We have reached peak offseason mode.
With about two and a half weeks to go before Ohio State hosts 2024 prospects on official visits and three and a half weeks before the Buckeyes begin their one-day recruiting camps, that's all the proof one needs.
Still, there are plenty of storylines to delve into before then, and over the weekend, nearly all of them involved 2024 Ohio State targets that included the Buckeyes in their top schools list. We’ll break down each below.
Elias Rudolph puts Ohio State in his top 5
Four-star 2024 defensive end Elias Rudolph has had an eventful year. The former Ohio prospect moved to Florida several months ago, but he told Eleven Warriors in March he still remains in contact with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson. It’s also possible he could return to Cincinnati Taft for his senior season, per a report from 247Sports.
Rudolph released a top five on Sunday consisting of Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan and Cincinnati.
- Only 5 left and only 1 Home #GianniRudolph pic.twitter.com/TA2ZrXjxP7
— Elias Rudolph (@EliasRudolph6) May 14, 2023
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound defensive end will likely take official visits to all five schools on his top five. Rudolph, who visited Columbus numerous times last fall, made 90 tackles and 19 sacks for Taft in his junior season.
Keylen Adams has Ohio State in top 5
Ohio State has two five-star wide receiver commits in the 2024 class in Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, but the Buckeyes would still like to take at least one more wideout in the cycle.
Four-star Missouri wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan is the name that usually appears at the forefront of speculation for which prospect is most likely to be Ohio State's third wide receiver commit. But four-star prospect Keylen Adams is also a contender for that spot. The Virginia prospect included the Buckeyes in his top five released on Saturday, along with Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Alabama and South Carolina. Adams also announced a commitment date of July 13.
almost time.. july 13th pic.twitter.com/i69epgcjb4
— Keylen Brodie Adams (@brodie3x) May 13, 2023
Each of those will receive an official visit from Adams except for South Carolina, as he just visited Columbia last weekend. His official visit to Ohio State will be on June 9.
In Adams’ junior season, he made 41 receptions for 1,030 yards with 16 touchdowns.
Dakoda Fields includes Buckeyes in top 7
Ohio State also made the cut for four-star California 2024 cornerback Dakoda Fields (no relation to Justin) in his top seven list released Sunday, along with California, Miami, Oregon, Texas, USC and Washington.
Fields visited Ohio State earlier this spring and picked up his Buckeyes offer on Jan. 25. He plans on taking an official visit to Columbus later this summer, per 247Sports.
“I loved my visit to Ohio State,” Fields told 247Sports. “What stood out most for me was the tradition of the program and especially the cornerbacks. They have two of the highest-paid corners in the league (NFL) right now and the most first-round draft picks over the last 20 years.
“I was able to spend a lot of time with the coaching staff as well. Coach Walton and coach Duhart were great, and their main message to me is don’t come to Ohio State unless you want to work hard and compete and I’m all for that. I like the college town feel, it’s not too busy but when it is, it’s because of Buckeyes football. I’ll definitely be back for an official visit and excited to bring my family and see how they like it there as well.”
Though things could change in the summer, Oregon is viewed as the favorite to land Fields at the moment in the recruiting industry.
Aydin Breland lists Ohio State in his top 10
An Ohio State defensive line target has also narrowed down his recruitment, though not as much as the other three prospects we’ve discussed. Four-star defensive tackle Aydin Breland released a top 10 on Friday, including Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, USC, Miami, Nebraska and Texas A&M.
Wheres home at pic.twitter.com/aOqf4J76a5
— Aydin Breland (@AydinBreland) May 13, 2023
Breland visited Ohio State in March and was offered by the Buckeyes on Jan. 11. The Buckeyes hope to be one of Breland’s schools he’ll take an official visit to this summer, though there are no set plans for that to happen as of yet.
Ohio State 2024 offensive lineman commit Ian Moore took Breland’s top 10 list as an opportunity to convince both he and his high school teammate, four-star offensive lineman Brandon Baker, to join him in Columbus next season.
You and @BrandonBaker73 would be stars at OSU. https://t.co/7LzXl4bBFu
— Ian Moore (@IanMoore2024) May 13, 2023
Talk to me Ian. dont sound too bad @AydinBreland https://t.co/0ECHnONywC
— Brandon Baker (@BrandonBaker73) May 13, 2023
Maxwell Roy earns Ohio State offer
It turns out there is a bit of other recruiting news to delve into besides a gazillion top schools lists. On Monday, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson offered 2025 four-star Philadelphia defensive line prospect Maxwell Roy.
Blessed to receive an offer from the Ohio State University @R2X_Rushmen1 @T_Roken @Coach_Sug @ryne011 pic.twitter.com/wcRFO58rGq
— Maxwell Roy (@MaxwellRoy8) May 15, 2023
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Roy is considered the 185th-ranked prospect and the 20th-ranked defensive lineman in the 2025 class. He’s picked up 14 Division I offers, including Boston College, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Roy attends St. Joseph’s Prep School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the same high school that produced Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and quarterback Kyle McCord.
