Eric Boggs
Ohio State entered a crucial four-week recruiting period, beginning with welcoming 10 official visitors to campus for the weekend.
The visitors from the 2025 class were:
- Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore
- Four-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III
- Four-star wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon
- Four-star running back Bo Jackson
- Four-star edge rusher Justin Hill
- Four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn
- Four-star safety DeShawn Stewart (commit)
- Four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford (commit)
- Three-star offensive lineman Henry Fenuku
- Three-star offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn
Starting with the offensive side, Moore made his third visit to campus in recent months. This was a positive sign as the Buckeyes compete with Oregon and Texas for the No. 1 wideout in the 2025 class. Moore was at the top of Brian Hartline’s wish list, so a successful visit would help in adding premier wideouts to the Buckeyes’ roster.
Brown was another wideout Ohio State was very interested in. While Florida schools, especially the Gators, were also in the mix, OSU was a strong contender for this talented player from Florida.
McCutcheon visited Columbus numerous times over the past year and had significant interest in the Buckeyes, especially since his former high school teammate Payton Pierce was on OSU’s roster. However, it was uncertain what Hartline’s pecking order was for wide receivers in the 2025 class after Moore, Brown, and Jaime Ffrench Jr.
Five-star OSU quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair was expected to be on campus as an unofficial visitor. His presence could help the Buckeyes in recruiting top wideouts and other players.
In-state running back Bo Jackson returned to campus for an important visit. New Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn aimed to convince the Cleveland product that OSU was the best fit for his talents. Although Georgia gained momentum in Jackson’s recruitment, OSU had a real chance to recapture it.
For the offensive line, the Buckeyes had recently made progress with Fenuku. It wouldn’t have been surprising if the interior offensive lineman joined OSU’s class soon. Strayhorn was also an intriguing prospect, best suited for center. The Buckeyes might have preferred Georgia product Andrew Stargel for that position, but things could have changed if Strayhorn’s visit went well.
Three-star offensive lineman Jayvon McFadden was initially expected to visit OSU but rescheduled for the following week.
On the defensive side, Alford and Stewart, as commits, enjoyed their weekend and helped recruit Hill and Pettijohn, two top defensive targets.
Hill was a must-get, being a premier in-state prospect with great versatility. His recruitment was tricky because his best fit in Jim Knowles’ defensive scheme was the Jack position, which wasn’t used much in Columbus. Laurinaitis, Knowles, and Larry Johnson focused on recruiting Hill, hoping to show him he was a priority and win him over with their development plan.
Texas was the main competitor for Pettijohn, but he had a strong relationship with James Laurinaitis, giving OSU a chance.
Ohio State always recruited against the best in the country, but the path was never easy. Four-star cornerback Blake Woodby from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy decommitted from the Buckeyes in May. Despite this, Ohio State still held the top-rated class in the On3 Team Industry Rankings.
