Wednesday was National Signing Day around the country. Still, with few signings taking place at the Power 5 level nationwide compared to December’s Early Signing period, you’re forgiven if you forgot that fact entirely.
Ohio State had one commit sign, as four-star Ohio prospect Dominic Kirks officially became the third defensive lineman in the 2024 class. Speaking to the media for the first time since the season ended Wednesday, Ryan Day touched on a bevy of topics ranging from assistant coaches to Bill O’Brien, play calling and more. He also carved out some time to discuss Kirks’ recruitment.
The Buckeyes offered Kirks, a former Washington commit, on his official visit in January. That led to his commitment a week later, especially factoring in that Washington coach Kalen DeBoer left the school to replace Nick Saban. But Day said the official visit was crucial for Ohio State to check all the boxes when evaluating Kirks’ fit for the program.
“It was a little bit late (in the process), but we saw somebody that had a lot of talent,” Day said of Kirks Wednesday. “Then Larry (Johnson) spent some time with him and then we brought him down here on a visit to see about the fit. I think that’s important because the position coaches and (general manager Mark Pantoni) do a lot of the evaluating, and then it’s my job as the head coach to see if he’s a fit culturally and can embrace what it means to be a Buckeye.
“I think when Dom came down, you quickly saw that this is what he wanted. He wanted to be a Buckeye. He’s from the state of Ohio. He understands the rivalry. There’s a lot that was positive there. He knows he’s going to have to work and compete. So, excited to see how things go with him.”
Ohio State needed more time to evaluate Kirks properly in his senior season during the fall because a minor knee injury caused him to miss a few weeks, which caused the delayed decision and offer from the Buckeyes’ end. But the end result was a win for everyone involved.
“We’ve had guys in the past that have been in the same boat where in these types of situations, you go off their senior film,” Day said. “And you go off of that, and players who want to be at Ohio State. A lot of guys we recruit early we go off of their sophomore or junior film, but he was somebody we made a decision off his senior film and that’s just more confirmation he’s the right fit.”
Larry Johnson offers five-star defensive end Zion Grady
Ohio State has already landed three players from Alabama this offseason, so it might as well swing for a high-profile former Crimson Tide commit in the 2025 class, right?
On Monday, Larry Johnson offered five-star defensive end Zion Grady, considered the 23rd-best prospect and the top-rated edge player in the 2025 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. Grady decommitted from Alabama in January following Nick Saban’s retirement and has earned 27 Division I offers in total.
#AGTG!! Beyond blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State University!! @R2X_Rushmen1 @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @ALLGASATHLETES @AllGasDrRush @EHS__Football @TDARecruiting @Jdsmith31Smith @AL7AFootball @PrepRedzone @AL_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/AmP4yEZnSh
— Zion (Ziggy) Grady (@GradyZion) February 6, 2024
Other teams that have offered include Miami, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Mizzou, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
Ohio State already has one five-star prospect from Alabama in its 2025 class (Na’eem Offord) and hopes to add another in Grady sometime down the line.
Fifteen 2024 recruits reveal their annual NIL compensation
Whether you’re a proponent or antagonist of Name, Image and Likeness, learning about specific compensation on what players are making on a yearly basis always seems to be a well-read subject.
Chris Hummer of 247Sports surveyed 15 blue chip prospects (meaning a five or four-star player) in the 2024 class on Tuesday to find out exactly what the market can be like for different players.
As you might expect, players were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about the interworkings of their contracts and compensation. From the 15 players surveyed, figures ran as little as a few thousand a month to nearly a million per year:
Recruit 1: $350,000 a year
Recruit 2: $400,000 a year
Recruit 3: $120,000 a year
Recruit 4: $180,000 a year
Recruit 5: $120,000 a year
Recruit 6: $72,000 a year
Recruit 7: $75,000 a year
Recruit 8: $400,000 a year
Recruit 9: Around $1 million a year
Recruit 10: A few thousand dollars a month
Recruit 11: Between $600,000 and $800,000 a year
Recruit 12: Low-to-mid-six figures a year
Recruit 13: Around $200,000 a year
Recruit 14: $500,000 a year
Recruit 15: Around $150,000 a year
The entire article is a pretty fascinating read and can be found here.
Programming Note
While it may be 50 degrees in the fine city of Columbus on Wednesday, I’m the crazy guy heading to colder pastures for the next few days for a quick ski trip until Monday. If there’s any major recruiting news that happens between now and then, the rest of the fine beat team at 11W will have you covered, but your regularly scheduled programming will resume next week.
