Ohio State has been on quite the run in the past three cycles in terms of defensive line recruiting. Defensive Line Coach/Associate Head Coach Larry Johnson has been the catalyst behind the success. As Ohio State is on the verge of closing out their 2022 class, and the 2023 class already starting to fill up, it’s time to take a look at who Coach Johnson has zeroed in on for the 2024 cycle.
The first player many people across the nation are going to get familiar with in the upcoming year is Melissa, Texas product Nigel Smith Jr. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore wreaked havoc this year in opposing teams backfields and certainly caught the eye of Johnson as Smith Jr. officially earned his Buckeye offer this past Friday.
I'm honored to have an opportunity to further my academic and football career by being offered by THE Ohio State! #GoBuckeyes @R2X_Rushmen1 @ryandaytime @FootballMelissa @MattNally1 pic.twitter.com/iFQY4O2fcd
— Nigel Smith 2 (@nigel2mith) January 21, 2022
Smith Jr. took the time to speak to The Silver Bulletin about how he found out he was getting an offer from the Buckeyes.
“During school I walked in and Coach Johnson was talking to my Coach, and I was like woah he’s really here,” said Smith Jr. “(Johnson) had said to my coach before he left Ohio State that he was going to watch one of my full games on tape and if he liked me he was not going to waste any time offering me.”
Smith Jr. is already considered to be a top-20 prospect in the nation and the ceiling is only going to rise for the highly regarded sophomore. Johnson made it clear to Smith Jr. he was a priority for Ohio State from the beginning.
“[Johnson] watched my tape and then he called my coach to let me know I got the offer,” said Smith Jr.
Ohio State has consistently been dominating on the recruiting trail and in NFL production for defensive linemen, so it was no surprise to hear what Smith Jr. had to say about earning offer from the highly regarded defensive line coach.
“I think it was just such an honor, he’s just a legend in the game,” said Smith Jr. “What he has done with his players just speaks for itself, and just for him to love my film and make me an offer speaks volumes.”
Texas has been quite a hot bed for Ohio State in recruiting and development with players such as Garrett Wilson, Jeff Okudah and J.K. Dobbins starring in Columbus, but could another soon-to-be five-star see himself following that trend?
“I could definitely see myself being a Buckeye one day,” Smith Jr. stated. “There definitely are some great schools in Texas and yeah I’d love to stay home, but whatever school is right for me and my situation is where I’ll be going.”
Carson MacRae comes to The Silver Bulletin with a vast football background. As a former player himself, Carson brought his expertise of the game to the recruitng analysis side, where he worked as a Recruitng Writer and Analyst at Rivals.com apart of Ohio State’s “BuckeyeGrove” network. After leaving Rivals, Carson joined forces with The Silver Bulletin as the Chief Recruiting Writer for the quickly growing Ohio State network. Carson is also proud member of Prep Redzone where he is as a National High School Football Scout providing in depth analysis on the top players around the country.