On the weekend of March 18th, Ohio State hosted a ton of top talent from over the country. One of those names being four-star LB Elijah Barnes, who has become a top target for the Buckeyes.
Barnes is a name to watch for Ohio State heading into the summer, and they have some competition.
I will be at @OhioStateFB this weekend @CoachJimKnowles @JLaurinaitis55 @ryandaytime @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @On3Recruits pic.twitter.com/dCIb7EN6fl
— Elijah Bo barnes (@ElijahBobarnes1) March 18, 2024
Buckeyes & Barnes
First off, Barnes raved about the atmosphere, “The atmosphere was great if you go to Ohio State. You will be surrounded by great people and, a great coaching staff.” While in Columbus, Barnes compared a lot to his hometown Dallas. “The city is beautiful and it kinda almost looked like Dallas to me. You know where I’m from and, it’s all about football in Columbus.”
He took a lot of lessons from Ohio State’s practice, “I just kind of took some of the tips Coach gave me when we were watching film and if you’re not ready to play, then Ohio State is not the place for you. They are a hard-working team willing to put in the work and, they are going to do whatever it takes to win a national championship.”
Plus, Barnes has a great relationship with newly appointed LB coach James Laurinaitis, “Me and Coach Laurinaitis relationship is great, me and him talk at least once a week just checking up on me and things like that and, his coaching is great. He cares for his players and he puts his players in the best position to make plays and that’s what was interesting to me but, he’s just a great guy in general.”
Ohio State is heavily in the mix for Barnes. “The Buckeyes are still in my recruitment, with me seeing what Columbus looks like. It opened my eyes more and, they are recruiting me hard.”
Blessed to receive a offer from @OhioStateFB @JLaurinaitis55 @CoachJimKnowles @JColemanFB @BHoward_11 @MohrRecruiting @SKYLINEfb pic.twitter.com/bEpB4L6Qpx
— Elijah Bo barnes (@ElijahBobarnes1) May 10, 2023
Recruitment Timeline
Regarding the Buckeyes, his recruitment is very open as he is still taking visits. But a commitment will be in the future, “Seeing everything and, seeing what I like and I plan on committing before my senior season.” Schools in the mix include Texas, Nebraska, SMU and Alabama was assumed to be in the mix until he cancelled his visit. He has an official visit scheduled to Texas set for June 21st-23rd and one set to Nebraska for April 26th-28th. SMU will also get an official visit for May 10th-12th.
Kaleb Longhurst, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is a recruiting analyst that covers Ohio State. A trusted source for Buckeyes recruiting, Kaleb has experience at Mike Farrell Sports, but has blossomed at TSB. Kaleb is an up and coming writer who is just getting started.