Wednesday made for the easiest February Signing Day ever for the Buckeyes, but all attention has been focused on 2024 and 2025’s class.

Feb 2, 2023 - 10:01 AM

The February Signing Day for high school recruits is celebrated for a couple of reasons. The excitement surrounding the hard work paying off for these prep stars is among the top reasons for it being a special day, but it also gives way for the Ohio State coaching staff to speak to the media and give some in-depth coverage as to what is going on in the state of the program.

Wednesday once again allowed other assistant coaches to speak in addition to staffers, such as Mark Pantoni, who’s focus is solely on recruiting efforts and managing the personnel for the Buckeyes. Bringing several pieces of news to attention, the staff is still in full pursuit mode of elite players to join the roster after spring football via the transfer portal, and roster management to get to 85 players is already taking place.

At any rate, there’s plenty going on in Columbus that makes it seem like there’s really not an offseason for this program.

The easiest signing day in Ohio State history

Before the sun came up yesterday, Ohio State took to Twitter to preview signing day, and shared their sentiments of, “looking forward to a great day.”

Not even five minutes later, another tweet from Ohio State stated signing day was, “now complete,” after zero new additions were made to the 2023 recruiting class. Having some fun with how that news was shared, this at least ties the easiest signing day ever for the Buckeyes, as all of the work for this class was signed, sealed, and delivered during the December signing period when the entire class inked their letters of intent.

While there weren’t any fireworks, that doesn't necessarily give cause for concern, because the time this staff has spent the last several weeks on the trail has been fully devoted to the efforts in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Seeing coaches on the road and doing so all over the country has made for a ton of new offers. Those recruits have made it clear how they feel about Ohio State, and while the season certainly didn’t go as planned, the feelings by top recruits point to a pretty positive vibe surrounding the Buckeyes’ future.

Pointing to the recent success in the transfer portal as well, this staff is showing signs of doing what it takes when it comes to landing the top players looking for new homes. As long as that remains the case moving forward, Ohio State is in as good of a spot as anyone else.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State made the hiring of LaAllan Clark official on Wednesday. Coming in as a defensive GA, Clark will be spending his time helping Larry Johnson with the defensive line group. An important hire for the Buckeyes, Clark’s resume in helping train several current NFL stars at the position may be the stat that jumps out the most, and is definitely a key piece when it comes to recruiting down the road.

LJ is still one of the best in the game at his profession and position group, but having a right hand man to help in development as well as the many other areas is a key to seeing this defensive line group take the next step in 2023.

• Of the many talking points that were brought up regarding recruiting, the notes Pantoni made about recruiting more regionally as well as leaving recruitments of national players if their focus is mainly NIL stick out the most. Knowing Ohio State’s goals to fill the roster with players of a certain mindset, hearing staffers say NIL priorities for national recruits may guide the Buckeyes elsewhere makes sense.

Ohio State will always be in the business of going after the best players in the country, but if the headaches and potential for clashes in culture present themselves, the Buckeyes believe their time is better spent elsewhere. The world of college football and recruiting has never been crazier, but Ohio State seems as prepared as any when it comes to weathering any potential storms.