Ohio State Recruits Share Reactions to Their Visits for Buckeyes’ 33-24 Win over Penn State

By Garrick Hodge on October 31, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Omari Abor
Omari Abor
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It was one of the largest recruiting weekends Ohio State has had in recent memory.

Around 60 minutes before Ohio State kicked off what would eventually be a 33-24 win over then-No. 20 Penn State, more than 50 recruits and their families flooded Ohio State's sideline to take in the primetime atmosphere of Ohio Stadium. 

"I want to thank Buckeye Nation and the student section, half an hour before the game, it was a packed house and the student section was rocking," Ryan Day said after the game. "The whole red-out scenario and everyone involved with that was tremendous. The crowd was really into it. It was a wonderful atmosphere and one of the best atmospheres in college football right here in Columbus."

There were no shortage of social media posts flooding the Twitter waves after the contest, and plenty of excitement stemming from some high-profile recruits. The Buckeyes also extended a couple of offers while they were at it. 

RELATED Photos of Ohio State Recruits Attending the Buckeyes' 33-24 Win over Penn State

We checked in with the recruits who attended Saturday’s game and scoured their tweets to gather their reactions from watching the Buckeyes win a night game in the Shoe.

Omari Abor, 2022 defensive end target: As we mentioned on Friday, the five-star Abor was one of the most important visitors for Ohio State this weekend. If social media is any indication, the weekend left the Buckeyes in a good spot with the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Texas resident. 

Abor retweeted a tweet Sunday afternoon pointing out that the nation's No. 24 overall prospect received a Crystal Ball projection to Ohio State from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong.

The social media flirtation between Abor and the Buckeyes didn't stop there. As always, C.J. "Captain Buckeye" Hicks was out recruiting for the Buckeyes in full force at Ohio Stadium, and took a photo with Abor on their visit.

Abor responded in kind. 

Speaking of Hicks, he made an interesting albeit vague projection from the weekend that is sure to pique Ohio State fans’ interest. 

Abor has always said he plans to commit in January, so unless Abor's visit was so good that he wants to change his plans, a BOOM from him probably isn’t coming in the next two months. But that didn't stop recent 2022 commit Kenyatta Jackson Jr. from joining Hicks in an attempt to recruit Abor.

Ty Lockwood, 2023 tight end commit: "My visit was great, was good to get to meet and talk to some players and recruits," Lockwood told Eleven Warriors Sunday. "Team played great."

Willtrell Hartson, 2023 running back target: "It was awesome," Hartson told Eleven Warriors. "The environment was great, I enjoyed myself and it was a great game too."

Austin Siereveld, 2023 offensive line target: Siereveld, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman for Lakota East in Liberty Township, Ohio, certainly enjoyed himself on his visit, picking up an offer from the Buckeyes while in attendance. 

Siereveld told Eleven Warriors on Sunday that he was humbled and excited to receive the offer. 

"The atmosphere with all of the fans in scarlet was amazing," Siereveld said. "I was extremely honored and happy."

Brycen Sanders, 2023 offensive line target: "My visit went great and Ohio State played great," Sanders said.

Christian Gray, 2023 defensive back target: “It was amazing, I was speechless through the whole game," Gray said. "I knew it was going to be a dawg fight, but i had faith in Ohio State to come out with the win.”

Anthony Brown, 2023 wide receiver target (Minnesota commit): "It was real fun, definitely enjoyed my time," Brown said. "The fans were live, the chants were live and I haven't been to an Ohio State game in a long time so it felt good seeing the team go out there and win!"

Keith Sampson Jr., 2023 defensive line target: "The visit was really good," Sampson Jr. said. "The boys played really good. They struggled at first but then they came together and were able to win." 

Ryan Montgomery, 2025 quarterback target: I know, I know, 2025; next we'll be writing about eighth graders, right? It's extremely rare for Ohio State to make offers to freshmen, but Montgomery made Ryan Day make an exception. The brother of priority 2023 offensive lineman target Luke Montgomery, Ryan Montgomery is already starting for Findlay and looks like he's quickly establishing himself as one of the top quarterback prospects in his cycle. 

"The visit was awesome," Montgomery told Eleven Warriors. "The game itself was amazing to be a part of. The stadium was rocking and the atmosphere was electric. Getting that offer was so surreal I was speechless. They’ve been my favorite team and my dream school growing up."

Dylan Raiola, 2024 quarterback target: Montgomery wasn't the only signal-caller to get an offer from Ohio State on Sunday. Dylan Raiola, a Georgia resident who is one of the fastest-rising quarterbacks in the 2024 class, also picked up an offer from the Buckeyes on Saturday. 

Dante Moore, 2023 quarterback target: A five-star quarterback from Michigan, Dante Moore certainly seemed to enjoy his visit to Columbus. After the game, Moore visited with current Buckeyes starting quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

Hero Kanu, 2022 defensive tackle target: Another priority target, Hero Kanu made the trip to Columbus with his mother and Brandon Collier, the founder of PPI Recruits. 

Dan Hope contributed to this story.

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