2026 California WR sets Ohio State visit, top 2024 lineman continues to be on the staff’s mind

Mar 17, 2023 - 9:01 AM

High profile freshman sets Ohio State visit date

It’s a little like the calm before the storm right now in regard to Ohio State recruiting. With spring break underway and a hiatus from the practice field as a result, the coaching staff has hit vacation mode a bit.

While the recruiting efforts never fully cease for the Buckeyes, they certainly can slow down here and there, and though this weekend it will pick back up, it’s been pretty quiet. That won’t last for long, as multiple big time recruiting weekends are in the works for the remainder of spring football practice. The staff will lean on these opportunities for continued momentum as the summer recruiting months quickly approach.

That said, there’s still visits being set by various high school targets, and a recent one has been locked in for a high profile freshman from California. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a 6-foot-2, 180 pound receiver out of the prestigious Mater Dei, shared that he will be in town as soon as this weekend to check out Ohio State.

A class of 2026 prospect, Dixon-Wyatt’s visit will be on his own dime, and coming from the West Coast, certainly that shows how he feels about the Buckeyes. More than likely Brian Hartline and his ability to develop his position.

Already at double-digit offers to his name, Kayden’s 247Sports ranking when it becomes available will likely be atop of the charts for his position group. Schools such as Georgia, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Arizona, and several others have taken early notice to his talents, and surely more elite programs are on the way to do the same.

Knowing the caliber of talent he sees playing for Mater Dei is just further proof to his abilities, and when Hartline sees a guy he wants at his position, more times than not he comes away successful. This visit will get the ball rolling, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him walk away with an offer. But again, this unofficial visit really does show the interest is there for another national receiver.

Quick Hits

• One of the many interesting aspects of social media is being able to see the activity others are having. Specifically, on Twitter, college coaches can retweet and like prospective recruits posts, and that gives some insight as to how that staff or individual coach feels about a certain player.

Seeing coaches like and share certain posts may not be a huge deal, but there is something to it at least. Yesterday, Director of Player Personnel Mark Pantoni took to Twitter to retweet a big time offensive line target. Sharing his highlight tape, Pantoni was quick to give his stamp of approval to five-star lineman Justin Scott.

A 6-foot-4, 310 pound Chicago, Illinois native, Scott is currently the No. 14 player nationally, the fourth best defensive lineman, and the top player in Illinois all according to the 247Sports Composite grades for the 2024 class. A player the Buckeyes would love to have in the fold, there’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle as Notre Dame is the odds on favorite right now in his recruitment.

The efforts won’t go silent any time soon on the Ohio State front though, and when you see his film, it’s easy to see why he is so highly touted.

• Back to talking visit plans, the Buckeyes will also host another Georgia native on the big April 1 recruiting weekend when 2024 safety prospect Marqavious Saboor is in town. Taking to Twitter to share his latest visit plans, Saboor will attend practice and see the vibes surrounding the Ohio State program.

A 6-foot, 170 pound athlete, Saboor holds over 20 offers to his name, but doesn’t have a ton of the elite blue-bloods in his recruitment yet at least. Schools such as Missouri, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Kentucky round out some of the bigger programs to offer at the moment, but visits to Ohio State and others may have an impact on that.

Though he’s unranked on his 247Sports profile, Marqavious is clearly seeing enough attention to have that many offers under his belt. Ohio State will look to take at least two and maybe three safeties in the 2024 class with how the defensive scheme checks out and though Saboor is a new name maybe his visit will spark a relationship that keeps him in the news.