When all was said and done on National Signing Day on Dec. 20, Ohio State finished with the No. 5 rated class nationally for the 2024 cycle, trailing Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Miami in 247Sports’ rankings.
The Buckeyes signed 20 players in the 2024 class in total, 11 on offense and nine on defense. We’ve written about all of the signees since they inked their National Letters of Intents, with Ryan Day discussing all but one of the future Buckeyes at his National Signing Day press conference.
We’ve rounded up exactly what Day said about 19 of Ohio State’s 20 signees below. The only signee Day did not comment on during National Signing Day was Jeremiah Smith since Ohio State did not receive his National Letter of Intent until later in the evening. A few days before the Cotton Bowl, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline spoke about Smith for the first time publicly, so we included that quote below as well.
- Five-star wide receiver Mylan Graham: “We recognized him early on in the process. Brian (Hartline) did a good job of building that relationship up. We think he gives us a lot and we think he has a bright future ahead of him.”
- Five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston: “We’re really, really excited about Eddrick. This is someone who Larry (Johnson) worked hard on. We feel like he’s an impact on layer Day One. It was a long process to get to Signing Day here, but we identified him as someone who was a difference-maker. Tim is a guy down from Georgia who did a great job in this process as well. His family and his coaches have also been huge in this process. So that was a big one for us for sure.”
- Five-star cornerback Aaron Scott: “Aaron Scott was a huge addition for us. Tim Walton did a great job of recruiting Aaron. He had a great season, played quarterback when he needed to, they started rocky, but brought their team all the way to the state finals. He’s a big-time player out of the state of Ohio that’s going to be a big part of our future. He was somebody who came to camp early on and it was a hot day out there. He grinded, he went ffort like an hour with a broken wrist as a young player. We could tell there was a toughness there. He wanted to earn that scholarship and he did that day. He’s built himself into a really good football player.”
- Five-star quarterback Air Noland: “He’s somebody who is special in a lot of different ways. The way he conducts himself and handles himself, he’s also very athletic and he’s going to be the leader of this team. We watched the film and saw his athleticism. He’s just kind of a baller out there, making a lot of plays and a state champ. He was high school teammates with Jelani Thurman so we were down there some and got to see who he was, what a great player he was and what a great leader he was. We feel like he’s got a really high ceiling when he gets here, I’m looking forward to getting to work with him soon.”
- Four-star cornerback Bryce West: “We offered him early on in the process. Coach (Ted) Ginn (Sr.) was a big part of the process. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in America and is a huge addition to the back end. We offered him early and then you could see the way he played the next year, he was more aggressive, tackling and making plays. He continued to be a better and better football player. You know what you’re getting when you get someone out of Glenville.”
- Four-star running back James Peoples: “He’s a dynamic running back who had a very good high school career. He can do multiple things, he’s strong, he’s got great change of direction and can catch routes out of the backfield. He’s going to be a dynamic player and I think he’s going to make an impact his freshman year.”
- Four-star linebacker Garrett Stover: “Garrett is the cousin of Cade Stover and brings the same type of mentality. He’ll play linebacker for us or safety. He has some versatility there. He’s a really talented player that’s going to be a big part of our class.”
- Four-star offensive tackle Ian Moore: “He’s a guy who jumped in early. I think he was one of the first guys to commit in this class. He’s been great and had a great high school career. He has some versatility and can move different places inside. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”
- Four-star linebacker Payton Pierce: “This is a guy who wrestled and done so much for his team. He’ll play quarterback, he’s versatile and can do a lot of different things. He comes from an unbelievable program and a great family. He brings a toughness, a hard hat mentality. We’re very excited about him.”
- Four-star cornerback Miles Lockhart: “Miles Lockhart is a corner I actually saw play live. He’s gonna play nickel for us as well. Miles is extremely competitive and fits what Jim (Knowles) wants in that nickel position. He can also move out to corner. But he’s a nasty, tough player who jumped in and been a great part of this class.”
- Four-star tight end Max LeBlanc: “His family is from Canada and Montreal. Really talented young man. Came down from Canada and had to make the transition to a school where he was on his own. But he did a great job when he was there. His film is tremendous. We think he brings a lot of versatility to the team.”
- Four-star safety Jaylen McClain: “He had a great year and his team had a great season, he plays a position of need. He’s a guy who’s very productive in his high school career.”
- Four-star offensive lineman Gabe VanSickle: “He’s another one that we looked at late. Justin (Frye) evaluated him and we see a really athletic guard that could eventually move to center. But he’s very athletic and has huge upside.”
- Four-star tight end Damarion Witten: “Listed as a tight end but can do a lot of things. He played wide receiver recently in the U.S. Army Bowl and had three touchdowns and was the MVP of that game. He’s really dynamic on the perimeter. It started early on when coach Ginn had him as a young player. He told me ‘This kid is special and could be the best receiver in the country.’ When he said that, you take a step back. But you’re seeing exactly what he’s talking about. He’s gonna have to grow to play tight end if that’s where he ends up getting down in there, but you can do multiple things with Damarion and he can be a matchup issue. His length and size and ability to play the ball is tremendous. His ceiling is really high.”
- Four-star offensive tackle Deontae Armstrong and three-star offensive lineman Devontae Armstrong: “I really feel strongly about the Armstrong twins about the year they had and coming from a great program like St. Edward. What they did as a team this year, they led the way. The guys have been tremendous in terms of their development throughout their high school careers. You’re seeing them play their best football and we’re very excited for them. They have great work ethic. You can see the improvement year in and year out and they’re becoming really good offensive linemen and football players. They’re long body types and they’re getting more comfortable playing the position.”
- Three-star defensive tackle Eric Mensah: “He came to camp and worked with Larry (Johnson). He comes from a great family. Mountain View High School in Virginia, he’s a strong player and had a good year. He’s played multiple positions in his high school career and brings a lot of positional versatility there.”
- Three-star running back Sam Williams-Dixon: “He’s a local guy who has some versatility. He was listed as an athlete at one point, but we’re going to start him at running back. But he brings versatility and you can do some different things with him.”
- Three-star safety Leroy Roker: “He’s someone we got on late, he had a really good senior year and we’ve had good luck with guys we’ve evaluated late in their senior year. He’s a guy that was very productive down there and we’re excited to add him to the back end.”
- Brian Hartline on five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith: “I guess I will say this about Jeremiah, he never wavered. His family never wavered. He can say what he wants two minutes before the hat came out. He always told me the same thing. His parents always told me the same thing. So from his family to him, the reality of college football is (the media sees) it, and (the media sees) the clicks and you see the conversations and all those kinds of things. Yeah, that's all I can say. His family is loyal. They always did what they said, and I can't thank them enough. I'll tell you, I'm really excited for him and we'll see him here in a couple of weeks, if that. Very excited.”
