As always, our Bullet Points Sessions are our chance to discuss the latest news surrounding Ohio State recruiting. This past weekend, Columbus was not only host to the Ohio State spring game but also to about 40 of the nations top high school football players. The star studded weekend was filled with multiple five-star prospects including the top overall 2024 player in Dylan Raiola as well as the second ranked quarterback in the country for 2024 in Jadyn Davis. The Buckeyes also found themselves with some commitments following the big recruiting weekend. We will touch on those commitments as well as who could be on the hot seat next in favor of the Buckeyes.
As mentioned, the Buckeyes played host to the top two quarterbacks in the class of 2024. Both players had the chance to take a tour of all the facilities and meet with all the coaching staff but the full court press was certainly on for the top recruit in the country. Throughout the day, Buckeye alumni from all ages and different title teams surrounded Raiola for the spring game. Raiola could be seen walking around with Justin Fields and Chris Olave at times as well as having conversations with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, and even soon-to-enroll Sonny Styles. It seemed as though this past weekend could have went as well as it could have.
Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola arrives in the Shoe alongside Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis. pic.twitter.com/01k88hYAx3
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) April 16, 2022
A couple sources that spoke to The Silver Bulletin mentioned that Raiola had a chance to speak with many of the current players and was talking about how he wanted to “help grow the class” in reference to the 2024 Ohio State class. Raiola mentioned to a few of the players and the staff that he would rather be committed to a school sooner rather than later so he can begin recruiting potential teammates to join him. It would look as if right now Ohio State is leading the charge if that commitment were to come soon. The school currently in the passenger seat for Raiola is USC and we at The Silver Bulletin have confirmed that Raiola has cancelled his upcoming visit to Southern California this weekend. Could some big news be ahead of us this week?
The Buckeyes also secured some major commitments following the spring game in Bryson Rodgers and Dijon Johnson. Rodgers became the first wide receiver to join Ohio State’s 2023 class and is expected to play a major role in recruiting some other receivers. There was negative feedback by some following Rodgers commitment as he was only ranked a three-star by 247sports recruiting database. I will not touch on this too much but let me remind you Ohio State found Chris Olave when he was a three-star and Jaxon Smith-Njigba when he was ranked the 59th WR in the country. The only evaluation that should be of relevance when Ohio State takes a receiver is Hartline’s.
Boom!@IBryson13 pic.twitter.com/Z0kGo7KjMa
— Bond Edits (@bondedits15) April 17, 2022
When Johnson committed to the Buckeyes hours after Rodgers, it gave Ohio State its ninth 2023 commitment. Furthermore, the class now consists of eight of its nine players being from Ohio and Florida. That’s quite a victory for the Buckeyes as Florida has been one of the biggest hot beds for high school recruits and any time the Buckeyes can bring even a couple of them on board in a class it should be considered a win. The Buckeyes keep on chugging along in the 2023 cycle and currently now have the number two class in the country with the likelihood of taking over number one following one more commitment.
Speaking of commitments, who’s hot and could pop any time this week? The first name everyone should be familiar with is Jayden Bonsu. Bonsu was also in attendance for the spring game and likely silently committed following his visit. The St. Peters Prep safety has massive frame for a safety, but it just so happens Jim Knowles went full press after seeing his tape. The comparison that was tossed around for Bonsu was Jamal Adams as a safety who’s large, physical, and can come downfield to support the run with authority.
Once again stars are not everything in this recruitment, I’d expect Bonsu to jump at least 50-100 spots in the next set of rankings. Additionally, another name Buckeye fans should get familiar with is Noah Rogers. Rogers was also in attendance for the spring game whether you knew it or not. I say that because for being a top-10 receiver in the country, you rarely ever hear of him. The North Carolina product prefers it that way though as he’s someone who is not big into the recruiting games, having top schools or having multiple school edits. Rogers is someone who is likely going to commit when no one is expecting it. Hartline loves the athleticism and route running ability Rogers already possesses and has stated he reminds him a lot of the way Michael Thomas can control himself when high pointing a football. The Buckeye are closing in on a couple other recruitments but these two are the most likely to pop off next.
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.