A top-100 prospect in the 2025 class has zeroed in on narrowing down his recruitment.
Four-star Texas wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon told Eleven Warriors this week that Ohio State, USC and Florida State are at the forefront of his decision and that he will likely take a spring visit to each school. The 6-foot, 175-pound wideout added he’ll make an official visit to each of those three schools later this summer as well.
“I don’t have a scheduled date yet, but I know I’m definitely going to be visiting OSU (in the spring),” McCutcheon told Eleven Warriors. “I hope to see how the coaches are with interacting with other players just to see how the players are trained throughout the practice and being able to be around them, ask questions and get to know more about Ohio State.”
McCutcheon was offered by OSU in October following his gameday visit to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ matchup against Penn State. He went on the trip with former high school teammate and current OSU freshman linebacker Payton Pierce, who has consistently been the Buckeyes’ No. 1 peer recruiter in trying to bring the Lovejoy High School (Lucas, Texas) prospect to OSU. McCutcheon is looking forward to reuniting with Pierce when he visits Columbus for the second time this spring.
#AGTG After a great visit @OhioStateFB
— Daylan McCutcheon (@daylanmccutch11) October 22, 2023
I am proud and blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University!!@brianhartline @ryandaytime
@ChrisRossLOJO @Coach_Lavender @coach_jackson49 @leopardfootball pic.twitter.com/6afBuiamvM
“When he was at my school, it was almost every other day,” McCutcheon said of Pierce’s relentless recruitment efforts trying to get him to Ohio State. “He always said if you want to go to a place, get the ball and be one of the best wide receivers, it’s Ohio State. It’ll be cool seeing him. I can’t wait to see how he’ll be doing in the spring.”
Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has been McCutcheon’s lead recruiter and visited him last month during the active period. The Texas wideout estimates he and Hartline speak around every other week.
“He was mainly talking to me about all the things Ohio State can offer,” McCutcheon said of the conversation he and Hartline had when he visited him. “He was talking to me like he would his son. He’s projecting his son to go to the NFL, and I would love to go to the NFL. He showed all the tracks on how to get there and how to stay focused and how Ohio State can lead you that way and provide that for you.”
McCutcheon remains vastly interested in Ohio State, attributing it to a combination of Hartline’s developmental track record and the future of the quarterback and wide receiver rooms.
“They sit pretty high on my board, real high,” McCutcheon said of OSU. “(I love) definitely knowing that I’ll be surrounded by great wide receivers. Just knowing that I can take part of their game and add it to my game and be surrounded by others and become the best version of myself.”
In McCutcheon’s junior season at Lovejoy, he racked up 1,430 receiving yards on 94 catches while adding 20 receiving touchdowns and two kickoff return touchdowns.
“I’d be seen as more of a slot receiver,” McCutcheon said of where Hartline envisions him playing at OSU. “I can play both inside and outside, but (I’d be used) mostly in the slot. Mainly, my route running and catching radius make me a threat in the slot.”
McCutcheon said he envisions making a decision sometime in the summer after he takes his official visits.
“Really just a fit and a place that I can call home,” McCutcheon said of the biggest factor in his recruitment. “And then finding like a family to me. At the end of the day, I’ll be going to a school and I know I might not love every single day I play football but I’ll still love the school. It’s really just about finding the right fit.”
