Two weeks ago, we outlined the top remaining positional needs in the 2022 class after the Buckeyes got ten of the country’s top talents in the cycle.
We also looked at the top 10 remaining targets in the class last week. This is a star-studded list of five-star, blue-chip players and underrated skill positions.
But who are the most likely prospects in the 2022 cycle to connect them next to the Buckeyes? We suggest predicting who is most likely to join the class. As a big warning, many of these potential commitments (and anyone not on this list) are largely dependent on whether or not the player can come to campus in the spring or summer.
In no particular order, except for this first man …
Kyion Grayes
We spent so much time erasing Grayes’ big visit this weekend and how likely we are to believe he will commit to the Buckeyes. In fact, we would be shocked if that did not happen, so we would not hit a dead horse here.
The state of Ohio already has five-star Caleb Burton in the kraal, and if they add Grayes, it will give Brian Hartline a tremendous double to start the class. (And just add to the way the Buckeyes stacked the wide receiver position in the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 cycles.)
Kojo Antwi is the next primetime player the Buckeyes are going to work on, although I have long said that it will be very difficult for them to pull him out of the SEC country, with Georgia also having a good line on him. Caleb Brown and CJ Williams are two other important targets.
Damari Alston
The four-star Georgia running rugby is quite upset (and rightly so) that visits (of the non-self-guided variety) have been pushed back until at least June 1st. He will likely visit Columbus over the weekend of April. 16 in what would be the CJ Hicks / Dasan McCullough-led Buckeye Bash 2.0 (our nickname for it, patent pending). That visit would have progressed far in its potential engagement in Ohio. Alas.
Alston will probably still visit before he decides, but he will now have to do a self-guided tour through the Ohio State or any other campus if he wants to visit in the spring. I expect him to postpone a decision until after June 1, but if he moves to Columbus over the next two or three months, I’ll put in a personal Crystal Ball for Tony Alford to give one of his best awards. . targets on the position.
Austin Jordan
Jordan, a four-star cornerback in the 2022 class of Ryan High School in Texas, recently placed the Buckeyes in his top-10.
TOP 10 (Recruitment 100% open) @VisualsWinning pic.twitter.com/6OSHqVPKlR
– Austin Jordan (@ezmoneyaust) 15 February 2021
I think the state of Ohio will be waiting on Jordan to show them more with his tire and his tire for the senior season and to get to know him more. But I do think the state of Ohio is close to the top of Jordan’s list, and because the Buckeyes are apparently not in the race for Will Johnson and Denver Harris, they may be putting more pressure on Jordan and two other corners. which I love in this class in Toriano. Pride and Ryan Turner.
Christen Miller
Like Antwi, the Buckeyes will have a hard time winning this Peach State prospect, especially since they were late in setting up an offer. That said, the four-star defensive attack from Cedar Grove (Georgia) put Larry Johnson and Co in a final school list that was a top four before making it a top five to include the state of Ohio.
Crafts 1%
@BrooksAustinSI pic.twitter.com/su2MhqbiMK– Christen Miller (@ Trenchking2) 18 February 2021
I place Miller on this list in part because he is the only one of these five who has a public engagement date, and the date (April 4) is fast approaching. I would not be surprised if he decides to push it back to give the state of Ohio more time to build a relationship with him and make a few more visits. The Bulldogs remain in the driver’s seat, but we’ll see if Day, Johnson and area recruiter Al Washington can move here quickly.
Aliou Bah
Rumor has it that the attacking three-star attack from the IMG (Florida) Academy – which was recently transferred to the Bradenton Center from Buckeye defense Cormontae Hamilton’s alma mater, Whitehaven (Memphis) – wants to lock his name in the classroom . But there may be some delays until visits can take place.
If Bah adds ‘Buckeye commit’ to his name, it will give Greg Studrawa and Kennedy Cook a massive player (6 feet-6, 325 pounds) to maximize the need for the program in the classroom. However, he will also be a developing prospect, and the Buckeyes will still have to add a top man to the post. It starts with Kiyaunta Goodwin and continues with guys like Zach Rice and Kam Dewberry.
Bonus: Luke Montgomery, Brenan Vernon
Sonny Styles of Pickerington Central is not on this list because I think there is more work to be done there than with Ohio’s other top players, Montgomery and Vernon, in the 2023 class.
But the Findlay offensive prospect Montgomery, a likely top-150 player (top-150 will be on the low side because of his great potential), and Vernon, a five-star defensive end from Mentor, look like castles. this point to end up as Buckeyes. At a certain point along the road, that is.
“I love the state of Ohio,” Montgomery said. Elf Krygers shortly after the state of Ohio hosted it last week. ‘Coach Stud, he grew up 20 minutes away from me in Fostoria. I was born in Columbus. I lived there for about a year and I still have family in Columbus. I am very familiar with the area. I go there a lot, and I love the campus, and of course academics are very big too. ”
Meanwhile, Vernon compares to Nick Bosa and should be next in the long generation of stud defense goals that Johnson will develop. Again, as with Pickerington North five-star Jack Sawyer in the 2021 cycle, the Buckeyes have a defensive end in their backyard.
Ohio has an absolutely charged defense class in 2023 led by potential five-star safety styles, Vernon and four-star linebacker / safety Trevor Carter from Ironton. Montgomery would also be looked at in the squad if he wanted to stick to the defensive end he looked for Findlay before heading to the offseason.
Either way, Montgomery and Vernon are going to (according to my prediction) eventually give Ohio State a tremendous one-two blow in the state, and if the Buckeyes Styles add to the group, the program will be absolutely zero. terms for recruiting leading talent in the 2021 and 2022 classes.