Indiana 2025 cornerback Mark Zackery had been waiting a long time for this moment.
On June 8, the four-star prospect dominated in one-on-ones and individual drills at Ohio State’s recruiting camp, earning him an offer from OSU. Zackery had already racked up more than 25 Division I offers, but this meant a little more to him than usual considering he’s been a fan of the Buckeyes since he was 5 years old.
“It felt great getting an offer just because as long as I can remember, I’ve liked Ohio State,” Zackery told Eleven Warriors after receiving his offer. “I’ve still got (an OSU) banner hanging up in my room. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Getting this weight off my shoulders and knowing I’ll keep putting the work in and getting an offer from the school I’ve loved for a long time feels pretty good.”
The 6-foot, 164-pound Zackery was offered by Ryan Day personally.
Wow! After a great conversation with @ryandaytime, I am BLESSED to receive an offer from my dream school, THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucks @OhioStateFB @CoachTimWalton @BenDavisFB @RussMann09 pic.twitter.com/3d1nAwzNiV
— Mark MZ Zackery IV (@mzackery_) June 8, 2023
“He felt like it was the right time and that I was very interested in their school,” Zackery said remembering what Day told him of why OSU wanted to offer him. “I had come to camp last year and I came back to OSU in the spring. I performed well at camp and felt like I earned the offer. They like the type of player and person I am.”
Zackery attends Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, the same school that produced former Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones.
“Dawand and I are super close. That’s like my older brother. During COVID and stuff they always got to come back, he always stopped by when he was over here during that time. We’re super close, we played basketball together and worked out together sometimes.”
Arguably nobody was more eager to see OSU offer Zackery than Jones, who had long been hoping he’d end up playing for Ohio State someday.
“We’ve been talking about this a lot, he definitely wants me to come to Ohio State,” Zackery said. “He’s been telling me that my time was coming and what I’m doing now, I’ll be able to do it too one day. He tells me to trust the process and that he wants me to go to Ohio State. We’ve talked about that a lot.”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Zackery is considered the 188th-ranked prospect and the 24th-best cornerback in the 2025 class.
“I feel like I have a high football IQ and I play zone and man well,” Zackery said. I use my length to my advantage, I know I have long arms so I play routes differently than maybe someone else would.”
Zackery said he plans on returning to OSU for a visit sometime this fall, but is unsure of a specific date.
DJ McClary puts OSU in top 8
A top Ohio State linebacker target in the 2025 class has narrowed down his recruitment. Four-star New Jersey linebacker DJ McClary released a top eight Monday consisting of Ohio State, Rutgers, USC, Oregon, Tennessee, Penn State, South Carolina and Michigan.
#AGTG recruitment is still 100% open but from the schools that offered this is my top 8!! pic.twitter.com/yBtUd1e14w
— DJ McClary (@tnlDJ_) July 3, 2023
McClary picked up his OSU offer on May 16 and is a top-100 prospect in the 2025 cycle. In his sophomore season, McClary racked up 131 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Elijah Moore commits to Florida State
One of Ohio State’s remaining wide receiver targets in the 2024 class is off the board. Four-star Maryland wide receiver prospect Elijah Moore committed to Florida State on Tuesday shortly after making his official visit to FSU. Moore took an official visit to OSU on June 9, but will instead play for the Seminoles.
With Moore out of the picture, Jeremiah McClellan is the clear top remaining target for OSU for its third and likely final wide receiver spot in the 2024 class. If five-star Florida product Joshisa Trader wanted in the class OSU would take him in a heartbeat, but that still seems unlikely unless Trader makes another visit to Columbus.
