The Hurry-Up: Nation's No. 3 Safety Davon Benjamin Puts the Buckeyes in His Top Eight, New Ohio State Offensive Tackle Phillip Daniels Attends Buckeyes' CFP Win Over Tennessee

By Garrick Hodge on December 23, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Davon Benjamin
Twitter/@da5von
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One of the top safeties in the 2026 class has narrowed down his recruitment.

Four-star California prospect Davon Benjamin included Ohio State in his top eight schools released on Sunday, along with Miami, Texas, UCLA, Georgia, Oregon, Washington and USC. 

Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Benjamin is considered the No. 29 prospect and No. 3 safety in the 2026 cycle. He picked up his Ohio State offer in November when he visited Columbus for the Michigan game. 

Benjamin could play either cornerback or safety at the next level, as the 6-foot, 170-pound prospect brings plenty of versatility. In 12 games this season, Benjamin recorded 45 tackles, five tackles for loss, six interceptions, four pass deflections, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

Per On3, Benjamin says he’s visited each of his top schools except Georgia, Miami and Texas. He doesn’t necessarily have a timetable for a decision as of yet.

“I will take my official visits in the spring and summer and they will be important because I see how people act and how the coaches prepare,” Benjamin told On3. “When me and my family are on trips, we have fun, but we are looking at the little things.

“The coaching staff, the team, the culture, the preparation, how the people act and how everyone connects are things we look for.”

Phillip Daniels makes an appearance at Ohio Stadium

Ohio State’s newest offensive tackle was among the many in attendance that witnessed Ohio State’s 42-17 dismantling of Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

Daniels was permitted to be at the game because he’s already signed with the Buckeyes, so he got to take in the atmosphere as a Buckeye for the first time. Daniels wasn’t alone on the trip, as several 2025 signees, including quarterback Tavien St. Clair, were also in attendance. 

Daniels, the cousin of former OSU offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., committed to Ohio State on Wednesday, one day after he visited Columbus. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle grew up an OSU fan and now will get to don the scarlet and gray uniforms he dreamed of wearing one day. 

Daniels played 300 offensive snaps for Minnesota this season and turned in a 62.5 overall grade per Pro Football Focus. His pass blocking (65.4) and run blocking (66.7) were very similarly graded. 

He'll likely enter the 2025 campaign for Ohio State as a frontrunner to start at either left or right tackle for Ohio State. Daniels will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at OSU.

Per 247Sports' transfer portal rankings, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Daniels is considered the No. 4 tackle in the portal. He was a three-star recruit as a high school prospect and had more than 20 Division I offers, mostly from Group of Five schools.

Kanye Udoh commits to Arizona State

Man, talk about a lifestyle change for someone, right? Former Army running back Kanye Udoh entered the transfer portal last week and committed to Arizona State on Saturday, a stark difference in the atmosphere on campus for sure.

Udoh was briefly connected to Ohio State when he entered the portal, as the 1,000-yard rusher announced various schools that had contacted him on Instagram, with the Buckeyes included on that list. Udoh never made a visit to Columbus, though. 

Considering OSU hosted former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson and eventually landed his commitment on Monday, it's clear there wasn't a glaring need to pursue Udoh any further since they valued Donaldson ahead of Udoh. But now the former Army product will get to play at the FBS level. 

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