Ohio State has offered another running back in the 2024 cycle.
Four-star Maryland prospect DeJuan Williams received the offer from running backs coach Tony Alford on Tuesday, becoming the 11th running back the Buckeyes have offered in the class.
After a Great Conversation with @CoachTonyAlford I am Extremely Blessed to receive an Offer from THEE University of Ohio State!! #GoBucks @CoachMessay @CoachJdubSFA @CoachCammm pic.twitter.com/CcA2CoYuBz
— DeJuan Williams (@D1Juan2) January 25, 2023
Williams is the 299th-best prospect and 25th-rated running back in the 2024 cycle per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s added 16 Division I offers thus far, including Arizona, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Virginia Tech and Liberty.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Williams helped lead St. Francis Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) to a 9-1 campaign last season. Ohio State has shown plenty of interest in St. Francis Academy prospects as of late, as Perry Eliano stopped by the school on Dec. 12 and offered four defensive backs from the East Coast powerhouse.
Justin Scott postpones commitment
One of Ohio State’s top targets at defensive tackle in the 2024 class is postponing his commitment. Five-star Chicago prospect Justin Scott announced Tuesday he’s pushing back his original commitment date of Tuesday to an unspecified date.
Im postponing my commitment until further notice. @IgnatiusFB @CoachMmiller15
— Justin Scott (@juustinscott) January 24, 2023
On Jan. 8, Scott put out a top eight that consisted of Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Colorado, Oregon, Miami, Alabama and Michigan. He picked up an offer from Georgia a week later, and the Bulldogs may be right in the thick of Scott’s recruitment despite the late offer.
From Ohio State’s perspective, a postponement can only be a positive sign, considering Scott was trending toward Notre Dame ahead of his expected commitment Tuesday. Scott received an offer from the Buckeyes earlier this fall, then took a gameday visit to Columbus on Oct. 1 for the Rutgers game. He is considered the 18th-best prospect and fourth-ranked defensive lineman in the 2024 class.
Gage to take an official visit to Ohio State
One of Ohio State’s top running back targets in the 2024 class has locked in Ohio State as a school he plans on taking an official visit to in the coming months. Four-star Florida prospect Stacy Gage told On3 this week he already knows of four schools that will receive official visits from him: Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Alabama. Other schools Gage put on his top eight earlier this month include Colorado, Florida, Miami and Penn State.
“Just me and Tony Alford, the relationship we got, he’s just incredible,” Gage told On3 of why Ohio State will receive an official visit. “He’s been recruiting me since I was a freshman, so why not?”
Gage has been a frequent visitor to Ohio State, visiting Columbus three times: last spring, last summer for a recruiting camp and last fall for a gameday visit in November for the Michigan game.
Gage’s relationship with Alford is a crucial reason Ohio State is a contender to land the top-150 prospect, as evidenced by him making the trip to Columbus over the summer to work out with him despite already holding an offer from the Buckeyes.
“I really do love his coaching style. It’s not even just me getting his relationship. It’s just the things everybody else says about him,” Gage said in June. “They say he’s a great guy, great person, great father and everything. Just being coached by him and everybody talking about him makes me feel good.
“With all the good running backs coming out of this program, Coach Alford coaching them, I always thought, ‘I could be one of those guys.’ Or probably even be better,” Gage said.
Ohio State releases recruiting summer camp dates
Speaking of recruiting camps, Ohio State has officially set its summer camp schedule for 2023.
Ohio State is hosting one-day recruiting camps on June 8, June 12, June 14, June 15 and June 20 for high school-aged prospects, with a seven-on-seven competition taking place on June 21. The Buckeyes will also host a middle school camp on June 5 and 6 and a middle school seven-on-seven on June 13.
Start marking calendars and saving dates because Buckeye football camps will be upon us before we know it! #Buckeyes #2THE4The pic.twitter.com/43NYJi2B6W
— urph (@N_Murph) January 19, 2023
