Ohio State is prepping for its final gameday recruiting weekend of 2023.
Unlike the past two home games, the Buckeyes’ recruiting guest list is relatively thin, but there are still some marquee names expected to attend in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes.
Four-star 2024 defensive tackle Carlon Jones is the lone official visitor of the weekend, as the Nebraska commit will make his first trip to Columbus since picking up his OSU offer on Oct. 30. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Texas product had to delay his visit by one week, but he’ll receive plenty of attention this weekend from defensive line coach Larry Johnson, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and other OSU coaches as the Buckeyes work on flipping Jones from the Cornhuskers.
In the 2025 class, five-star defensive back Dorian Brew will make his fourth visit to Ohio Stadium this season, with the Brew family being back in Ohio for the holidays after they moved to Texas earlier this fall.
Johnson will be a busy man this weekend on the recruiting trail, with highly touted 2025 targets Christopher Burgess Jr. and Amaree Williams also expected to make the trip. The Burgess visit is crucial for a reason we’ll delve into in just a bit, but Johnson will also have a chance to make a strong impression on Williams, a top-75 prospect and top-10 edge rusher in the 2025 class.
As we mentioned in Wednesday’s Hurry-Up, five-star 2026 USC quarterback commit Julian Lewis will also make his first visit to Ohio State.
The expected visitor list for this weekend is as follows, with OSU commits bolded:
2024
- Five-star wide receiver Mylan Graham
- Four-star linebacker Garrett Stover
- Four-star defensive tackle Carlon Jones
2025
- Five-star defensive back Dorian Brew
- Four-star defensive end Christopher Burgess Jr.
- Four-star defensive end Amaree Williams
- Four-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair
- Three-star wide receiver Jackson Wiley
- Three-star defensive end Cal Thursh
2026
- Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis
Chris Burgess Jr. to commit on Jan. 6
The importance of Burgess Jr.’s visit to OSU this weekend cannot be overstated considering the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Chicago product plans on announcing his college commitment on Jan. 6 at the All-American Bowl.
@AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/P5GqX1rMoo
— Christopher Burgess Jr (@ChrisBurgessJr) November 15, 2023
Saturday will be Burgess’ third visit to Ohio State, with the first two occurring over the summer. Michigan and Notre Dame are the two teams competing the closest with the Buckeyes to land Burgess and he plans on attending The Game next week in Ann Arbor as well.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Burgess is the 148th-ranked prospect and the 18th-rated defensive lineman in the 2025 class. He’d be the first defensive line commitment in the 2025 class if he joins Ohio State, assuming no other prospect commits between now and Jan. 6.
Dorian Brew includes OSU in top 10 list
As mentioned earlier, Dorian Brew will be back at Ohio State this weekend for the Buckeyes’ game against the Gophers, so it’s little surprise the Buckeyes made the cut for Brew’s top 10 schools list released on Thursday.
— Dorian Brew (@BrewDorian15) November 16, 2023
Brew, considered the No. 21 prospect and fourth-best cornerback in 2025, has cut his recruitment down to Ohio State, Texas, Florida State, TCU, Penn State, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M.
Marc Nave commits to Kentucky
One of Ohio State’s former commits in the 2024 class has a new home. Three-star Ohio offensive lineman Marc Nave committed to Kentucky on Thursday, giving the Wildcats their fourth offensive lineman commit in the current cycle.
#skocats https://t.co/MnaEXIhQG4
— Marc Nave (@marcnavejr) November 16, 2023
Nave committed to OSU in March, then decommitted on Sept. 30. Ohio State currently has three offensive lineman commits in the 2024 class and is hoping to flip Northwestern offensive line commit Gabe VanSickle, who has visited Columbus multiple times this fall.
