Buckeyes dish out four new offers on Thursday

Jan 27, 2023 - 10:01 AM

When it comes to Ohio State football offers, the coaching staff is calculated with their efforts. The Buckeyes are fairly selective and really don’t send out a large quantity of offers to prep prospects compared to some other staffs. Doing their homework ahead of time, Ryan Day and company offer the guys they feel they have a legitimate shot at landing, and do what it takes when the scope is narrowed in on the top players they’re after.

Lately, offers have been going out seemingly everyday that passes, and Thursday was much of the same as another handful of Ohio State offers were sent out. Getting right to it, here’s the list of guys who were next in line to hear from the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail.

Pair of prospects on offense land OSU offers

Ohio is always going to be the top priority for Ohio State recruiting efforts. Keeping the best at home for their college career has been what the Buckeyes have always wanted, and that’s likely never going to change. With the amount of talent Ohio produces each cycle, it only makes sense to see the coaches fight to keep their guys home. Though the state may not produce as many elite players as they once did, it’s still a talented enough region to help the Buckeyes every year with recruiting needs.

The staff stayed close to home for one of the offers sent out when they became the next school in line to offer Cleveland native, Marquise Davis. A 6-foot, 195 pound running back in the 2025 class, Davis is a Cleveland Heights product, and is certainly no stranger to the Buckeyes and what Ohio State means to the people in his city. Unranked by 247Sports right now, it’s still early for the prep sophomore, as his recruitment hasn’t totally blown open yet.

Still, Davis holds double-digit offers, and schools such as Michigan State, Penn State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and others lead the way. Ohio State now in the mix looks to cause a domino effect of other top suitors to enter the race, and with running back a need in the future cycles, a player right in Ohio is ideal for this coaching staff moving forward when thinking of the 2025 class.

Staying on the offensive side of the ball, Ohio State took some time to attend to the trenches and offered their latest offensive line target yesterday as well. On the receiving end, Texas native Max Anderson took to social media to share the latest update in his recruitment. A 6-foot-5, 300 pound tackle, Anderson is already pretty well known, as he is currently the No. 163 player nationally and the eighth best offensive tackle in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite.

Looking at an offer list of 20 schools, the top programs such as Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, and several more confirm the rankings he is listed with. Position coach Justin Frye was hired not only to develop talent, but to be a difference maker on the recruiting front, and landing a tackle like Anderson would be a major win for the Buckeyes as top national targets at the position haven’t been where Ohio State sees a lot of their recruiting success.

The 2023 class with mainly Ohio native linemen was a solid class, but if the Buckeyes really want to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt, the offensive line is where it starts. Looking at the current roster in Columbus, offensive tackle is the spot being talked about arguably more than any other because of the lack of depth there, and if that sends any message, it means 2024 needs to be a class where the wins are plentiful.

Defensive prospects also see Ohio State get in the mix

As mentioned, the offensive side of the ball wasn’t where all the attention was focused on Thursday, as a pair of offers were sent out to defensive prospect as well. First up, four-star linebacker Justin Williams got the good news from the Buckeyes — and rightfully so with his long list of impressive accolades.

The 6-foot-2, 205 pound Texas native is the No. 54 player nationally, the fourth best linebacker, and the seventh best player from the Lone Star State per the 247Sports Composite. Having an offer list of over 30 schools to his name already, and from programs such as USC, Auburn, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, Florida, and tons of others, the only surprising feat here is wondering why the Buckeyes are just now getting into the thick of things.

The Buckeyes have a long tradition of recruiting the state of Texas very well, and with Jim Knowles being a linebacker coach at heart, an offer to any player at the position is a stamp of approval from the boss on that side of the ball. As it stands now, Oregon is the lone selection on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, and with his plans to visit there this weekend, it does look as if the Ducks have the upper hand.

However, Ohio State wasn’t the only school to offer today, as Justin announced Alabama, Oklahoma, and Utah also did the same, so maybe this gives him reason to slow the process down a bit and really hear out every school’s best pitch.

Last but not least, the defensive secondary was once again a topic of importance as another defensive back offer was sent out to five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez. A Texas native, it doesn’t take long to recall the cornerback success the Buckeyes have had with Texas products.

The 2025 defensive back is already one of the top players in the country as he is the No. 25 player nationally, the second best corner in the class, and the third best player in Texas per the 247Sports Composite grades. Hailing from the prep power, North Shore in Houston, Devin’s ranking is further solidified considering the schedule he sees as a high school prospect, but having nearly 30 offers to his name also doesn’t hurt.

Schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, and a host of others were earlier to the party than Ohio State, but the track record for the Buckeyes in Texas overall should get them caught right back up to speed.

Much like the offensive line, cornerback is going to be a theme for a while until elite depth is plentiful again. Making Texas a priority is a no brainer regardless of the year, but going after a top player like Sanchez won’t be easy, as every top school in the country would love to have him in the fold. Thankfully, Perry Eliano and his Texas ties can help here even if he’s the safeties coach. It never hurts to crossover when it comes to having a connection.