Ohio State moved the needle for Texas wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon the past few days.
Following his official visit to Columbus this weekend, the four-star 2025 wide receiver left no doubt about where the Buckeyes sit in his recruitment.
“They’re still sitting at the top,” McCutcheon told Eleven Warriors.
McCutcheon has been a frequent visitor to campus, with the official visit being his first visit back to OSU since he attended one of the Buckeyes’ spring practices in March. It met his expectations and then some.
Had a great OV this weekend @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/lzAKjKVqsQ
— Daylan McCutcheon (@daylanmccutch11) June 2, 2024
“My visit overall was good,” McCutcheon said. “Being able to hang out with coach Day, coach Hartline and being able to talk to coach Chip Kelly and hang out with the players was great. The overall experience and what they had to say, being able to be coached up and being around the players and hearing what they like about Ohio State was great.”
McCutcheon’s player host was sophomore wideout Bryson Rodgers, who shared his experiences with Hartline’s coaching style and personality. Hartline and McCutcheon had a productive one-on-one conversation themselves that left a strong impression on the Texas prospect.
“It was good overall, he was going over my film and telling me things I need to work on,” McCutcheon said. “Especially film that’s not mainly on my highlight tape. Overall the talk was good with him. I know I’d mainly start as a slot receiver at Ohio State.”
Chip Kelly has also been actively recruiting McCutcheon since arriving on campus as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator this spring.
“The talk was good overall, just about him coming in as the offensive coordinator,” McCutcheon said. “He talked about using me as a slot receiver going across the field and things like that.”
McCutcheon also met with Ryan Day, who emphasized that McCutcheon must stay competitive and work hard if he elects to come to Ohio State while touching on the strong culture the Buckeyes have built collectively on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
McCutcheon was one of three wide receivers visiting OSU officially this weekend along with five-star Texas prospect Dakorien Moore and four-star Florida standout Vernell Brown III. The standout from Lovejoy High School, the same school OSU freshman linebacker Payton Pierce attended, says he knows he’s a priority target to the Buckeyes. Between Hartline, Kelly and Day, someone from OSU contacts him every other day, ranging from friendly check-ins to advice on football subjects.
OSU was McCutcheon's second official visit after he visited SMU in May. Other scheduled summer trips include USC next weekend, Texas on June 14 and Florida State on June 21. He estimates he’ll make a decision in either July or August.
“It’s going to come down to a place that’s family-oriented, being around players with the same mindset as me each and every day,” McCutcheon said.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, McCutcheon is considered the No. 94 overall prospect and No. 12 wide receiver in the 2025 class. In his junior season at Lovejoy, McCutcheon racked up 1,430 receiving yards on 94 catches while adding 20 receiving touchdowns and two kickoff return touchdowns.
“Playing for Ohio State, it would be a great opportunity and platform to reach the NFL,” McCutcheon said. “I know I’d be around players that would give me an opportunity to get better each and every day.”
