After visiting Columbus this summer, one of Ohio State’s top offensive line targets in the 2023 cycle has been trying to figure out the logistics of a trip back to Columbus.
Payton Kirkland, a four-star offensive tackle from Florida, had to cancel his visit to Ohio State in early September because a noon kickoff wouldn't work with his schedule. In late October, Kirkland told Eleven Warriors he likely wouldn’t be able to make a game this fall and a spring visit was more likely. However, Kirkland is planning on squeezing a game day visit in this fall after all.
The 6-foot-5, 330-pound prospect told Eleven Warriors Tuesday he plans to attend OSU’s Nov. 20 contest against Michigan State.
“Absolutely (I’ll be there),” Kirkland told Eleven Warriors. “I will be in Columbus starting on Friday, November 19.”
Kirkland is ranked as the No. 123 overall prospect and the ninth-best tackle nationally according to 247Sports’ composite rankings for the recruiting class of 2023. The Dr. Phillips High School (Orlando, Florida) standout has around 45 Division I offers to this point including Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Wagner narrows down choices
Friday is decision day for Ohio-based offensive tackle Aamil Wagner. While Wagner has publicly announced a top five, one that includes Ohio State, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Wayne standout is reportedly down to Penn State and Kentucky, according to On3.
The thinking here is Wagner chooses Kentucky, in no small part due to his older brother Ahmad Wagner, who played wide receiver for the Wildcats for two seasons and is now on Kentucky’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant. However, On3 reports Penn State is trying to sway Wagner before he announces a decision.
Wagner visited Kentucky on Sept. 4.
“I enjoyed it a lot, actually,” Wagner told Eleven Warriors of his visit to Kentucky back in September. “I watched a lot of Kentucky games for two years because my brother was there, and seeing the new offense they put in with (new offensive coordinator Liam) Coen looks really good.”
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes will likely take one more offensive lineman in the class with three offensive linemen already committed. It could be a situation of who blinks first between Earnest Greene and Carson Hinzman for the final spot in the Buckeyes’ 2022 offensive line class.
Rolder continues to rise
By now, you probably know at least part of the story of Jimmy Rolder, a Chicago-based senior linebacker that has become one of the most successful late-bloomers of the 2022 cycle.
On Oct. 8, Rolder had only one Division I offer from Ball State. Ten days later, Rolder picked up an Ohio State offer. He has also added offers from Michigan, Florida, LSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and others.
Rolder was originally committed to play baseball at Illinois, but according to Bill Landis of The Athletic, football is where the 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker’s passion truly lies.
“I’ve honestly always liked football more,” Rolder told The Athletic.
The linked feature above is a great dive into Rolder’s rise, and he could very well be the final piece of Ohio State’s 2022 linebacker class, as the Buckeyes would like to take one more in the cycle in addition to commits C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers.
