It’s officially a new year.
With the turn of the calendar often comes inspired resolutions for the year ahead, with some goals lasting longer than others, of course. When it comes to the recruiting trail, a single resolution isn’t shooting high enough for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes had their share of victories and misses when recruiting the 2024 class, with the end product resulting in 20 signees in the early signing period. They brought in nine transfers from the portal between the winter and spring windows last offseason, with some having more success than others.
As the start of a new year begins, we look at the goals that should be the top priorities for Ohio State within the next 365 days as it recruits both high school prospects and the transfer portal.
Sign an elite offensive tackle
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Landing an elite offensive tackle prospect has felt like priority No. 1 for the Buckeyes in terms of recruiting needs for the last several classes. While OSU has signed several players who perhaps could develop into strong assets at that position, Donovan Jackson was the last five-star offensive line prospect signed by the Buckeyes back in 2021. Paris Johnson Jr. in 2020 was the last five-star offensive tackle signed by OSU.
Considering we all just watched Ohio State score three points in the Cotton Bowl in large part due to losing the battle up front, improving in the trenches is a necessity for 2024 and beyond. With the 2024 class wrapped up, any further upgrade to OSU’s offensive line for next season would have to come via the transfer portal. Landing an instant impact day one starter in the portal is easier said than done, but if there’s an obvious upgrade available in either window, the Buckeyes shouldn’t hesitate.
In the high school ranks, the next cycle presents an excellent opportunity for Justin Frye to bring highly touted 2025 tackle prospects to Columbus, with options including David Sanders Jr., Josh Petty, Carter Lowe, Micah DeBose and Douglas Utu.
Add another quarterback via the portal for next season
Five-star 2024 signee Air Noland will be a boost to Ohio State’s quarterback depth for next season, but after the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes don’t have an obvious starter under center for 2024 right now. While Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz could still develop into great players in their college careers, all options should be on the table for Ryan Day right now as far as bringing in another quarterback from the portal to compete for the starting job next year.
The obvious answer is former Kansas State signal-caller Will Howard, who has been heavily linked to Ohio State over the past week. Reading the tea leaves, that move seems more and more likely by the day. But, while he’s proven to be a capable starter in his collegiate career, Howard isn’t Justin Fields and isn’t an instant fix-all to OSU’s offensive woes. Nonetheless, he’d enter Columbus as the betting favorite to win Ohio State’s starting job for 2024, where he’d have more offensive weapons at his disposal than his tenure in Manhattan.
Cast a wider net in defensive line recruiting
Larry Johnson has been one of the top defensive line coaches in the nation for quite some time, nobody is disputing that. But considering Ohio State only signed two defensive linemen in 2024 due to missing out on numerous targets and a Justin Scott flip, maybe it’s time to cast a slightly wider net in defensive line recruiting for 2025 so there are more contingency options if the Buckeyes don’t land their priority targets. OSU eventually pivoted to other defensive line targets late in the 2024 cycle, such as Carlon Jones, but recruiting a prospect late can have disadvantages when you’re starting a relationship from scratch, especially in the NIL era.
Even if Ohio State returns a handful of its defensive linemen for the 2024 season, the Buckeyes are going to need a lot of depth up front for 2025. Expanding the defensive line recruiting board in 2025 may be necessary under the circumstances.
Sign another top-five class for 2025
Yeah, it would be nice for OSU to finish as the consensus No. 1 team in the national recruiting rankings. That’s easier said than done, but that won’t stop the Buckeyes from trying.
At a minimum, signing another top-five recruiting class nationally should be the expectation. The Buckeyes have gotten off to a nice start in the 2025 class with four commitments, two of whom are top-100 prospects (Tavien St. Clair and Blake Woodby). They may add a top-six prospect to their ranks Saturday if the commitment of cornerback Devin Sanchez at the All-American Bowl results in their favor.
OSU has brought in five straight top-five recruiting classes under Ryan Day, and while that doesn’t make the 11th-hour flips any less frustrating, there isn’t any reason why the Buckeyes can’t do that again in 2025.
