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Joseph Hastings' Report
Ohio State is one of two finalists fighting for a key Rivals100 OL target
One of the hot-button position groups that Ohio State fans are always interested in hearing about is the offensive line.
It’s especially true now as the program has a pair of commits (George Fitzpatrick and Tegra Tshabola), but there are a lot of question marks. Have the Buckeyes lost some momentum with Kam Dewberry? Can Ohio State potentially seal the deal with Earnest Greene on his official next week? Will a late push make a difference for Aamil Wagner?
We will touch on Greene just a little bit in the next section, but I do have a promising update with a target not mentioned in the paragraph above: Carson Hinzman.
Last night, we spoke over the phone about his recruitment, and he says it’s essentially down to Ohio State and Wisconsin. Iowa and Minnesota are on the outside looking in, but Hinzman’s focus right now is on the Buckeyes and Badgers, with a decision right around the corner.
Not only that, but Hinzman told me he will be in attendance for tOSU’s season opener against Minnesota this upcoming Thursday. Hinzman has kept in touch with the Golden Gophers and was invited by the staff to be at this game, though I think this news bodes in the Buckeyes’ favor more than Minnesota’s.
The good news keeps on coming as Hinzman, the top-ranked center on Rivals.com, will also be at Ohio State’s home opener against Oregon on Sept. 11. He specifically told me that he wanted to see the program play in person in Columbus before making his decision.
As for a decision timeline, Hinzman told me that he will likely be committing in late September or early October. The Rivals100 prospect will also be at Wisconsin vs. Penn State this Saturday, so his goal was to see both teams play before coming to a conclusion. A school’s culture and the consistency of upholding that culture will be the main determining factors in his decision.
With Hinzman close to wrapping up his recruitment, he had the following to say about his interest in the Buckeyes.
“The time that we were down there, we really, really enjoyed it,” Hinzman said. “Really loved the players and hanging out with those guys. Obviously, they do a really great job. They have a really great coaching staff, strength and speed supporting staff along with recovery. Loved everything down there, so I think the game will be important to see the culture around there and what’s it like on campus… it’ll be a good opportunity to see the real culture of the campus.”
If I’m being honest, this conversation really made me get close to submitting a FutureCast in favor of the Buckeyes. They’ve been pressing all of the right buttons with Hinzman and his father, Jon, and that official visit in June seemed to be a big turning point in their pursuit of him.
The only reason I didn’t just yet is because of two factors: 1) Hinzman wants to see both schools in person before coming to a decision and 2) Luring Wisconsin-based offensive linemen from the Badgers is a tall task.
Hinzman, who is being pursued by Ohio State to play guard or center, could very well, however, be the next addition to the program’s 2022 class. I found it particularly interesting that he’s checking out two of the Buckeyes’ games this season, and doesn’t want to make a decision until he experiences a game day atmosphere at The Shoe.
Keep a very close eye on this one.
Buckeyes sitting in a good spot for Rivals100 OL Earnest Greene
I had been hoping to speak with Earnest Greene or his coach, but I did recently catch up with a source who is very familiar with his recruitment. This conversation definitely reassured me that the Buckeyes are out in front for Greene’s services, something that our Carson MacRae has been saying for quite some time.
What I was told, specifically, is that the Buckeyes are currently the frontrunner to land the second-ranked guard in the 2022 cycle. Georgia (who Greene will be seeing this weekend for the Clemson-UGA game) and Texas are also high in the mix for the California-based recruit.
I also heard that Ohio State has been the mainstay in his recruitment in recent months, and that they are going to be “very difficult to beat” when it’s all said and done. That mid-June visit he took to Columbus solidified everything he has been feeling toward the program and he came away very impressed with that trip.
Next up, Greene is scheduled to take an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of their home opener against Oregon. It wasn’t indicated to me that Greene would be prompted to shut down his recruitment and commit if this OV goes well, but it is a visit that could play a big factor in his decision-making process down the stretch.
Finally, I was told that Greene views himself in a similar way to former Buckeye Wyatt Davis in terms of their playing styles. If you recall, Davis attended the same school – St. John Bosco – that Greene goes to now, and Ohio State also dipped into SJB to land Kourt Williams in the 2018 cycle.
Per our intel, Davis' success in Columbus and path to the NFL could assist in helping Greene to make his own decision.
I still think it’s too early for a prediction to be made, but I think Ohio State would be the choice if Greene was to decide today.
Notes on a pair of 2023 RB targets
With Treyaun Webb being off the board, for now, Tony Alford and Ohio State’s staff have shifted their attention to other running back options in the 2023 class.
In this section, we’re going to highlight two of them: Richard Young and Rueben Owens.
Starting off with Young, I had an opportunity to catch up with him once again this past week as I attended Lehigh’s walkthrough on Wednesday.
First of all, Young looks every bit the part of a running back who will enjoy success at the next level.
He’s 6-foot-1, 201 pounds and looked like a man amongst boys with a talented group of teammates in Lehigh Acres. Young looked a little bit bigger than when I saw him in April, and it is my belief that he could reclassify to 2022 and be a contributor for a college program next year. He exemplified that by rushing for 282 yards and three touchdowns in Thursday’s season opener.
As for our conversation, Young told me that he’s not been too focused on the recruiting process, but is looking forward to speaking with Tony Alford on Wednesday. This is the first day college coaches can initiate contact with high school juniors, and Young says the goal is to find a date that he can return to Columbus, potentially for a game this season.
Young has the utmost faith in Alford as he believes Ohio State’s running backs coach can develop him into an Ezekiel Elliott-type RB. The school’s production of players at his position, specifically with J.K. Dobbins and Trey Sermon in recent years, has caught Young’s attention.
I’ll once again reiterate that I believe this one is going to come down to Alabama and Ohio State, and I’d give the Buckeyes a very slight advantage right now. I don’t envision Young committing anytime soon, with his decision likely to be made in the latter half of 2022.
Don’t expect too much out of Young – recruiting-wise, that is – this fall as he is locked in on his season, but a third trip to Columbus this year would certainly be significant.
Switching over to Owens, he is a name Buckeye Nation will be accustomed to hearing in the future. He was offered back in June 29, but was unable to venture up to the school for the final week of July during the quiet period.
Based on what he told me recently, however, Owens showing up on campus next month has not been ruled out. The top-ranked all-purpose back on Rivals.com informed me that he is trying “work out some details” when asked if he’ll be at the Oregon-Ohio State game.
It will be tough to make it out there as he has a game the night before and he’s located in El Campo (Texas), but an early morning flight could absolutely get him in town prior to kickoff, barring a delay or flight cancelation.
Owens and I have yet to conduct a full interview, but he told me the following when discussing his interest in Ohio State.
“The Buckeyes are in a good spot right now,” Owens said. “Just can’t wait to get a chance to go check them out this fall at a game. Coach Alford and I talk a lot on the phone. [We’re] building a great relationship.”
Once again, Alford is doing a great job of forming a strong bond with a running back target, and I expect Owens to receive an early phone call or text from him on Sept. 1.
Another DE option?
We’re still looking into this one, but I wanted to bring it to the board in case anything materializes in the coming days.
Kevin and I were informed earlier today that Cyrus Moss, the nation’s fourth-ranked weakside DE in 2022, is looking into scheduling an official visit to Ohio State. Moss has used two thus far (Notre Dame and Oregon) and has one scheduled to Florida, but the Buckeyes are apparently in contention.
While Ohio State has yet to offer, this trip could still happen (Hinzman took one in June without having an offer until his second day on campus). Larry Johnson is actually following Moss on Twitter and they’ve had communication before, so this very well could be true.
I did reach out to a source in Columbus, however, who did say that they were not aware of Ohio State being a school Moss was looking to officially visit. This could mean that Moss has not communicated his intentions to the staff, meaning this process could be in its early stages.
I’d advise to take this one with a grain of salt since we’re still verifying Moss’ interest in the Buckeyes, but it definitely will be a development worth paying attention to since the Buckeyes have yet to land a defensive player in the trenches thus far.
More names added to Ohio State’s visitors list for Oregon
Sept. 11 is going to be an important day not only for the Buckeyes football team, but also their efforts on the recruiting trail.
On campus for their home opener will be official visitors Caden Curry, Christen Miller, Earnest Greene and Marvin Jones Jr., all of whom are top-100 players. I’ve also been able to confirm a few other names and some maybes for this big weekend.
First off, joining Greene in less than two weeks will be St. John Bosco teammates Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, RJ Jones, Marcelles Williams and Peyton Woodyard. All of these recruits possess offers from the Buckeyes.
Next up, I have confirmed that big-time Ohio-based prospects Alex “Sonny” Styles and Luke Montgomery will also be at the game. These are two huge visitors, with both of them having visited Ohio State’s campus multiple times in the summer.
Also, as I mentioned above, Carson Hinzman will be in attendance for the game. To my knowledge, he is the only 2022 target who will be taking an unofficial to Columbus for this weekend.
Orlando-based recruits John Walker and Payton Kirkland also told me that they are maybes, and that they’re working to see if they can get up for the game or not. Rivals100 all-purpose back Rueben Owens is another maybe on the list.
There will be a lot more definitive “yes” or “no” response as we get closer to this pivotal matchup, but I wanted to drop this off here for now.
Carson MacRae’s Report
Updates on multiple 2023 targets
It’s been a busy week, to say the least, surrounding recruiting news. With high school football back in action, this is usually the time when some recruits go quiet in their recruitment and choose to focus on just playing their season.
2023 CB and Alabama native AJ Harris is one who informed media via Twitter that he would be shutting things down in terms of interviews and updates on his recruitment before his season opener. However, I was able to get a couple comments from him just before he shut that all down.
Harris mentioned to me that he definitely has an idea of who his top three schools are at this time. He also stated that he’s not thinking too much about his top schools but he for sure has a good idea who’s standing out to him. He hinted to me who they were by stating “I see myself ending up at one of the three-headed monsters in college”.
For those who do not know what that means, Harris was hinting at Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. I tend to believe this has always been the case with Harris but it was nice getting a couple of last messages in confirming that before he quietly closed things down for the season.
I’m sure some of you saw me post a FutureCast for Alex “Sonny” Styles and probably had some questions, so I’ll address that here. I actually had a chance to catch up with someone I really trust on this recruitment, and he mentioned this race is not what it appears to be (in Notre Dame’s favor).
As well, I did some digging through some other routes, including a teammate who mentioned to me that “as long as I’ve known him, he’s wanted to be a Buckeye.” I received that message following my FutureCast, which gave me a good amount comfort with my prediction. I will not speak on what others may think in this recruitment, but I will say from what I’ve gathered speaking to Styles, he puts a lot of emphasis on finding his own path to college and setting his sights on his own journey.
Many have worried about the effect his brother is having on him as a Notre Dame player, but I think if anything, that pushes him away in a sense. He has mentioned to me before when speaking to him that he’s not a follower and he will do what’s best for him. He also mentioned that Ohio has always been home for him and it would be nice to have his family all close by.
There seems to be too many things pointing in the direction that Styles ends up a Buckeye, the way I see it. Notre Dame’s staff has created a lot of smoke over Styles, but I think that’s all it is. If you ask Styles about where he stands with Notre Dame, it’s all about how they show him love but he never mentions how connected he feels to campus as he does Ohio State. It’s just too tough for me at this point to see it any other way. Calling my shot, Styles ends up a Buckeye.
Another FutureCast I recently submitted was for Troy Bowles. Bowles is a Rivals100 inside LB from Tampa (Florida) and ranked No. 5 at his position. This recruitment has a lot of feel to someone like TJ Shanahan for me. The two are both Florida products who ironically enough grew up watching the Buckeyes as their “favorite college team.” Although, the two are different players and positions it just feels like they both really believe in what Ohio State has to offer.
Bowles, specifically, caught up with one of my sources in Florida and mentioned that it’s really hard to ever see himself ending up anywhere else. He talked about his love for the Buckeyes growing up and his efforts towards his academics and training was all in hopes to get that Ohio State offer.
After being passed along that info, I could not pass up the opportunity to submit my FutureCast. I happen to believe as well following some information, that we could see Bowles become possibly the second or third player in this 2023 class depending on how fast a player like Derrick LeBlanc or Luke Montgomery shuts things down.
The Buckeyes are finally starting to heat up in the 2023 recruiting cycle, but I definitely expect a couple BOOMs to be coming next month. Keep watch and stay tuned.
