After narrowing down his recruitment to six schools in February, four-star 2023 Ohio offensive lineman Austin Siereveld has released his final three schools in consideration.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Lakota East product released a top three list of Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama on Wednesday.
FINAL THREE!!! pic.twitter.com/YZ2QAWX8XY
— Austin Siereveld (@SiereveldAustin) April 6, 2022
Siereveld picked up his OSU offer when he visited the Buckeyes on Oct. 30 for the Penn State game, but he did not return to Columbus for a visit until late March. That might have been a turning point for Siereveld, who grew up rooting for the Buckeyes, in his Ohio State recruitment. On his trip, he built a strong connection with offensive line coach Justin Frye.
“I loved everything about what I saw (on my visit),” Siereveld told Eleven Warriors in March. “Watching practice was awesome, getting the chance to see what it is like to be coached if I go here was pretty cool. (Coach Frye) tells me all the time that he wants to coach me and I want to play for someone like that.”
On Thursday, Siereveld told Eleven Warriors he will return to Ohio State for the Buckeyes’ spring game on April 16, which certainly seems to be a good sign. Siereveld, who is considered the 324th-best prospect and the 19th-best interior offensive lineman per 247Sports’ composite rankings, said he does not have a commitment timeline and will simply pull the trigger when he’s ready.
Perhaps a commitment could come sooner rather than later with Siereveld being down to only three schools, but he said at the Under Armour Next camp in March he’s considering taking official visits in the summer. With Malik Hartford now in OSU’s recruiting class, Siereveld now becomes the highest-remaining in-state priority target.
Short picks up OSU offer
Ohio State has made its fifth offer in the 2025 cycle. Georgia prospect Mason Short became the first offensive tackle the Buckeyes have offered in his class after he picked up an offer from OSU while visiting Columbus on Thursday.
Grateful and honored to have received an offer from THE Ohio State University!! #GoBuckeyes @CoachM_Patrick @CoachJFrye @ryandaytime @etwill21 pic.twitter.com/e5Gtsnr4L8
— Mason Short (@MasonShort_) April 7, 2022
Safe to say momma was pretty happy #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/51jXTLqdWN
— Mason Short (@MasonShort_) April 7, 2022
As he is a member of the 2025 class and 247Sports has not yet done evaluations of 2025 players, he does not currently hold a ranking. Heading into his sophomore season, Short certainly does not live up to his name and has tremendous size at 6-foot-7, 280-pounds. The Buckeyes are Short’s fifth Division I offer, and third from the FBS level. Other offers include Minnesota, Louisville, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina.
Williams puts OSU in top eight
Ohio State has continued its pursuit for a second tight end to pair with 2023 commit Ty Lockwood in the current cycle. One option could be four-star Oregon tight end Riley Williams, who just released his top eight schools on Wednesday. Ohio State made the cut, along with Alabama, Oregon, Michigan State, LSU, Michigan, Miami and Ole Miss.
I would like to thank all the schools that have recruited me up to this point. I will continue my recruitment process with these 8 teams. I am looking forward to growing our relationships over the next few months. pic.twitter.com/Ul2sOjObGy
— Riley Williams (@ri_will_) April 6, 2022
Williams is considered the 96th-best prospect and the sixth-best tight end in the 2023 class. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound tight end put up eye-popping numbers at Central Catholic High School (Portland, Oregon) en route to a 15-0 season and state championship, Williams caught 36 passes for 889 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 24.7 yards per reception.
Williams, who picked up his OSU offer last June, tweeted in early March he planned on taking a visit to OSU at some point this spring, so it’s certainly possible he makes the trip to Columbus sometime over the next two weeks.
More Malik Hartford commitment reactions
In case you missed it from Wednesday, Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class has grown to six commitments after four-star Ohio safety Malik Hartford gave his verbal to the Buckeyes. Reaction from social media poured in after Hartford’s commitment.
HME pic.twitter.com/EdO4KvlNwB
— Malik Hartford (@MalikHartford) April 6, 2022
.@Coach_Eliano MOOD pic.twitter.com/L1ETiEWNfs
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) April 6, 2022
— Perry Eliano (@Coach_Eliano) April 7, 2022
LEEEEK #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/asxNefUR9d
— Tegra Masta T Tshabola (@tshabola_tegra) April 6, 2022
Congrats @MalikHartford on your verbal commitment to @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/6yM5q8yFji
— Lakota West Football (@LakotaWestFB) April 6, 2022
