After Ohio State landed one of its top targets from last month’s Heat Check, there’s been some changes to the Buckeyes’ recruiting board for the class of 2023.
Four-star Ohio safety Malik Hartford, who was ranked eighth on our March edition of the Heat Check, committed to the Buckeyes on Wednesday, giving them six total commitments for the current cycle.
The Buckeyes may not have to wait long to land No. 7. Florida running back Mark Fletcher, who visited Ohio State last weekend with a group of his 7-on-7 teammates, is set to announce his commitment Tuesday and will choose from four schools: Ohio State, Michigan, Miami and Penn State. All signs indicate he’ll likely pick OSU, and as such, we’ve made a change at the top of the board after fellow running back Richard Young held the No. 1 spot last month.
Below, we take a look at the current top 11 Ohio State targets for 2023 in order of their importance to OSU's 2023 recruiting class. This doesn't mean these are the best 11 players the Buckeyes have offered in the 2023 cycle, but rather they're the top priorities for OSU to land right now based on a combination of the prospects’ talent, the Buckeyes’ positional needs and how much of a chance the Buckeyes have to actually land the recruit in the end. As things go in recruiting, the board will likely look different in May than it does in April after OSU hosts a bunch of recruits for its spring game.
With that being said, here's Eleven Warriors' updated 2023 board heading into the week of the spring game.
| PROSPECT | POSITION | RANK | PREV. | RATING | OTHERS IN THE MIX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARNELL TATE | WR | 1 | 2 | ★★★★★ | Notre Dame•Alabama•Tennessee |
| CHASE BISONTIS | OL | 2 | 3 | ★★★★ | Michigan State•Rutgers•Notre Dame |
| OLAUS ALINEN | OL | 3 | 9 | ★★★★ | Alabama•Georgia•Miami |
| RICHARD YOUNG | RB | 4 | 1 | ★★★★★ | Alabama•Oklahoma•Georgia |
| BRANDON INNISS | WR | 5 | 11 | ★★★★★ | USC•Alabama•Georgia |
| TACKETT CURTIS | LB | 6 | 6 | ★★★★ | Wisconsin•Stanford•Miami |
| AJ HOFFLER | DL | 7 | 7 | ★★★★ | Georgia•Clemson |
| DARRON REED | DL | 8 | NA | ★★★★ | Florida State•Georgia•Auburn |
| CALEB DOWNS | S | 9 | 10 | ★★★★★ | Clemson•Alabama•Georgia |
| SAMSON OKUNLOLA | OL | 10 | 4 | ★★★★★ | Notre Dame•Penn State•Michigan State |
| AJ HARRIS | CB | 11 | 5 | ★★★★★ | Florida•Georgia•Alabama |
Carnell Tate
The five-star Florida wideout moves into the top spot of the board based off of both projected positional need and star power, and there's a reason Ohio State has been recruiting Tate for years now. The fifth-rated receiver in the country returned to Ohio State last week and by all accounts enjoyed his visit, keeping the Buckeyes in the pole position to land him.
A summer decision for Tate seems likely, and OSU will have to continue to fend off Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama to seal the deal with the 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout.
Chase Bisontis
There hasn't been much recent news on the Bisontis front in terms of Ohio State. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle from New Jersey has already taken visits to Rutgers, Michigan State and LSU this spring, but hasn't set one for OSU yet, even though he planned on taking a spring visit a few months ago.
If there's any solace, Bisontis recently released a top eight list, and the Buckeyes remain firmly entrenched in the race for him. Bisontis remains this high on the board because offensive tackle is the top positional need for Ohio State in the 2023 recruiting class and he is a top talent at the position. But OSU would certainly like to build more momentum here than it currently has.
Olaus Alinen
Unlike the other tackle prospects on this list, momentum has actually surged quite a bit with the Finland native. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound tackle visited Columbus in March and relished his time at OSU, which also included a tour of the Columbus Blue Jackets facilities. He’s already locked in an official visit to Ohio State for late June, so the Buckeyes have a real chance here.
Alinen is down to four schools: Ohio State, Alabama, Miami and Georgia. Of those four, Alabama remains the toughest competition for OSU to land Alinen.
Richard Young
Young dropping out the top spot last month to No. 4 this month has nothing to do with his on-field ability or even OSU's chances of landing the second-ranked running back in the 2023 class.
Rather, if Ohio State can get the commitment of Fletcher Tuesday as some are predicting, it makes landing Young less essential to ensuring a great 2023 class than it does if Fletcher goes elsewhere. Make no mistake, though, OSU will continue push hard for Young regardless of whatever Fletcher decides. If the Buckeyes miss out to Alabama or Georgia in the Young sweepstakes, Tony Alford would still be very pleased with a class that includes Fletcher and potentially Cedric Baxter Jr.
Brandon Inniss
After hearing reaction from South Florida Express’ trip to Ohio State last weekend, I'm convinced Ohio State has done enough to have a real shot at landing the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2023 class.
It seemed like a pipe-dream only recently, but there's a legitimate chance the Buckeyes could end up with both Inniss and Tate in the 2023 class. USC will still be a very real threat for Inniss, and he's going to take his decision down to the wire in December, so this recruitment is far from over.
Tackett Curtis
Curtis was one of Ohio State's first spring visitors, and Jim Knowles and the Buckeyes certainly left a favorable impression on the 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker from Louisiana.
Curtis is clearly Knowles' No. 1 target at linebacker in this cycle, and it's likely Curtis will return to Columbus this summer for an official visit before he makes a college decision. The Buckeyes look to be in good position here.
AJ Hoffler
Every time I interview AJ Hoffler, I'm left with two impressions. The first being how well-mannered he is. The second is I'm slightly baffled he hasn't committed to the Buckeyes yet considering how much he loves Ohio State and Larry Johnson.
The thinking continues to be it's just a matter of when, not if, Hoffler joins OSU's 2023 recruiting class, but the Buckeyes will likely have to wait until his birthday in August to land the verbal of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Georgia defensive end.
Darron Reed
Reed, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound Georgia defensive lineman, is the lone new addition to the board this month.
After visiting Columbus last weekend, Reed told Eleven Warriors Ohio State is currently the top school on his list, and the chances of landing him seem to grow by the day. A steady influx of reliable defensive linemen will never not be a priority for Johnson and OSU, so with Reed's declaration of affection for OSU, it seemed natural to include him on the board.
Caleb Downs
Ohio State just hosted Downs on a visit last week, and even with Hartford in the fold, the five-star safety from Georgia remains a top priority for Ohio State in the 2023 cycle.
Hartford told Eleven Warriors Wednesday he will assist Ohio State in recruiting both Downs and fellow safety Joenel Aguero, either of whom the Buckeyes would take in a heartbeat. OSU will have to fend off southern schools to land Downs' commitment, but it continues to seem like the Buckeyes have a real chance to land 2023's top-ranked safety.
Samson Okunlola
This is going to be very similar to Bisontis' recap.
Okunlola has not set a spring visit to OSU despite saying he hoped to visit a few months ago, and he has visited other schools in the Midwest. But just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't eventually or that the Buckeyes are out of the running for Okunlola.
Unlike Bisontis, Okunlola hasn't released any recent update – good or bad – that shows where Ohio State stands. It just seems like more momentum is needed to move Okunlola any higher on the list.
AJ Harris
The Florida Gators seem to have a lot of momentum in the race to land Ohio State's top target at cornerback right now.
If OSU is going to have a chance with Harris, a spring visit seems like a necessity. It remains to be seen if that ends up coming to fruition.
Honorable Mentions
Fletcher is going to make a commitment before he has a chance to appear on the board, but Ohio State fans will know where the Buckeyes stand with him on Tuesday anyway, so all is well that ends well. Baxter Jr. is also a great candidate to appear on the board if anything goes south with Young moving forward.
Probably the biggest snub that didn't make the board who could be the first addition on next month's edition is four-star Georgia cornerback Kayin Lee, a recent Georgia decommit. Lee recently visited OSU, and the Buckeyes certainly seem to be trending in the right direction there.
Daemon Fagan and Aguero are both safeties that could easily find their way onto the board if Downs goes a different direction.
There's a host of wide receivers who could rise up the board if things don't work out with Tate or Inniss, including Jalen Hale, Rico Flores, Hykeem Williams, Noah Rogers, Bryson Rodgers and Jaquaize Pettaway to name a few.
Ohio State has surged back in momentum for offensive lineman Austin Siereveld, probably enough to where the Buckeyes should be considered the favorite to land the Ohio product. But interior offensive line isn't as essential in this class as is landing premier tackles.
If South Carolina four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling makes his way to Columbus for a visit, he could easily be a candidate to leap on to the board.
Jaiden Ausberry and Troy Bowles seem to be the next men up on the wish list at linebacker after Curtis.
