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Joseph Hastings’ Report
Rivals100 offensive lineman sets up official visit to Ohio State
Well, this one came out of the blue.
I was doing some digging this weekend, and was given a lead to reach out to Carson Hinzman. If you don’t know his name, then that is understandable.
The Wisconsin-based offensive lineman has not reported an offer from the Buckeyes, and there is not one on his profile either. Hinzman did tell me earlier today, however, that he has set up his official visit to Ohio State for the second weekend of June.
While no date was specified, it’s likely that Hinzman will be on campus June 11-13, which is also when four-star o-linemen Joe Brunner and Jaylen Early will be in town.
I was supposed to speak with Hinzman over the phone, but he never got back to me and has gone silent since he told me about the official. I’m also waiting to hear back from a source in Columbus about when an offer will arrive, but I figured I’d drop this off until I have some more to report on Ohio State’s pursuit of Hinzman.
A little background information on Hinzman and his recruitment is that he is from Wisconsin, and the in-state Badgers currently have a pair of FutureCast predictions in their favor. Hinzman is also slated to officially visit the school June 4, and will take officials to Notre Dame (June 18) and Iowa (June 25) as well.
Jaylen Early on the Buckeyes: “I really love the program”
Speaking of out-of-state o-linemen targets, Jaylen Early remains an important target for Greg Studrawa and company. As you all know, Early – along with Aamil Wagner – are the two prospects at the position group I believe the Buckeyes are in the best shape to land.
I caught up with Early ahead of next month’s visit to Ohio State to get an idea of where things stand between him and the program. Early, who speaks with area recruiter Corey Dennis, o-line assistant Kennedy Cook, Day, and Studrawa, is continuing to get closer with the coaches every day.
“I really love the program already,” Early said of the Buckeyes. “Can’t wait to get up there and see it for myself. I’ve gotten really close with the staff and can’t wait to experience it for myself.”
Early also told me that he speaks with Studrawa roughly two or three times per week. The message from the o-line coach is that he’s excited to get him on campus, and wants to show Early how he’ll develop him for the NFL.
I tried asking Early if Ohio State is his leader – as has been indicated to me behind the scenes – but he was non-committal on an answer. When asked if they are in his top three or something similar, Early replied, “I’d say that they have captured my attention.”
While Early would not say who’s at the top of his recruitment, I’m hearing the Buckeyes are in a good position to land him. The message from the coaching staff is resonating with him, Early sees a lot of opportunities for development under Stud, they have a great combination of academics and football success, and Ohio State will get to host both him and his mom on campus next month.
That last part is key as Early’s mom is actually earning a degree in teaching at Texas Woman’s University, so education is important to her. Texas A&M and Florida State are a couple of other programs to pay attention to here, but I’m giving tOSU the slight edge at this time.
Four-star safety to visit Ohio State unofficially next month
Following the commitment from Kye Stokes earlier this month, one of the big questions people have had is about the number of other safeties the Buckeyes will add in the coming months.
One of those candidates is Sherrod Covil, a four-star prospect who reeled in an offer from Ohio State back in early April.
What’s interesting about Covil is that he released a top 11 before he got the green light from the Buckeyes, and recently narrowed down his recruitment to four schools. He told Adam Friedman this week that the programs he’s down to are Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State and Virginia.
But when I messaged Covil this weekend, however, the product of Chesapeake (Virginia) said he has a trip scheduled to Ohio State for June 7. So, while he didn’t say anything about tOSU with Friedman, the Buckeyes are clearly still on his radar.
Covil told me that the goal of his unofficial visits – he has ones set up to Virginia (June 1) and North Carolina (June 15) as well – are to get a vibe from each school. This will help to determine where he will take his five officials down the line.
I definitely think it’s too early to say if Ohio State is truly a contender here, but I know the program is still pursuing him and that Stokes’ commitment did not change that.
In-state 2022 OL to work out in front of the staff on June 7
Another 2022 prospect who is set to visit Columbus next month is Ryan Baer. Once again, if you don’t know his name, then that is not too surprising.
Although Baer is from Eastlake (Ohio), which is two hours north of Columbus, he has yet to reel in an offer from the Buckeyes. While the staff has yet to give him the green light, that could potentially change in a few weeks.
The three-star offensive guard told me that he will be on campus on June 7, which is a day before their second camp of the month. So, instead of camping, Baer will be doing a private workout in front of the coaches.
These private workouts may end up becoming a common occurrence in the coming weeks as it allows the staff to focus specifically on one player at a time. Four-star wide receiver Kevin Thomas will be doing the same thing with Brian Hartline and Billy Fessler in June.
Going back to Baer, the 6-foot-8, 331-pounder says he is in touch with a trio of staff members from Ohio State. Those coaches are Stud, Cook and running backs coach Tony Alford.
We’ll be keeping close tabs on Baer as he appears to be one of the strongest contenders along the o-line to receive an offer from the Buckeyes.
Benji Gosnell is an all-around athlete
It is always interesting highlight Ohio State’s commits in a way that does not focus on their recruitments. This week, four-star tight end Benji Gosnell definitely earned the spotlight.
Last week, Gosnell was named the Northwest 1A Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in North Carolina. He’s known for his pass catching abilities, but recorded 87 total tackles, four sacks, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in 11 games played. He also recorded 13 total tackles and two tackles for loss in his team’s 1AA State Championship game, which they ended up losing 7-25.
On the offensive side of the ball, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder hauled in 39 receptions for 669 yards and seven touchdown grabs. Gosnell also got it done on the ground by rushing for 157 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns.
Gosnell is also putting in the work in the diamond, helping his team to a 7-5 win in a conference matchup earlier this week. His RBI double in the sixth inning tied the game at 3 apiece and helped spark East Surry’s offense as the team scored four runs the following inning. He scored a run in the seventh after being hit by a pitch.
I could not find full stats for his baseball season, but this just goes to show how multi-dimensional Gosnell is as an athlete (he’s a pitcher, too).
When he was not required in the diamond or on the gridiron, Gosnell is also participating in track and field. In a conference meet a couple of days ago. Gosnell didn’t remember his exact numbers, but said he ran around 19 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and around 50 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles (Gosnell placed first in both.
He also participates in the triple jump, which he placed second in.
Kevin Wilson and Ohio State’s staff, as well as Buckeye Nation in general, should be excited about the type of versatile player they will be getting in Gosnell next year.
Carson MacRae’s Report
A trio of Ohio-based prospects to pay attention to
It’s been a fairly quiet week in the recruiting world for the Buckeyes, so I thought it would be a good time to focus in on some new names. Ironically, the new names that are being brought to the surface are all in-state prospects who you may or may not be as familiar with.
The first name that has started to build some traction in terms of speaking more consistently with the Buckeye staff is Olentangy Liberty’s Carter Smith. Rivals.com has Smith listed a three-star offensive tackle prospect but he has been surging up many Power Five programs’ boards as of late. The 2022 Ohio native is considered to be an Auburn lean as of right now, but many sources I’ve spoken with believe if Ohio State offered, the recruitment would close down fairly quick.
Obviously, for many Ohio prospects, getting that Buckeye offer is a dream and is an easy decision to make. The offer is more than likely not going to come soon, but could be one that happens if Ohio State feels they’re going to miss on their top OT targets. Smith has a solid frame at 6-foot-6, 271-pounds, and could be looked at similar to the 2021 cycle’s late addition — Zenuae Michalski. He’s a little more on the raw side but definitely has the potential to grow.
The second name to keep an eye on is Eastlake Ohio’s Ryan Baer, who Joseph mentioned as above. At a massive 6-foot-8, 331-pounds as listed by Rivals.com, Baer is another prospect a little more on the raw side. Ohio State does have experience with adding players who come a little bit more raw as it is easy to teach technique but it’s impossible to teach size. Similar to the possible Smith offer, Baer would earn an offer more than likely if Ohio State feels they may miss on some of their other top tackle targets.
Baer, also a 2022 prospect, is widely seen as a Kentucky lean. As most already know, the Buckeyes lost the recruitment of Kiyaunta Goodwin to Kentucky as well as Jager Burton in the 2021 cycle. With Kentucky being very bullish on Baer, Ohio State may still extend an offer in order to get a win against the Wildcats. It may seem like it is too late to jump in on these prospects, but both Ohio natives the staff feels would be fairly easy to land a commitment from. If the offers do come though, I would be inclined to submit a FutureCast in favor of the Buckeyes.
The third name we should all get familiar with is Ironton Ohio’s Trevor Carter. Rivals.com has Carter listed at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds and is displayed as an Athlete. At the next level, Carter will be seen as an outside linebacker.
As many know, Ohio State dipped into the talent-wealthy Ironton program last cycle when they landed commitment from 2021 Reid Carrico. Similar to Carrico before he received his offer, Ohio State would be looked at as the heavy betting favorites to land Carter following an offer. Carter currently is fielding 12 offers with schools like West Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Michigan already being in the mix.
Joseph has been told by Carter that he’s spoken with Washington a couple of times in the past. These conversations have been about continuing to further develop their relationship, as well as Washington expressing his desire for Carter to get on campus for a visit or a camp.
At this point, Joseph says Carter has not heard from Washington about the possibility of an offer, and no visit has been set up yet. If he is able to make his way to one of the six camps in June, then it would not be surprising if Ohio State pulls the trigger on an offer.
I suspect Carter will earn many more Power Five offers during his junior year, but I expect the Buckeyes to jump in with an offer very soon. I have spoken with a source out from Georgia who also believes the Bulldogs are getting set to extend an offer to Carter. This is a good indicator that his recruitment is going to really open up in terms of offers in the next little bit. However, I do think this is a prospect that I would add to my 2023 class predictions following a potential Ohio State offer.
