10 New Ohio State Offers This Week Include 2025 Cornerback Brandon Finney, Three Top-100 2026 Prospects and 2027 Quarterback Caden Jones

By Dan Hope on May 25, 2024 at 8:35 am
J’Zavien Currence
J’Zavien Currence (Alex Hicks Jr./Spartanburg Herald-Journal/USA TODAY Network)
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The final week of the spring contact period has been a busy one for Ohio State recruiting.

With coaches on the road visiting prospects at their schools for the final time this offseason, Ohio State has extended double-digit offers this week to prospects in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes.

Our recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge is taking a well-deserved vacation this week ahead of an even busier recruiting month of June, when the Buckeyes will welcome loads of top prospects to campus for official visits and camps. That’s why we haven’t had any Hurry-Ups here at Eleven Warriors this week, but we still have you covered on all of the 10 newest prospects who have received scholarship offers from Ohio State as the spring contact period concludes.

We take a look below at all 10 prospects who have received Ohio State offers this week, with comments from several of them on what it means to them to get an offer from the Buckeyes.

2025 CB Brandon Finney

The only rising senior to announce an offer from Ohio State this week, Finney is ranked as the No. 26 cornerback and No. 264 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. He received his offer from secondary coach Tim Walton on Monday, four days after Blake Woodby decommitted from the Buckeyes, opening up a spot for a cornerback in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class.

Like Woodby, Finney is from Maryland, where he plays for one of the state’s top programs at the McDonogh School. He stars on both sides of the ball for the Eagles, catching 51 passes for 632 yards and four touchdowns while recording 22 tackles and three interceptions in 2023, when he helped lead McDonogh to a conference championship game appearance.

Finney also excels in track and field, running times of 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.84 seconds in the 200 as a junior.

Also being recruited as a wide receiver by some schools, Finney holds offers from nearly 20 schools including Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Wisconsin, among others. He is scheduled to make official visits to Penn State and South Carolina in June.

2026 S J’Zavien Currence

The highest-rated 2026 prospect to receive an offer from Ohio State this week, Currence is ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect and No. 7 safety in 247Sports’ composite rankings for his class.

The top-ranked prospect from the state of South Carolina in the 2026 class, Currence has already received offers from more than 30 schools. Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC are among the many other programs who have offered him.

Currence was an All-State selection and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American after recording 67 tackles and five interceptions in his sophomore season at South Pointe High School (Rock Hill, South Carolina).

Currence visited Ohio State for its home game against Minnesota last November and had positive things to say on social media about his experience in the Shoe.

2026 RB/S Derrek Cooper

Another top-100 prospect in the rising junior class who received an Ohio State offer this week was Cooper, who played alongside Jeremiah Smith last year at Chaminade-Madonna High School.

Cooper is being recruited at both running back and safety, but the No. 78 overall prospect received his offer from new Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, signaling Locklyn’s interest in Cooper as a potential future Buckeye ballcarrier.

The No. 78 overall prospect told Eleven Warriors he plans to be at Ohio State on June 13, when the Buckeyes will hold their fourth high school skill camp of the month.

Ohio State joins a list of nearly two dozen schools that have offered Cooper including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oregon and Penn State, among others.

2026 CB Samari Matthews

The third top-100 junior to receive an offer from Ohio State this week is Matthews, who is ranked as the No. 6 cornerback and No. 83 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for 2026.

A product of William Amos Hough High School – the alma mater of former OSU running back Evan Pryor – in Cornelius, North Carolina, Matthews has offers from more than 30 schools including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and Wisconsin.

Matthews was excited to add Ohio State to that list and said he hopes to visit OSU this summer.

“Getting an offer from such a prestigious program is always great. It’s like giving candy to a kid,” Matthews told Eleven Warriors with a laugh.

The Charlotte Observer named Matthews as a first-team defensive all-star for the Charlotte region last year after he recorded 25 tackles and one interception in his sophomore season while helping lead Hough to an 11-2 record with his excellence in coverage.

2026 WR Madden Williams

With a commitment already in tow from the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Chris Henry Jr., Ohio State entered the race for another wide receiver who plays for a Southern California powerhouse by offering St. John Bosco wideout Madden Williams this week. 

The Buckeyes joined a group of two dozen schools who have offered Williams, who is ranked as the No. 40 wide receiver and No. 258 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite. Other notable programs on Williams’ offer sheet include Auburn, Florida State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, among others.

Williams, who caught 42 passes for 496 yards and five touchdowns last season as a sophomore, told Rivals after receiving his offer Monday that Ohio State is now “at the top” of his list and that he plans to schedule a visit to OSU.

“Coach (Brian) Hartline is the best at developing guys and getting them ready for the next level,” the 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout said.

2026 DE Anthony Jones
2027 QB Caden Jones

Ohio State offered a pair of high school teammates with the same last name (though unrelated to each other) on Monday. During a stop at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California, OSU made offers to rising junior edge rusher Anthony Jones and rising sophomore quarterback Caden Jones.

Anthony Jones, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end who can also play outside linebacker, added Ohio State to a list of 14 offers that includes the likes of Georgia, Michigan, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Washington. He does not yet hold a composite recruiting ranking but is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 174 overall prospect and 20th-best edge defender in the 2026 class.

He recorded 46 tackles (37 solo) with eight sacks, five tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hurries during his sophomore season.

Jones said he plans on visiting Ohio State sometime this summer.

“Getting an offer from Ohio State was huge for me,” Jones told Eleven Warriors. “It showed me that all my hard work is paying off and the top programs like OSU are taking notice.”

Caden Jones, meanwhile, became the first quarterback in the 2027 class to receive an Ohio State offer.

The 6-foot-2 passer has already received two dozen offers, including Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. He completed 34 of 52 passing attempts for 343 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in limited action at the varsity level while completing 68 of 82 passes for 1,098 yards and 18 touchdowns with zero interceptions and running for 271 yards and six touchdowns in seven games for Crean Lutheran’s freshman team in 2023.

2027 RB Brayden Tyson

Ohio State has already offered four running backs in the 2027 class, extending its fourth offer to a rising sophomore RB this week when Locklyn offered Tyson, a 6-foot, 215-pound ballcarrier from Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia.

After just one year of high school football, Tyson already has offers from more than 20 schools including Florida State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He ran for 642 yards and four touchdowns on 113 carries as a freshman, showcasing a rare combination of size and speed for a prospect of his age.

2027 WR Wesley Winn

Ohio State’s travels in California this week also included a trip to San Francisco to offer Wesley Winn, a two-way standout at Archbishop Riordan who likely projects to play slot receiver in college.

Although he is currently just 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, Winn has already received more than three dozen offers after a freshman season in which he caught 33 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns and recorded 21 tackles with one interception and six pass breakups, earning second-team MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors.

An explosive athlete who has run a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and a 4.2-second shuttle, Winn has also been offered by the likes of Georgia, Michigan, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Washington.

2027 CB Corey Hadley Jr.

Another two-way standout in the 2027 class who picked up an Ohio State offer this week, Hadley was offered by Walton, suggesting the Buckeyes are targeting him as a cornerback even though he has also been recruited as a wide receiver.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete from Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia, has collected 10 Power 5 offers, also including Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, SMU and UCF.

Hadley earned second-team All-Fayette County honors as a freshman after recording 17 tackles and a sack on defense as well as two touchdown catches for 40 yards on offense.

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