It’s been fairly quiet in the recruiting world as of late for Ohio State. The Buckeyes have seen themselves in the thick of things for some big time recruits. Today’s segment of Bullet Points however is going to outline some key recruitments that the Buckeyes are starting to fall behind in as well as one recruitment in which the Buckeyes are heading the right direction. 

The first major target everyone has been looking at on the defensive side of the ball in the class of 2023 is AJ Harris. I’ve felt even since the start of his recruitment that this was going to be a tough pull for the Buckeyes. The only thing that kept me intrigued was Harris’s relationship with former Buckeye defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kerry Coombs. 

Even with Coombs, I never felt as if the Buckeyes would win out in this recruitment as it just felt like Harris was always destined for the SEC. However, although I believe his recruitment was going to end up in the SEC, I did not predict that Florida would be the team leading in the wind down of his recruitment, but here we are. The Gators lead in this recruitment is being spearheaded by secondary coach and ace recruiter Corey Raymond. I suspect the Gators will likely hold the lead up until the end of the summer when Harris is likely to commit but believe Georgia or Alabama are also threats here.

Furthermore, long-time Ohio State lean AJ Hoffler is starting to trend towards Clemson. In fact, I would say as of right now Clemson is starting to close the gap in this recruitment and may have pulled themselves into a “1B” position. I have thought for a long time in this one that the Buckeyes would be able to land Hoffler if they could help him get to a decision sooner. However, Ryan Day’s recruiting tactics of allowing players to feel out the whole visit process is starting to backfire with Hoffler. The time Clemson has spent building the relationship, and time that staff has had to negatively recruit, is starting to become apparent. 

The common theme right now surrounding Ohio State’s defensive recruiting is that other staffs are suggesting this is Larry Johnson’s final year. Obviously, this rumor has been used in the past but never has it felt closer with Johnson turning 70 this year. The Buckeyes have not lost their lead by any means and Hoffler is someone who is not expected to commit any time soon. Although, the Buckeyes are now in a position where due to the loaded defensive line classes in the past three cycles, Clemson has the early playing time pitch for the coveted edge rusher out of Georgia. 

Finally, let’s end with some good news. This one should get all Buckeye fans excited but I can finally say with confidence that the Buckeyes are in the passenger seat for Brandon Inniss. The five-star WR out of American Heritage, Florida has always been one of the toughest recruits to read off of in the 2023 class. I had the chance to catch up to a source close to that recruitment and feel confident in saying the Buckeyes are seriously threatening USC right now. 

https://twitter.com/brandon5star2/status/1510648498814914560

I’ve heard there may be some concerns about his development at USC as well as the fact he’s been constantly in contact with Brian Hartline since he visited Columbus weeks ago. The Buckeyes are threatening and we will keep an eye on this one but I would not be surprised at the end of this recruitment if Inniss were to put on the Buckeye hat.