One of Ohio State’s top safety targets in the 2024 class is narrowing down his recruitment.
Four-star 2024 California safety Peyton Woodyard announced a top seven schools list earlier this week: Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, USC, Florida and Notre Dame.
Lucky 7 ! pic.twitter.com/ZZkPbMWhQB
— Peyton Woodyard (@peypey_wood) November 28, 2022
Woodyard, considered the 29th-best prospect and second-best safety in the 2024 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings, also set a commitment date of Jan. 7. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound prospect will announce his decision at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
“I feel ready,” Woodyard told 247Sports this week. “I’m excited about this opportunity to commit at the All-American Bowl. I know there will be a few seniors committing, and they asked me if I wanted to do it too, and I said, ‘Sure, why not.’
“I like the idea of going into the offseason with my decision out of the way. Now I don’t have to stress over it and can help start recruiting and build this class. I know it’s early, but I took a lot of unofficial visits and really started this process early, so I know I have all the information I need to make my decision.”
Woodyard has visited Ohio State multiple times over his recruitment, most recently for the season opener against Notre Dame.
“I had an opportunity to sit down with coach Ryan Day, coach Perry Eliano and coach Knowles,” Woodyard told Eleven Warriors in September. “We talked about their defensive approach. The Ohio State defense is both smart and fast, which is my strong suit. You have to be smart because it is a complex defense that uses multiple safeties and my skill set fits well into their scheme.
“The highlight of the trip was watching how excited the players were for each other, especially in meetings on Sunday,” Woodyard said. “They clearly have built not only a strong team, but the brotherhood was evident.”
Fox sets commitment date for Dec. 17
A four-star 2024 tight end with an Ohio State offer is nearing the end of his recruitment. Georgia prospect Kylan Fox has set a commitment date for Dec. 17, two days ahead of his birthday, Dec. 19. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Georiga prospect hasn’t announced a top schools list ahead of his commitment. However, it’s possible he may do so before making his decision.
God got me @SteezoDsgn pic.twitter.com/UBauCeECT9
— Kylan Fox (@Kylan_Fox6) November 27, 2022
Fox earned his Ohio State offer after impressing the coaching staff at a recruiting camp on June 21, where he participated in drills with 2024 five-star OSU quarterback commit Dylan Raiola. He took his first gameday visit to Columbus on Oct. 1 for the Rutgers game, and the Buckeyes left a favorable impression on him.
“The highlight of my visit was definitely seeing OSU tight ends be heavily involved,” Fox told Eleven Warriors in October. “It shows that they are a huge impact in the offense. Ohio State is very high on my list.”
Other schools that figure to be in the mix for Fox include Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, Clemson and a few others.
Short enjoys OSU visit
One of the fastest-rising offensive tackle prospects in the 2025 class made the most of his visit to Ohio State last weekend for the regular season finale against Michigan. Despite the loss, five-star Georgia offensive tackle prospect Mason Short told 247Sports that Saturday was “the best” atmosphere he had ever been in. Short arrived in Columbus on Friday.
Thank you Columbus what a weekend!! @CoachJFrye @CoachM_Patrick @ryandaytime @_DW04_ pic.twitter.com/OUSiQN7zrF
— Mason Short (@MasonShort_) November 28, 2022
“I got to spend a lot of time with the offensive line because I came up a day before the game because of the long trip from Georgia,” Short told 247Sports. “I’ve been strengthening my relationship with coach Frye since my visit freshman year.”
Short’s only other visit to Ohio State came last spring, where he picked up his Buckeyes offer. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound tackle is considered the 28th-best prospect and third-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 class.
