A cornerback in the 2024 class with an Ohio State offer will be amongst the recruits in attendance for the Buckeyes’ regular season finale against Michigan.
Four-star Arizona cornerback Miles Lockhart told Eleven Warriors he plans to make a gameday visit to Columbus for Ohio State’s rivalry matchup with Michigan on Nov. 26.
The Buckeyes offered Lockhart after he went to a team camp on June 21 and ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. After getting the offer from Day himself, Lockhart told Eleven Warriors in July that Ohio State was his top school.
“It’s the top one, to be completely honest,” Lockhart said. “It’s hard to compete with Ohio State. I’ve said that multiple times. There’s a brotherhood there and a winning tradition. Coach (Tim) Walton was telling us how Ohio State won the Rose Bowl and went 11-2 last year, and the whole city was mad they didn’t make it to the national championship. It’s like you have to win there. That winning tradition is something that I think makes the whole environment special.”
Lockhart holds nearly 19 Division I offers and is considered the 290th-best prospect in the 2024 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the big matchup a week and a half from now, Eleven Warriors has compiled a projected recruiting visitors list for Nov. 26 that we’ll be updating between now and then. You can find the list here.
Lee puts OSU in top 10
Another 2024 cornerback with an OSU offer has cut down his recruitment. Four-star Maryland prospect Braydon Lee released a top 10 Wednesday consisting of Ohio State, North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Georgia, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.
Always stood on my 10 pic.twitter.com/r6i4GPVko3
— Braydon Lee (@_brayofficial) November 16, 2022
The Buckeyes offered Lee on Jan. 26, an offer he was ecstatic to get.
“Ohio State has always been one of my top schools growing up,” he told Eleven Warriors in February. “Wearing those colors in front of that type of fan base, that’s just ridiculous. That Michigan vs. Ohio State game is something a kid always dreams of. That’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of. No matter what the weather is, you’re always going to put your best foot forward. OSU has a ton of tradition and a winning culture, and they’re always going to have some of the best coaching staff.”
Lee visited Ohio State in March but hasn’t returned for a visit this fall. The 6-foot-1, 163-pound cornerback has picked up an offer sheet from 30 Division I schools, including the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame and Georgia, and is considered the 114th-best player and 10th-best cornerback in 2024.
Owens invited to OSU Michigan game
Considering 2023 OSU running back commit Mark Fletcher is flirting with the likes of Florida and Miami, along with perhaps a few other schools, the Buckeyes are starting to make some contingency plans should Fletcher flip on or before National Signing Day, even though the Florida running back has continued to say he’s fully committed to Ohio State publicly.
The Buckeyes have started casting a wide net of 2023 running backs to gauge their interest in OSU and potentially visit on Nov. 26. One such running back is former OSU target and Louisville commit Rueben Owens, a five-star prospect from Texas.
Owens told 247Sports this week the Buckeyes have reached out to him about attending the Nov. 26 matchup against Michigan. Is he interested in making the trip?
“I’ll see,” Owens told 247Sports.
While the Buckeyes’ preferred outcome is for Fletcher to remain in the 2023 class, OSU is casting a wide net of other tailbacks should they need to dip into it in the next few weeks.
