When it comes to recruiting, Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studrawa is often maligned by some Ohio State fans by missing out on high-profile offensive tackle recruits.
In defense of that criticism from fans, Ohio State certainly has had to settle for some lesser-recruited players after higher-profile tackles slipped through its fingers in the last few recruiting cycles.
Some of those critiques resurfaced last week when three-star in-state offensive tackle Avery Henry committed to the Buckeyes. One day prior, Ryan Day had told reporters OSU isn’t afraid to take a developmental player that really wants to be at Ohio State, but cautioned only a few of those players can be recruited at a time.
This week, Day was asked directly if he’s content with the Buckeyes’ offensive tackle recruiting. He pointed to the success of starting right tackle Dawand Jones, who was a three-star recruit, and left guard Thayer Munford, who was a four-star but ranked as the 285th-best player in the 2017 cycle.
“I think when you look at where our tackles are right now and what we have in the program, I’ve been very impressed with the way our tackles have played,” Day said. “That’s really the true gauge. You have some guys with us like Thayer Munford and Dawand Jones and a couple others that weren’t highly recruited, but they were developed and they’re playing at a high level. Then you have some other guys who were really highly recruited that maybe didn’t work out. The bottom line is finding the right guys for Ohio State and developing them at a high level. And then, what is the ultimate evaluation, how they play when they’re here. When you grab a guy and say this is the guy we want, we want to look at him and say what’s he going to look like in three or four years? That’s the most important thing, not how many stars they have.”
Day was also asked about wide receiver recruiting, specifically if Ohio State wants to bring in a smaller, shiftier receiver sized around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 built for the slot. 2022 Ohio State commit Kaleb Brown fits that mold in the current class.
“If (those receivers are) available,” Day said. “We won’t just fit someone into that role just because we need someone in that role. They have to be the best available. Now, they have to be within certain specifications. But we know how to adapt and that’s something we’re proud of here on offense. Based on who we have, we’ve been able to put those guys in the right position, and that’s what coaching is. When you have a great one who’s built to be a certain way, and you want him to be a Buckeye, you’ll figure out ways to get him the ball and how to adapt from there within reason.”
Tate to visit OSU
The premier visitor list for this weekend just keeps growing. In all honesty, this may be one of the most star-studded recruiting weekends at Ohio Stadium the Buckeyes have ever had.
Ohio State’s top wide receiver target for the 2023 class, Carnell Tate, confirmed Wednesday that he’d be making a trip to Columbus.
We back this weekend! pic.twitter.com/F090OazNeB
— Carnell Tate (@carnelltate_) October 27, 2021
Tate, the 58th-best player in the cycle and the ninth-best wideout per 247Sports’ composite rankings, originally planned a commitment date for Oct. 8, but later walked that back after deciding to take a few more visits. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) standout is believed to be really high on both the Buckeyes and Notre Dame. Tate visited Notre Dame earlier this month.
Earlier this fall, Tate played two prep games in Ohio, and played to his audience by throwing up an O-H sign with his arms after scoring a touchdown at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in late August.
Another touchdown for Carnell Tate, and he throws up the O-H for the celebration: pic.twitter.com/08cZfzLTHp
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) August 29, 2021
Moore planning on Columbus visit
Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports dropped a pretty significant piece of information on Wednesday evening. Dante Moore, a five-star quarterback from the 2023 class, plans to be in Columbus on Saturday for the showdown with Penn State.
OSU quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis traveled to Michigan during the Buckeyes’ open week to see Moore, who was offered by OSU in June. This season, Moore has thrown for 28 touchdown passes and 2,800 yards.
While an updated visitors list will be included in Friday’s Hurry-Up, an up-to-date one is currently featured in the Eleven Warriors forums here.
Davis in, Miller out
The top player in the 2024 class, South Carolina quarterback Jadyn Davis, also confirmed Thursday that he will make his second Ohio State game visit this season on Saturday.
In Columbus this weekend #GoBuckeyes @ryandaytime @CoreyDennis_
— Jadyn Davis (@iamjadyndavis) October 28, 2021
The same cannot be said for 2022 defensive tackle Christen Miller. Miller, who announced his plans to visit OSU last week, will no longer be making the trip because he was unable to get a ride to Columbus, according to Lettermen Row's Jeremy Birmingham.
Birmingham also noted that 2022 priority safety target Zion Branch plans to visit Saturday with his little brother Zachariah Branch and that there’s “buzz that Ohio State has been pulling away” from USC in the elder Branch’s recruitment.
