Miles Lockhart left his Ohio State official visit smiling from ear to ear.
The four-star Arizona cornerback had a great experience on his visit to Columbus and said it could not have gone better.
“It was a 10 out of 10 visit. Actually, 11 out of 10,” Lockhart told Eleven Warriors. “I feel like it went great, they covered everything I wanted to. Obviously, I had been there a few times before so they had mostly shown me everything, but the weekend was a really great time.”
— Miles Lockhart (@MilesLockhart1) June 26, 2023
Lockhart met Ohio State commits Bryce West and Damarion Witten in person for the first time on his trip and also caught up with priority OSU cornerback target Aaron Scott.
“It was my first time meeting them in person,” Lockhart said. “It was great getting to know them and getting a feel for who they are. They’re really cool.”
On the first night of the visit, both West and Witten committed to the Buckeyes. Both of them in turn then started to give their pitches to Lockhart to join them in Columbus.
“He and Damarion definitely turned into recruiters for sure,” Lockhart said after the pair committed. “They were definitely coming after me hard.”
Lockhart had visited OSU three other times before this weekend and communicates with OSU secondary coach Tim Walton frequently. But he still felt grateful to meet with Walton over the weekend.
“Coach Walton is always great,” Lockhart said. “He’s really the type of guy you want to be your coach. It was really good seeing him and his wife, it’s always great talking with him.”
Lockhart also met with Ryan Day, who echoed the sentiments of the OSU commits and tried to convey to Lockhart how important Ohio State believes he is to its 2024 class.
“We had a meeting, my whole family was in there and he was just connecting with my family and stuff like that,” Lockhart said. “He was telling me how I fit into Ohio State and how much of a priority I am to them.”
Lockhart has openly said since he picked up his offer that Ohio State has been his clear-cut No. 1 choice. There’s no reason to think anything has changed since then, but OSU fans and coaches will find out for sure when he commits on July 6, his grandmother’s birthday.
“She’s always lived here and is always around a lot,” Lockhart said of the significance of his commitment date. “My car that I have came from her. She just really means a lot to me and she got diagnosed with cancer a couple of months back. So I’m just really doing it for her.
“It would be great (to join OSU) really, it’s a great school and they’re still at the top of my list, it’s probably going to be the Buckeyes I’d say.”
Elijah Moore says FSU is his new leader, plans July 4 commitment
After four-star 2024 wide receiver Elijah Moore left his Ohio State official visit earlier this month, the Buckeyes were the perceived leader for the Maryland prospect.
— Elijah Moore (@3lijahmoore) June 27, 2023
That has since changed, as Moore himself told reporters that Florida State moved to the forefront of his recruitment following an official visit there last weekend. What’s more, he set a commitment date for July 4, with all the momentum on Florida State’s side at the moment.
Ohio State is heavily pursuing four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan, who is still considered an OSU lean. If McClellan joins the class and Moore chooses the Seminoles, the Buckeyes would be content to take three wideouts in 2024 unless five-star prospect Joshisa Trader also wants in.
Nicholas Rodriguez to commit July 3
A linebacker who took an official visit to Columbus the first weekend of June has also set a commitment date for next week. Three-star Florida prospect Nicholas Rodriguez will announce his decision on July 3, choosing from the likes of Ohio State, Louisville, Missouri and West Virginia.
I will be announcing my commitment July 3rd @CoachHarriott @Rivals @247Sports @On3sports
— Nicholas Rodriguez (@n_rodriguez5) June 26, 2023
Missouri is the favorite in Rodriguez’s recruitment despite the Tigers only recently offering on June 11. Rodriguez spent last weekend visiting Missouri.
OSU’s top two remaining linebacker targets in the current cycle are Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Edwin Spillman, and the Buckeyes would be overjoyed to land either.
Kevyn Humes puts OSU in top 8
Four-star 2025 cornerback Kevyn Humes has trimmed down his recruitment to eight teams, and the Buckeyes have made the cut. The Maryland prospect put out a top eight earlier this week consisting of Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Maryland.
My recruitment is still open but these are the schools Ill be taking the most into my consideration.
— Kevyn Kerm Humes (@jhikevyn) June 25, 2023
AGTG pic.twitter.com/Q6FF1PjZr2
Humes is considered the 244th overall prospect and the 28th-ranked cornerback in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
