It’s barely been a full 24 hours since Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time in 10 years.
Even though they haven’t joined the roster yet, 2022 Ohio State commits and Lakota West standouts Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola were equally hurt by seeing their future team lose to its rival.
Tshabola, an offensive lineman ranked as the 114th-best player in the 2022 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings, sent out a tweet shortly after the loss with a promise attached, which he later pinned to the top of his profile. Fellow 2022 commit and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson retweeted Tshabola’s message.
Never again.
— Tegra Masta T Tshabola (@tshabola_tegra) November 27, 2021
Brown, a four-star cornerback, echoed his commitment to the Buckeyes to show he’s in it for the long haul, good times and bad.
Its still #gobucks
— Jyaire Brown (@jyairebrown13) November 28, 2021
Recruits react to Riley leaving
As mentioned earlier, we aren’t even a full day removed from the end of the college football regular season, but that doesn’t matter, because the college football news cycle just keeps on turning. Lincoln Riley is reportedly leaving Oklahoma for USC while Billy Napier is on the move from Louisiana to Florida.
We’ll have a more in-depth breakdown later this week on what Riley’s move to USC could mean for Ohio State recruiting from the angle of both USC hiring Riley and Oklahoma losing him.
In the meantime, several recruits have already reacted to Riley’s hiring on social media. The one most of interest to Ohio State? Four-star 2022 defensive tackle Hero Kanu, who the Buckeyes are heavily pursuing. Ohio State was already in a good spot with the 92nd-ranked player in the 2022 cycle, but Oklahoma was considered to be one of the biggest competitors for Kanu’s services. Likely much less so now.
Wow! Who would have expected that https://t.co/p97G0I75KZ
— Hero Kanu (@HeroKanu) November 28, 2021
Another player of interest to OSU is 2023 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, who received an OSU offer in June. Frausto-Ramos is seemingly very interested in Riley’s move out west.
— Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (@JshawnRamos) November 28, 2021
There may now be one less suitor for 2023 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) four-star offensive lineman Knijeah Harris, who remains uncommitted and holds offers from both OSU and Oklahoma.
— Knijeah Harris (@knijeah) November 28, 2021
Whereas there’s excitement from a USC perspective, there’s also disappointment on potential Oklahoma recruits. For example: 2022 offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, who also holds an OSU offer and put the Buckeyes in his top five.
bro
— KAM DEWBERRY (@KamDewberry) November 28, 2021
Treyaun Webb, a 2023 Oklahoma running back commit, and Brandon Inniss, a five-star OU wideout commit who is ranked as the top wide receiver in the country, both expressed shock at the news. Both hold offers from Ohio State, which has actively recruited both of them.
Wow
— Treyaun Webb (@w_treyaun) November 28, 2021
Ohhh shii.broward county out in cali wit da vibes
— BrandonSHOWTIME inniss (@brandon5star2) November 28, 2021
And then there is always the crib
— BrandonSHOWTIME inniss (@brandon5star2) November 28, 2021
Baxter puts OSU in top 12
Four-star 2023 running back Cedric Baxter Jr. has narrowed down his top schools. Baxter Jr. released a top 12 Saturday consisting of Ohio State, Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Florida State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami, UCF and Louisville. He was offered by Tony Alford and the Buckeyes in September.
here ya go. pic.twitter.com/aoq87fMBSe
— Cedric C4 Baxter Jr (@CedricBaxterJr1) November 27, 2021
Even though he is being primarily recruited as a running back by OSU, Baxter is a two-way player at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida, where he has played defensive back and linebacker as well. In Baxter’s sophomore season, he rushed for 426 yards and two touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry. On the defensive end, he recorded 20 tackles (one for a loss) and two pass deflections.
OSU would like to take two running backs in the 2023 class, with Richard Young being their top preference and Justice Haynes likely being next in line, but Baxter is a name worth watching as the recruiting cycle plays out.
