One of Ohio State’s top wide receiver targets in the 2025 class is looking forward to returning to Columbus this spring.
While four-star Florida wideout Naeshaun Montgomery told Eleven Warriors he doesn’t have a specific date set yet to visit Ohio State, he does plan on making another visit to Columbus sometime after spring practice begins.
Montgomery is considered the No. 103 prospect and No. 12 wide receiver in 2025, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He last visited Ohio State in October during the Buckeyes’ win against Penn State.
Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline offered Montgomery last May and the pair have kept a strong rapport since then. Montgomery says he speaks with Hartline around every two weeks or so.
“The last time we talked, he told me he liked how I was developing and he liked the way I’m working and getting better every day,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery added he was intrigued by Ohio State’s hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, though he said he’s yet to have had a conversation with Kelly as of yet.
“I think he’ll be great at Ohio State,” Montgomery said. “He had pretty good offenses (at UCLA). They threw the ball a lot. He likes a lot of spread offense and with the receivers Ohio State has, he’ll do very well.”
For various reasons, but most notably the Buckeyes’ ability to develop wide receivers, Ohio State remains a top option for Montgomery in his recruitment.
“They’re still high on my list,” Montgomery said. “Because coach Hartline develops wide receivers and they’re definitely a wide receiver school.”
Montgomery said other schools that interest him include Alabama, LSU, Colorado, Penn State and Miami.
“I’m looking for what school can develop me the most and get me ready for the next level,” Montgomery said.
While he hasn’t outlined an exact target date, Montgomery wants to commit sometime in the summer before the start of his senior season.
In Montgomery’s junior season, he caught 30 passes for 451 yards with five receiving touchdowns while also returning punts. At 6 feet, 160 pounds, Montgomery said Hartline has told him he could be either a slot receiver or an outside receiver at the collegiate level.
“I can play both,” Montgomery said. “We had that conversation when he first started talking to me and he said that he could put me either way at inside or outside.”
A college’s quarterback room will go a long way in determining where Montgomery ultimately ends up, which could work in the Buckeyes’ favor. Montgomery had developed a strong rapport with Ohio State freshman quarterback Julian Sayin after the pair were seven-on-seven teammates on RAW Miami in 2023. The Florida prospect is tempted by the idea of reuniting with the five-star signal caller at the collegiate level.
“He’s accurate, like, really accurate,” Montgomery said of Sayin. “It’s just crazy about how if you tell him to throw it in a certain place, he’ll throw it there. His ball placement is just crazy. I met him when he came out to the RAW showcase before the season started and we just clicked from there.”
Montgomery said he and Sayin briefly chatted after he transferred to Columbus from Alabama and the pair plan on catching up more in detail during his spring visit to Ohio State.
“Ohio State has two talented freshman quarterbacks,” Montgomery said. “So I know I’m not going to have any trouble getting the ball.”
