Four Ohio State targets put their skills on display at the Buckeyes’ seven-on-seven tournament on Thursday.
Prospects of interest who participated in Ohio State’s 7-on-7 competition at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Thursday included class of 2024 four-star wideout Tyseer Denmark, 2025 running back Bo Jackson and 2025 quarterbacks Ryan Montgomery and Tavien St. Clair, who all flashed their playmaking ability over the course of the competition.
Denmark, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound wide receiver from Philadelphia was willing to do whatever his team asked in pool play, lining up at defensive back and even serving as the team’s long snapper when his coaches wanted to conserve his energy for later rounds.
Denmark took over in the first round of the single-elimination tournament. Denmark caught multiple touchdown passes en route to leading Roman Catholic to victory against Cleveland St. Joes and Jackson. Roman Catholic was eliminated by Lawrence North (Indiana) in the next round of the tournament, though.
Four-star 2024 wide receiver Tyseer Denmark (@tyseer5denmark), who holds an Ohio State offer, makes a touchdown catch at OSUs seven-on-seven tournament. pic.twitter.com/ohVpGiM3lt
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 16, 2022
Denmark was making his second visit to Ohio State after making his first during the Buckeyes’ spring game weekend in April.
“Being back in Columbus, it feels like home,” Denmark told Eleven Warriors. “It feels like a great place for me. It’s always all love here from coach Hartline and coach Day.”
Jackson, who just received his offer from Ohio State on Tuesday, was also impressive despite his team’s loss to Roman Catholic. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect lined up at both running back and defensive back for Cleveland St. Joes, which split its team into two separate squads to get more players reps. He intercepted two passes on defense, including one while guarding Denmark. He also made a dynamic play on offense by catching a long wheel route that gave his team a 1st-and-goal situation.
“My best asset on the field is speed and strength, I work on that a lot,” Jackson told Eleven Warriors. “I’m starting to get a lot better at catching the ball (out of the backfield).”
Following the contest, Ryan Day came over to Jackson to congratulate him on his effort and told him he’d like to get the running back on campus again before school started.
It was a cool moment for Jackson to be acknowledged by the Buckeyes’ head coach for the second time in a single week, as his relationship with Ohio State has only just taken off. He received an OSU offer from Day on Tuesday after a terrific performance at the Buckeyes’ fourth camp of the summer. Ohio State is only the second school to offer him along with Kentucky.
“It felt good, it’s been a dream school since I was a little kid,” Jackson said of the Ohio State offer. “After the camp, I went into a room with coach Day and he offered me. He told me he liked what he saw at camp and gave me the offer.”
Montgomery and St. Clair each made impressive touchdown throws at various points throughout the camp as OSU quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis took time to watch both signal-callers.
Findlay 2025 QB Ryan Montgomery (@RyanMonty2025) throws a TD pass at Ohio States 7-on-7 competition. pic.twitter.com/5ph7pxXiYM
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 16, 2022
Bellefontaine QB Tavien St. Clair throws a touchdown pass at Ohio States 7-on-7 camp. Hes one of two in-state 2025 quarterbacks the Buckeyes are keeping a close eye on today along with Findlays Ryan Montgomery, who already has an Ohio State offer. pic.twitter.com/ijupshtYsj
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 16, 2022
Deep-ball touchdown pass from Ryan Montgomery: pic.twitter.com/nB2QpPEfYF
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 16, 2022
St. Clair looked impressive in his team’s first-round matchup with St. Joe’s other team entered in the competition, but ultimately Bellefontaine lost a heartbreaker on a last-second touchdown pass. It was St. Clair’s second time on campus this summer after he participated in a skill camp with the Buckeyes last week.
“I think it's just a great place to play,” St. Clair said of Ohio State. “It's a chance for our team to get somewhere that we don't get to play very often and compete against some pretty good teams.”
Montgomery, who OSU offered as a freshman in high school, led Findlay to a first-round win before the Trojans fell in the second round. The sophomore signal-caller was back in Columbus for the second time in six days after participating in a basketball camp with Findlay on Friday.
“It was awesome, Ohio State’s a great place,” Montgomery said of participating in the camp. “Where else would you want to go to have a camp with your teammates? The most important thing right now is as a team we’re getting better and we’re learning still.”
Inniss includes OSU in top six
In the same week he’s scheduled to take an official visit to Columbus, five-star Florida 2023 wide receiver Brandon Inniss announced his final six schools. The 6-foot, 190-pound wideout dropped the list Wednesday (his father’s birthday), narrowing his recruitment down to Ohio State, USC, Miami, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M.
Happy birthday dad #blessed @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/ytO9lLgI9X
— Brandon Inniss (@brandon5star2) June 15, 2022
Inniss is expected to arrive on OSU’s campus Friday. The Buckeyes are the heavy favorite to land the premier talent, so how the official visit goes may go a long way in determining whether Inniss decides to end his recruitment early or not.
Green to commit June 24
A four-star 2023 Ohio State defensive line target has set a commitment date. Georgia prospect Stephiylan Green announced Thursday he will choose from a top six of Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Tennessee on June 24.
I will be committing June 24!! @Mansell247 @FootballRome pic.twitter.com/loEpt2rWwo
— Stephiylan Green (@stephiylan) June 16, 2022
Clemson is seen as the favorite to land Green, but the 6-foot-4, 267-pound defensive lineman is scheduled to take an official visit to Columbus this weekend, so the Buckeyes will have their chance to make up ground.
Gullette enjoyed OSU official visit
Since four-star Texas linebacker Derion Gullette was offered on Dec. 2, he was determined to visit Columbus. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect finally made his first trip to Columbus last weekend on an official visit and came away pleased with his experience.
“The visit was great,” Gullette told Eleven Warriors this week. “Got to really learn more about the Buckeyes and understand their culture. They made a great impression on me, I love how coach Day is all about development. That’s big for me.”
Ohio State is hoping to take two linebackers in the current cycle, with its top targets being Tackett Curtis, Troy Bowles and Arvell Reese. Texas A&M is the projected favorite to land Gullette at the moment, but the Buckeyes will continue to monitor his recruitment.
Harris commits to Georgia
Five-star 2023 cornerback AJ Harris’ recruitment has been trending away from Ohio State for several months since Kerry Coombs’ departure, so it’s no surprise he committed to another school Thursday.
Harris, a Phenix City, Alabama resident, decided to stay close to home and commit to Georgia.
IM Gon FOREVER Live With My Name, When I Die. IM Gon Stack Up That Money FOREVER-EVER.
— Aaron-Joshua Harris (@Aj_harris04) June 16, 2022
100000% LOCKED IN & COMMITTED. IM HOME pic.twitter.com/C3jDBNQXg0
At one point, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect was considered to be the Buckeyes’ top priority at cornerback in the current cycle. But OSU has moved on to other targets. Ohio State has one cornerback committed in 2023 in Dijon Johnson but would like to take at least three. Other options include Daniel Harris, Kayin Lee, Calvin Simpson-Hunt and Christian Gray.
