The Ohio high school football playoffs are about to begin.
For the second straight season, 448 teams qualified for the playoffs statewide, meaning the first round is going to feature lots of lopsided scores considering lots of teams with below .500 records are in the postseason tournament across eight divisions and 28 regions. Various Ohio State in-state commits and targets are among the many athletes preparing for their first-round playoff matchups this week, and we’ve got a full breakdown below of where each player with an OSU offer will be playing in round one.
Matchups are hosted at the higher seed's home venue and all kickoff times are 7 p.m. on Friday. A complete bracket of all divisions can be found here.
- Division I, Region 2: No. 3 Perrysburg (9-1) vs. No. 14 Findlay (5-5): This contest will feature four-star 2023 offensive line commit Luke Montgomery and 2025 QB target Ryan Montgomery.
- Division I, Region 4: No. 3 Lakota West (10-0) vs. No. 14 Lebanon (4-6): This contest will feature four-star 2023 safety commit Malik Hartford.
- Division I, Region 2: No. 7 Fairmont (7-3) vs. No. 10 Wayne (6-4): This contest will feature four-star 2023 offensive lineman commit Joshua Padilla.
- Division I, Region 2: No. 6 Dublin Coffman (7-3) vs. No. 11 Marysville (6-4): This contest will feature four-star 2023 defensive tackle commit Will Smith Jr.
- Division I, Region 4: No. 1 Archbishop Moeller (9-1) vs. No. 16 Hamilton (3-7): This contest features four-star 2024 running back target Jordan Marshall.
- Division I, Region 2: No. 2 Springfield (8-1) vs. No. 15 Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (4-6): This contest features 2024 four-star cornerback target Aaron Scott Jr.
- Division II, Region 8: No. 1 Winton Woods (10-0) vs. No. 16 La Salle (1-9): This contest will feature four-star cornerback commit Jermaine Mathews.
- Division II, Region 7: No. 5 Big Walnut (8-2) vs. No. 12 Green (4-6): This contest features four-star 2024 safety target Garrett Stover.
- Division III, Region 9: No. 6 Tallmadge (8-2) vs. No. 11 Villa Angela-St. Joseph (8-2): This game features 2025 running back target Bo Jackson.
- Division IV, Region 14: No. 1 Glenville (9-0) vs. No. 16 Napoleon (4-6): This contest will feature four-star 2023 linebacker commit Arvell Reese and a pair of four-star 2024 targets in cornerback Bryce West and tight end Damarion Witten.
- Division IV, Region 16: No. 2 Taft (8-2) vs. No. 15 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (5-5): This game features four-star defensive end Elias Rudolph.
Tovanio to take official visit to OSU
A 2023 four-star cornerback with an Ohio State offer is close to making a decision. Texas prospect Javien Toviano told On3 he’s “near” making a decision but will wait until he completes his official visits. He’s already taken officials to LSU and Michigan in June, has confirmed he’ll take an official visit to Ohio State and Oregon and will decide between Texas and Texas A&M for his final trip. Tovanio told the recruiting network he knows in his head where he wants to be but wants to do his due diligence.
almost that time!
— Javien Toviano (@j_toviano8) October 22, 2022
Where OSU is concerned, he’s still trying to figure out the best date to visit with Perry Eliano and Tim Walton, but the pair of OSU assistants are trying to get him on campus for the Nov. 26 contest against Michigan.
“Me and coach Walton, coach Eliano, we’ve been going back and forth on which is the best date,” Tovanio told On3. “Whether it’s the Michigan week or it’s the whatever. We’re trying to find that fine line and agree with something. I think we’ll be able to get something planned out pretty soon. As you see, they’re a top-rated program in the country right now. Top 4 program in the country. I think that’s self-explanatory. Definitely a campaign I want to play for. Going into the Big 10 with Michigan is attractive as well.”
Though anything can change on an official visit, it’s unlikely Tovanio ends up picking OSU in the end. Reading between the lines, Toviano seems to be favoring LSU, especially considering he has received two Crystal Ball projections for the Tigers as of September.
Ricks reclassifies to 2023
The former top-rated cornerback in the class of 2024 is now reclassifying to 2023. Five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks announced Saturday he plans on reclassifying to 2023, and is now the second-rated cornerback in that class next to Cormani McClain per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
— Desmond Ricks (@DesmondRicks2) October 22, 2022
While Ricks holds an Ohio State offer, it would be shocking to see Ricks end up in Columbus. Plus, any and all cornerbacks named Ricks must be debated about endlessly in transfer portal season, of course. In addition to in-state cornerbacks Bryce West and Aaron Scott, OSU’s top preferred cornerbacks in the 2024 cycle seem to be five-stars Ellis Robinson IV and Charles Lester III.
