The Hurry-Up: Ohio State 2022 Signing Day Primer, Caden Curry Says Loss to Michigan “Won't Happen Again”

By Garrick Hodge on December 14, 2021 at 5:33 pm
C.J. Hicks
C.J. Hicks
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We’re less than a day away from the early signing period.

All of us at Eleven Warriors are ready to keep you informed throughout the big day. Signings can officially start rolling in at 7 a.m. Wednesday on the East Coast, and once individual signings are officially announced, an article will appear on the site for each player that inks a National Letter of Intent to Ohio State.  

Ryan Day will address the media at 1 p.m. to discuss the 2022 recruiting class, while players will also have their own signing ceremonies locally. Eleven Warriors plans to be at Sonny Styles’ ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss his decision to reclassify from 2023 to 2022, and we hope to also make it to signing ceremonies for C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers. We’ll have content from all of it on Wednesday and in days to come. 

Before the prospects officially start sending in their NLIs, let's break down some of the biggest storylines surrounding Ohio State on the eve of the early signing period. 

Who’s in?

Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2022 includes 19 commitments on the eve of the early signing period, and all but one appear locked in on signing their National Letters of Intent. More on that in a minute.

As of now, the expected breakdown of signees consists of two five-stars, 15 four-stars and two three-star recruits. Nationally, OSU’s recruiting class sits fourth in 247Sports’ team composite rankings, in front of Penn State and trailing Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M. In total, OSU is expected to sign nine defensive players and 10 offensive players on Wednesday.

Offense: Devin Brown (QB), Caleb Burton (WR), Kaleb Brown (WR), Kyion Grayes (WR), Tegra Tshabola (OL), Kojo Antwi (WR), Dallan Hayden (RB), George Fitzpatrick (OL), Bennett Christian (TE), Avery Henry (OT)

Defense: Caden Curry (DL), Kye Stokes (S), Ryan Turner (CB), Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (DE), Jyaire Brown (CB), Gabe Powers (LB), C.J. Hicks (LB), Sonny Styles (S/LB), Terrance Brooks (CB)

Will Brooks honor commitment?

We mentioned there may be one of those names above not entirely set in stone. That would be Brooks, who Texas has been pursuing hard the past few weeks, even making an in-home visit last week. Day, Kerry Coombs and the rest of Ohio State’s coaching staff will be sweating it out early in the morning to see if they can secure the Texas product, who is Ohio State’s highest-ranked cornerback commit in the 2022 class. 

They’ll know sooner than later, as Brooks plans to officially sign at 9:45 a.m., though his signing announcement doesn’t mention any team. It’s never that easy, is it?

DL will be biggest area of need after Wednesday

At this point, Ohio State only has two defensive linemen committed in the 2022 cycle between Curry and Jackson Jr. OSU would certainly like to see that number grow, with its eyes set on defensive tackle Hero Kanu and defensive end Omari Abor. Kanu plans to silently sign then make his announcement on Jan. 8 at the All-American Bowl, while there’s conflicting reports on what Abor will do. Some outlets say he will sign Wednesday then announce on Jan. 2 at his All-American game, others say he’s likely to be a February signee. Regardless, OSU sits in a good spot with both players.

There may not be much else in terms of additions coming after Wednesday besides those two potential players, but keep an eye on the recruitment of four-star offensive lineman Carson Hinzman. Hinzman was thought to be a December signee, but may continue his recruitment into February as he decides between Ohio State and his home-state Wisconsin Badgers. 

Signing Day surprise? 

If Ohio State is to land a big #BOOM during the early signing period, it would likely be either Christen Miller or Zion Branch. Neither is expected, though Miller appears to be a more likely possibility at this point than Branch, who appears all but headed to USC. Miller, who has said publicly he’s down to Georgia and OSU, has always stated he’s going to make a college decision at the All-American Bowl in January, but things can always change at the last minute.

Curry already endearing himself to fans

In case you missed it, Curry, a four-star defensive lineman from Indiana, committed to OSU on Tuesday on the eve of the early signing period. It took all but 120 seconds of him pledging to the Buckeyes to endear himself to his new fanbase, as he pledged that losing to Michigan “won’t happen again” in an interview with CBS Sports. 

Hicks, Larry Johnson, Mark Pantoni and other Ohio State commits and staffers will quickly to welcome Curry into the 2022 class.

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