One of Ohio State’s top in-state targets is getting closer to making a decision.
Four-star Ohio interior offensive lineman Austin Siereveld released a top six Thursday that consists of Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Alabama.
Top 6! Thank you to all of the coaches and schools who have recruited me! pic.twitter.com/jdGq1Rg4fi
— Austin Siereveld (@SiereveldAustin) February 10, 2022
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound prospect camped with Ohio State twice in June, then returned for the Buckeye Bash & BBQ in late July. He attended the Oregon and Penn State games in the fall, receiving his offer from the Buckeyes during the latter visit in late October.
“I was really honored to be offered by them,” Siereveld told Eleven Warriors in November. “The fact that they offered me in person with Coach Day was really awesome too.”
Growing up in Ohio, Siereveld was a die-hard Buckeyes fan.
“I watched every game,” he said. “You could say it’s my dream offer ... Everyone in my community is Ohio State fans. Having them potentially supporting me would be great.”
While Ohio State has been Siereveld’s favorite school since he was old enough to care about football, that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes are a slam dunk to land Siereveld, who is ranked as the 326th-best prospect and the 23rd-best interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. Alabama is a strong challenger for Siereveld’s services, as he took a trip to Tuscaloosa for a game visit in mid-November. Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati coaching staff have also made a big push for the Middletown product.
Of course, lots has changed on the Buckeyes’ end since Siereveld was offered in October. Former offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and Siereveld had a strong relationship, while Kerry Coombs was his secondary recruiter on staff. Neither of them are employed by Ohio State anymore, though OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye visited Siereveld in person in January.
Siereveld does not have a set commitment date in mind and seems comfortable slow-playing his decision. It will be up to Frye and the rest of Ohio State’s staff to let Siereveld know he’s still a high priority on their board in the coming months.
OSU already has one interior offensive lineman committed for 2023 in Joshua Padilla, and there's lots of optimism Luke Montgomery will choose the Buckeyes next Thursday, though the four-star offensive lineman from Findlay is projected to play tackle at the next level and doesn't just profile as a guard or center, like Padilla.
Lyons puts OSU in top 6
One of Ohio State’s remaining priority tight end targets has cut down his school list. Four-star California tight end Walker Lyons released a top six on Thursday consisting of Ohio State, Stanford, Utah, BYU, Alabama and USC.
Final SixWhat the move?? pic.twitter.com/7ptHVb79I0
— Walker Lyons (@walkerly0ns) February 10, 2022
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Lyons is ranked as the 73rd-best prospect and the fourth-best tight end in the 2023 class. He told On3 this week he hopes to make a commitment by the end of the summer. Lyons visited Ohio State last June and hopes to take another trip to Columbus in the spring.
“Coach Ryan Day is just awesome,” Lyons told On3. “He texts me every day and we just talk about random stuff. It is not all football with him and he is great with me and my family. Ohio State was one of my first big offers from a school outside the Pac-12, it was the first school I visited last summer, and I hope to be back in March.”
Lyons is not the only Folsom High School (Folsom, California) standout Ohio State is interested in, as the Buckeyes are also pursuing Lyons’ high school teammate, four-star wideout Rico Flores.
OSU misses Proctor’s top seven
Kadyn Proctor, the top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2023 class, released his final seven schools on Wednesday. In somewhat surprising news, Ohio State did not make the cut. Proctor, who is a heavy favorite to choose Iowa when his recruitment is all said and done, also included Michigan, Oregon, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and Penn State in his top seven.
BREAKING: Five-Star OT Kadyn Proctor is down to 7 Schools!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 10, 2022
The 68 330 OT from Des Moines, Iowa is ranked as the No. 5 Player in the 2023 Class (No. 1 OT)
More Here (FREE): https://t.co/Iyz6w9eUWm pic.twitter.com/hnwOKi1K6O
Proctor is ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2023 class. The Buckeyes, who are looking to sign at least two top offensive tackles in the 2023 class, are still in the mix for several other highly rated offensive tackles including Montgomery, Chase Bisontis, Samson Okunlola, Payton Kirkland, Olaus Alinen and Trevor Lauck.
