Ohio State basketball games. As far as football goes, my brother played in the SEC so for two years straight, I was going to Kentucky games. I felt I’ve never had the chance to actually get to an Ohio State game.”
But that’s finally going to change. Wagner, who put the Buckeyes in his final six schools in March, plans on attending Ohio State’s home opener against Oregon on Sept. 11.
“I’m excited,” Wagner said. “It’s really going to be a fun time to get a chance to experience those moments in the stadium and see what the Horseshoe is like in a real, live game.”
Wagner took an official visit to Columbus on the first weekend of June and also visited Notre Dame, Kentucky, Penn State and Maryland over the summer. After Wagner took his official visit, he said he heard from Ohio State almost every other day. But recently? Ryan Day and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa are checking in with the Dayton resident almost daily.
“(The conversations are) a mixture of everything, really,” Wagner said. “Coach Stud does more of the recruiting. He’ll send me things like Thayer (Munford) becoming a captain of the team or his guys doing big things, whether it’s job interviews or the preseason honors the guys receive. He also checks in on me as a person. Coach Day is more really reaching out to ask stuff like ‘Hey, how’d the game go Friday, how’d the scrimmage go, how’s the team looking?’ He’s really more checking up on my personal life.”
Wagner has other visits planned. He plans on attending Kentucky’s matchup with Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 4, then will attend Penn State's game against Auburn on Sept. 18. He’s still trying to schedule visits to Notre Dame and Maryland games. The senior said he doesn't have a top school as of now, but did say he’s primarily focused on those five schools.
“It’s hard to say who is a front runner,” Wagner said. “I think separation is probably going to occur when I actually get the chance to experience the teams in a gameday environment.”
Wagner said he’d consider playing for Ohio State because of its recent and long-storied program success, along with a belief he’ll be successful on and off the field if he becomes a Buckeye.
“I know regardless of whether I have a career in football after college or if I don’t, I’ll be taken care of,” he said.
Wagner’s current plan is to make his commitment at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 8.
“As of right now, that’s the plan,” Wagner said. “That was really the whole plan, as I was first offered to play in the All-American Bowl. If I do end up feeling comfortable enough after gameday visits or the weeks following, I’ll make a decision, I don’t think I’ll wait that long.”
Ohio State has two offensive line commitments for the 2022 class: George Fitzpatrick and Tegra Tshabola. Other targets include Kam Dewberry and Earnest Greene. There are some concerns about Wagner’s size, considering he is only 265 pounds entering his senior year, compared to Fitzpatrick, who is also 6-foot-6 but already 285 pounds. But Ohio State could use another tackle in the class, and the belief is Wagner will stay at tackle and not have to move inside at the next level. Wagner is rated the 121st-best player and the 12th-best tackle in the recruiting class of 2022, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.
Overton announces top 12
The second-rated prospect in the class of 2023 is down to 12 schools.
Five-star defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound standout from Georgia, announced a top 12 on Wednesday consisting of Ohio State, USC, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee and North Carolina.
Top 12 @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/qwJ3GnAw4G
— Lebbeus Thomas Overton (@LebbeusO) August 25, 2021
Ohio State hosted Overton for a visit on July 25, the first day of the July on-campus recruiting period. Overton also holds a basketball offer from the Buckeyes and also toured the basketball facilities.
In his sophomore season at Milton High School (Alpharetta, Georgia), Overton had an eye-popping 21.5 sacks. He's the highest-rated defensive lineman in the cycle.
Overton told 247Sports Wednesday his main attraction to Ohio State is … well, if you’ve read enough recruiting articles you already knew this ahead of time, but nevertheless: OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“Larry Johnson puts pass rushers in the league and he’s probably the most detailed coach that talks to me, and he’s actually helped my game on a visit just breaking down my film,” Overton told 247Sports. “You can tell he’s a great coach and the program is great, Coach (Ryan) Day is great, it’s all love.”
Haynes sets OSU visit
Not only is Ohio State’s home opener against Oregon going to be massive for the team’s chances of making the College Football Playoff, it’s also going to host some of the highest-billed recruits in the nation.
Another one who confirmed this week that he'll be visiting for that game is four-star running back Justice Haynes. One of OSU’s top running back targets in the class of 2023 along with Richard Young and Rueben Owens, Haynes told On3 this week he’ll attend the highly anticipated matchup on Sept. 11. He previously visited Ohio State when he camped with the Buckeyes in June.
Haynes, the 55th-best player nationally and the fourth-best running back in the cycle, will also visit Georgia, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Alabama, Ole Miss and Clemson this fall.
