We are one day away from the “OG” signing day, as I like to call it.
As is the norm in this current era of college football recruiting, most of the signing day drama unfolds during the early signing period in December, with most recruits putting their pen to paper then while only a select few wait to sign in February.
That should make for a relatively drama-free signing day for Ohio State, although the same cannot be said for the Buckeyes’ arch rival Michigan, who will have its coach interview for a job with the Minnesota Vikings on a major day on the college football calendar.
As of now, Ohio State has 19 signees in the 2022 class, which is ranked fourth overall nationally per 247Sports: C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles, Gabe Powers, Devin Brown, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes, Tegra Tshabola, Hero Kanu, Caden Curry, Caleb Burton, Kojo Antwi, Jyaire Brown, George Fitzpatrick, Dallan Hayden, Ryan Turner, Kye Stokes, Bennett Christian and Avery Henry.
Three more names could join that list tomorrow, with two prospects already committed to the Buckeyes and one target left on the board who will make his college decision tomorrow. Either way, the 2022 signing class should be all wrapped up by the end of the day on Wednesday. The three players Ohio State is still hoping to receive National Letters of Intent from on Wednesday:
- Carson Hinzman, four-star offensive lineman commit: There’s not really much new to say here. Ohio State landed a massive recruiting win when they earned Hinzman’s commitment over his hometown Wisconsin Badgers on Jan. 4. Two days later, his primary recruiter, former offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, was fired. While he was certainly shocked by the news, Hinzman said he remains committed to Ohio State, not a coach, and is “a man of his word.” He is planning on hosting a signing day ceremony in the afternoon Wednesday and there’s zero reason to believe it won’t be with Ohio State.
- Omari Abor, four-star defensive end commit: There’s a lot less worry of Ohio State keeping Abor one day before signing day than there was the day the Buckeyes landed his commitment on Jan. 2, with Texas A&M and Texas seemingly lurking. When he committed to OSU at the Under Armour All-American game, he told reporters he was still going to take visits over the next month. Those visits never materialized. In fact, everything has been quiet surrounding Abor since his commitment. This certainly feels like a “no news is good news” where Ohio State is concerned, and the Buckeyes are expected to sign Abor on Wednesday.
- Christen Miller, four-star defensive tackle target: Since September, the 6-foot-4, 293-pound Georgia resident has been deciding between two schools: Ohio State and Georgia. In the months that followed, Miller took visits to Oregon, Florida A&M and Miami, and added them to his finalists. But this has really been a two-team race for a while. Miller plans to announce his decision at a ceremony at his high school at noon Wednesday. While OSU made a valiant effort to land Miller, the expectation in most recruiting circles is that Miller will choose Georgia. Miller, ranked as the 102nd-best prospect nationally and 14th-best defensive lineman in the 2022 class, has seven Crystal Ball predictions which all favor the Bulldogs.
Thurman picks up OSU offer
Ohio State continues to search for a second tight end in its 2023 recruiting class to pair with four-star commit Ty Lockwood. The Buckeyes made their 10th offer to a tight end in the cycle on Monday, extending a scholarship opportunity to four-star Georgia tight end Jelani Thurman.
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio state @OSUCoachKDub @ryandaytime @markpantoni @OhioStateFB @RecruitLangston @williamsdo @CoachDre_QB @_LingoBingo pic.twitter.com/8SOyDiNJFP
— jelani (@jelani3345) February 1, 2022
Thurman currently has more than 20 Division I offers, including Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and UCF. In 15 games for Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Georgia) last season, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end caught 31 passes for 479 yards and seven touchdowns.
OSU adds pair of PWOs
Ohio State added a pair of preferred walk-ons Monday evening, giving the Buckeyes four PWOs since Saturday. Steubenville, Ohio cornerback Brenten Jones and Avon, Ohio defensive back Colin Kaufmann accepted preferred walk-on opportunities with Ohio State, joining Mason Maggs and Jaylon Stoker, when they announced their commitments on Monday.
#COMMITTED Go Bucks!!! hio pic.twitter.com/M90oCl3kEu
— Brenten Inky Jones (@BrentenJones) January 31, 2022
@OhioStateFB @coach_elderm @EaglesLifting #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/nfefHu7ztX
— Colin Kaufmann (@KaufmannColin) January 31, 2022
Jones, a 6–foot-2, 190-pound athlete, played both cornerback and wide receiver for Steubenville High School and helped lead his team to a 9-3 record last season. Jones, who does not have a composite recruiting rating, announced his commitment less than two weeks after making an unofficial visit to Ohio State on Jan. 22.
Kaufmann is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound defensive back that helped lead Avon to a 12-3 record last season. In addition to playing defensive back, he returned kickoffs. In his junior year while competing in track and field, he finished fourth in the state of Ohio in the 100-meter run with a time of 10.6 seconds.
