Ohio State has missed on one of its final two defensive lineman targets.
Four-star 2024 defensive tackle Carlon Jones committed to USC on Monday, choosing the Trojans over the Buckeyes after taking an official visit to Southern California over the weekend.
I want to thank all the coaches who I met during this recruiting process! I can only pick one pic.twitter.com/1z52Y90gk8
— carlonjones6 (@carlonjones11) December 18, 2023
Jones decommitted from Nebraska in late November, then took an official visit to Ohio State on Dec. 8. OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson zeroed in on trying to land the 6-foot-3, 285-pound prospect since late October, but ultimately lost the recruiting battle to the Trojans in the end.
With Jones no longer in the fold, the Buckeyes' lone remaining defensive line target from the prep ranks is Amaris Williams, who is expected to make a decision by Wednesday. That's not exactly trending Ohio State's way either, as Auburn and Florida both seem to be ahead of the Buckeyes at the moment.
OSU also hosted Michigan State transfer target Derrick Harmon on an official visit on Dec. 10, and the Buckeyes remain in the running for him along with Oregon, Auburn and the Spartans.
OSU only has two defensive linemen committed for the 2024 cycle in Eric Mensah and Eddrick Houston, though it's fighting to hold on to Houston with the five-star defensive end taking visits to Clemson and Alabama over the weekend. Depending on what happens on Wednesday and the decisions of Ohio State's defensive linemen with NFL aspirations, the Buckeyes could be big players in the transfer portal market for defensive line depth purposes at the least, whether that be in the winter or spring window.
