One of Ohio State’s 2023 wide receiver targets narrowed down his top five schools on Tuesday.
The Buckeyes made the cut for four-star California wideout Rico Flores Jr. along with UCLA, Notre Dame, Georgia and Texas.
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— Rico Flores Jr (@lil_reek_) February 23, 2022
PNUTTY pic.twitter.com/jN32ZrDetB
Flores Jr. is ranked as the 156th-best prospect and the 22nd-best wideout in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect was offered by the Buckeyes on Nov. 30 and told Eleven Warriors this week he talks to OSU wide receivers coach Brian Hartline around three times a week.
“They produce receivers,” Flores Jr. said of Ohio State. “I just see what Hartline does with receivers and how much success they have. And then on top of that, the relationships I’m building with them are great. Everybody is texting me from coach Ryan Day to coach Hartline, just everybody across the offensive side. I feel that plays a big part.”
Flores Jr. told Eleven Warriors he plans on visiting OSU this spring. He hasn’t narrowed down a specific date, but said a March visit is likelier than April. As for his recruiting timeline, Flores Jr. said he hopes to make a commitment before the summer is over.
“I plan on committing in the summer before my senior season,” Flores Jr. said. “That’s the plan, it doesn’t always mean that’s going to work out. That’s what I’m aiming toward.”
Flores Jr. caught 64 passes for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games last season for Folsom High School (Folsom, California). He is high school teammates with four-star 2023 tight end Walker Lyons, who also put the Buckeyes in his top six earlier this month.
There’s no shortage of talented wideouts interested in Ohio State in the current cycle, and the Buckeyes will likely end up with three or four pass catchers before all is said and done in the 2023 class. Other wide receiver targets besides Flores Jr. include Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate, Hykeem Williams, Bryson Rodgers, Noah Rogers, Kyler Kasper, Jalen Hale, Johntay Cook II and Chris Culliver.
Carter plans to visit OSU next month
One of Ohio State’s 2023 linebacker targets is planning a spring visit to Ohio State. Four-star Florida linebacker Lewis Carter told Eleven Warriors he is hoping to make a trip to Columbus sometime in March, though he hasn’t picked a specific date yet.
Carter is ranked as the 116th-best prospect and the seventh-best linebacker in the 2023 class. A two-way player for Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Florida), Carter picked up his OSU offer from running backs coach Tony Alford on Sept. 15.
The 6-foot, 200-pound prospect played running back his freshman year of high school before making the switch to linebacker his sophomore year while still playing both ways in short spurts. In 10 games as a junior, Carter racked up 66 tackles and two sacks while also recording an interception and a pass deflection.
Brown to visit OSU
Four-star 2024 Georgia linebacker Sammy Brown made his first gameday visit to Columbus for the Michigan State game on Nov. 20 and picked up an offer from the Buckeyes in the process.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker has set a return visit to OSU for early April, according to 247Sports.
“I just really like the culture they have,” Brown told 247Sports about Ohio State. “You would think going up north it would be a totally different culture, totally different style of football, but in a way it’s the same. They’ve got their certain traditions they do. They still do like pep rallies and stuff before the game. I thought that was really cool when we went up there the first time. It’s the same, but at the same time it’s different. They’ve got some things that are exactly the same. They play with physicality, their speed. It’s exactly the same as it is down here and it shows on the field. But they have their certain traditions they do and it’s really cool.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Brown is ranked as the fifth-best prospect and the No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 class per 247Sports’ ratings. Brown told 247Sports the schools that are currently recruiting him the hardest are Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Clemson. A decision likely won’t be coming any time soon for Brown, as he plans to commit either during or after his senior season.
