Four-star combo guard with a famous father names Ohio State as finalist

Jan 23, 2023 - 3:31 PM

While it’s usually the football Buckeyes that make the headlines in the recruiting world, it was Chris Holtmann and the hoops program who was on the receiving end of some potential program-altering news this weekend. Not to be forgotten, Ryan Day also dished out a few new offers in recent days.

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James down to three

Unquestionably the brightest spot on the recruiting trail for Ohio State was when 2023 four-star combo guard Bronny James, son of LeBron James, of Sierra Canyon (CA) announced his top three that featured Ohio State, Oregon, and USC.

James is graded out as the No. 33 overall prospect in the class and would be a major pickup for Holtmannn and the Buckeyes with the ties that the program already has to his father. Not to be forgotten, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is also a highly-coveted prospect and a top-10 player at his position and in the state of California.

A pickup of Bronny would be a welcome addition to a 2023 recruiting class that already features three blue-chip prospects led by four-star combo guard Taison Chatman. The entire four-man haul, which could see another addition soon, currently slots in as the sixth-best class in the country.

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Buckeyes hand out three new offers

Aside from the hoops news, Ohio State was very active in the pursuit of more talent on the gridiron. Ryan Day and the coaching staff dished out three new offers this weekend as 2024 four-star linebacker Payton Pierce of Lovejoy (TX), 2025 athlete Quincy Porter of Bergen Catholic (NJ), and 2025 athlete Jahmir Joseph of St. Joseph Regional (NJ).

The Buckeyes are a little late in their pursuit of Pierce, a top fifteen linebacker in the class, but there still is more than enough time to make a move. Ohio State will need to show some urgency in this recruitment if they want to be a viable option for the Lucas native. Pierce named a top ten of Arkansas, Baylor, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M in December.

As for Porter and Joseph, you have a pair of prospects from the garden state that have caught their attention. Both are well on their way to being highly-coveted, national recruits. Porter already holds offers from Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and more. As for Joseph, he has yet to eclipse the double-digit offer mark but he also has an offer from the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions to go with his latest scholarship opportunity from Ohio State.

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Quick Hits

Just 10 days ago, Ohio State rewarded 2024 three-star offensive tackles Deontae and Devontae Armstrong of St. Edward (OH) and Deontae didn’t hold back on Sunday when discussing the offer with Eleven Warriors. “I’d say definitely top three among Michigan and Penn State for sure,” Devontae revealed to Garrick Hodge.

According to Bill Kurelic of 247Sports, the Buckeyes sent head coach Ryan Day and quarterback coach Corey Dennis to North Carolina on Friday to check on five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis and five-star offensive tackle David Sanders of Providence Day School (NC). Sanders is the consensus top recruit in the cycle while the continued effort for Davis likely is an indicator of Ohio State still trying to find their signal-caller in the class after the departure of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola of Chandler (AZ).

On Sunday morning, On3’s Chad Simmons reported that despite being committed to the Buckeyes, a trio of schools in specific are still in pursuit of five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith of Chaminade-Madonna Prep (FL). Simmons mentioned Florida, Georgia, and Miami (FL) as the three still with their sights set on Smith, who has been committed to Ohio State for over a month.