When Ohio State opened spring practice on Tuesday, it welcomed one of its top targets for the class of 2023 on an unofficial visit.
Four-star Louisiana linebacker Tackett Curtis visited OSU for the first time Tuesday with his family, flying into Columbus in the morning and staying on campus until 6 p.m.
“The visit was great, it exceeded our expectations,” Curtis told Eleven Warriors. “We had an awesome trip. They have a really good scheme for me and a good defense and I’d feel like I’d thrive in their defense. The tour was great. It was a great trip.”
On his visit, Curtis watched practice, got a tour of Ohio State’s athletic and academic facilities and met with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and Ryan Day.
I had a great time today at The Ohio State!! I appreciate the staff for making it a special day for me and my family! I enjoyed spending the day with @MattGuerrieri @CoachJimKnowles @CoachKMcFarland @markpantoni ! Thank you so much! pic.twitter.com/co2xVlzBfX
— TACKETT CURTIS (@curtis_tackett) March 9, 2022
“They showed us so much love,” Curtis said. “They had everybody with us the whole day from early in the morning to the afternoon. There wasn’t a dull moment. We were constantly talking to the coaches and they were putting on programs for us and showing us what they had to offer.”
Knowles has had a longstanding relationship with Curtis dating back to when he was at Oklahoma State. Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator visited Curtis in Louisiana twice. On those trips, Knowles had previously told Curtis he sees him as a Mike linebacker. On Tuesday, Knowles went into more specific details about how Curtis would be used in the defense.
“He said there’s a bunch of different positions he wants to line me up at,” Curtis said. “He wants to put me at the edge and let me go blitz. He wants to let me cover. But ultimately he wants me to be their Mike. He’s got lots of different plans for me and ways he wants to use me and put me in a playmaking position in the middle.”
It was Curtis’ first time meeting Day in person, and the two spoke for about an hour.
“I didn’t know much about coach Day, but when I met him, he was great,” Curtis said. “He’s such a genuine person and I really enjoyed talking to him. We talked about family and talked about ball. He was (selling me) on the way they’re going to take care of me but at the same time push me to be my best. That’s the main points he was selling.”
Day also impressed Curtis’ uncle, Jess, who is Tackett’s head football coach at Many High School (Many, Louisiana).
“Being a football junkie like we are, it was neat to finally get up there and see it,” Jess said. “I was really impressed with coach Day. I’ve sat down with a lot of college head coaches and I was really impressed with his vision for Ohio State. The X’s and O’s with Jim Knowles and seeing the scheme fit as well were awesome.”
OSU is certainly surging in the recruitment of Curtis, as 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong placed a Crystal Ball projection for the 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker to end up with the Buckeyes. But no decision is imminent as he still plans to make several more visits this spring.
Curtis will visit Miami this weekend, Michigan State between March 14-18, USC on March 26 and Wisconsin on April 2.
“(Ohio State) is in the top group with a couple of my favorites,” Curtis said. “I haven’t made a decision on who my favorite is yet. But they’re definitely one of the teams I really like.”
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Curtis is ranked as the 62nd-best prospect and the sixth-best linebacker in the 2023 class. As of now, he is planning to commit by the end of the summer. Curtis said he hopes to take another trip to Columbus before making a decision, but does not know when that trip will occur.
West enjoys OSU visit
Curtis wasn’t the only key prospect to visit Ohio State’s opening spring practice on Tuesday. 2024 Glenville High School cornerback Bryce West, the only in-state player in the sophomore class to hold a Buckeyes offer thus far, also made an appearance at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday and told Eleven Warriors he enjoyed his time in Columbus.
“My visit was amazing yesterday,” West said. “Being there, seeing all the players, all the coaches and seeing how the coaches coach the guys up, seeing how competitive the players are with each other was amazing. The thought of it was good because I saw how smooth and fast the practice was run.”
Had an Amazing Time today at THEEE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Thank you for having me. #BIA @ryandaytime @CoachTimWalton @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/SNW0n5R2EY
— (@bryvonny) March 9, 2022
West, who was offered by Ohio State in early December, met a good chunk of OSU’s football staff on Tuesday and watched cornerbacks coach Tim Walton interact with OSU’s corners during practice alongside Buckeyes recruiting guru Mark Pantoni. He said he’s already called or texted Day, Walton, Pantoni, Perry Eliano, Tony Alford, Tim Hinton and Matt Guerierri since the visit.
“They told me to make sure I’m visiting a lot throughout the spring, summer and come to many of their games,” West said. “They also want me to keep working hard at school and my body and send them out drills of me doing things so they can help me.”
West does not yet have any further spring visits planned to Ohio State or any other schools, and does not have any timeline for starting to narrow down his recruitment as he is still exploring offers.
Arvell Reese offered by OSU
West was joined on his visit by several high school teammates from Glenville, and one of them left with an offer. Arvell Reese, a 6-foot-3, 212-pound three-star linebacker in the 2023 class, received an offer from the Ohio State coaching staff on Tuesday.
Honored and thankful to say I have earned an offer from THEE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!! @ryandaytime @CoachTonyAlford @MattGuerrieri @CoachJimKnowles @Coach_Eliano pic.twitter.com/q9vYIapClM
— Arvell Reese (@arvxll) March 9, 2022
Reese is ranked as the 462nd-best player and the 40th-best linebacker in the 2023 cycle. He also received an offer from USC on Tuesday, bringing him to 20 total Division I scholarship offers. Other offers include Indiana, Kentucky, Purdue, West Virginia, Rutgers, Iowa State and Cincinnati.
With offers to Reese in 2023 and West in 2024, Ohio State may be trying to reignite the well-established pipeline from Glenville High School to Ohio State. Past Glenville alumni that played for Ohio State include Ted Ginn Jr., Troy Smith, Cardale Jones, Chris Worley, Marshon Lattimore and Donte Whitner.
