Ohio State won’t have to wait much longer to find out whether or not it will land one of its top offensive line targets in the 2024 class.
Four-star Indiana offensive lineman Ian Moore told Eleven Warriors he’s planning on visiting Wisconsin this weekend, then will decide where he’ll play collegiately in the coming weeks.
The Buckeyes are in a solid position to land the top-100 prospect, as two 247Crystal Ball projections have been cast in Ohio State’s favor for Moore. Moore wrapped up his second gameday visit of the month to OSU last weekend and enjoyed his experience again. He previously came to Columbus on Sept. 3 for the Notre Dame game.
“I had a great time,” Moore said. “I met a lot of great fans and parents that told me all about OSU. I got to meet a lot more fans than last time. I think my favorite part of the visit was getting to connect with the fans.”
Moore watched the Buckeyes’ offense thrive as Ohio State cruised to a 52-21 victory over the Badgers in its Big Ten opener.
“They played great,” Moore said. “They did really good against the big guys Wisconsin has up front.”
Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye met with the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman and his father in pregame warmups as the pair continued to strengthen their relationship.
“It was really quick, and we were just catching up,” Moore said. “He came up and asked how I played and just acted like a friend rather than a coach. He sees me as a five-position player. He thinks that I’ll be primarily a tackle, though.”
Ohio State 2023 offensive lineman commit Luke Montgomery was in full-on peer recruiting mode over the weekend, as he helped put the full-court press on five-star 2023 defensive end Keon Keeley. But he also lent his ear to Moore as well.
“I got to talk to Luke Montgomery a bit, and he was just asking me about where I’m at in the recruiting process,” Moore said.
If Frye and Montgomery have it their way, Moore will be in OSU’s class sooner rather than later.
Buckeyes recruiting Smith hard
Ohio State’s continued pursuit of 2024 tight ends Christian Bentancur and Damarion Witten has been well-documented. But another four-star tight end prospect in that cycle is also feeling the love from the Buckeyes.
Georgia tight end Michael Smith told 247Sports this week he believes Ohio State is one of three schools recruiting him the hardest, along with Arkansas and South Carolina. Smith, who has been recruited by both Tony Alford and Kevin Wilson, was in attendance for the Buckeyes’ 52-21 victory over Wisconsin.
“I just went this past weekend,” Smith told 247Sports. “The energy was live. I liked the atmosphere. The energy was just off the charts. Plus, it was a blackout game, so I felt like everybody in the crowd was into it. There was like no basic person in the crowd. Everybody was into the game.”
Smith is considered the 138th-best prospect and the sixth-best tight end nationally per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He picked up his offer from the Buckeyes on June 28.
Montgomery to be honored as All-American Wednesday
Speaking of Montgomery, he’s not just an excellent peer recruiter but also a damn good football player. He wouldn’t be coming to Columbus if he wasn’t, after all. Wednesday evening, Montgomery will garner national recognition and be honored as a 2023 All-American Bowl selection.
Mr. Ohio State
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) September 26, 2022
OL Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) will be honored as a 2023 All-American on Wednesday night. #GoBucks #theG23ATESTshow #AllAmericanBowl @GEICO pic.twitter.com/puXj0R5pbA
Montgomery will play in the yearly national All-Star game in January in San Antonio and is one of seven OSU commits selected for the game. Other future Buckeyes participating include Mark Fletcher, Malik Hartford, Brandon Inniss, Kayin Lee, Carnell Tate and Calvin Simpson-Hunt.
