No matter how Ohio State performs during the regular season one thing is for certain. Their recruiting class for the upcoming season will be one of the best in the nation. Now after putting together a top-five class going into 2023 they are eyeing a class in 2024 that currently ranks as the second best in the nation going into these seniors final high school season. That class is comprised of four five-star recruits and 12 four-star recruits. Now there's still a long way to go until national signing day and decommitments are common, even among the top programs in the country, but the future is looking very promising for the scarlet and gray. Taking a look at the current group that Ohio State has their sights on shows that Ryan Day and company are looking to fill some big holes and continue a few trends that have been created over the last few years.
The biggest recruit the Buckeyes have is Jeremiah Smith, a wide receiver from Florida who currently ranks as the second best overall player in the nation and top wide receiver of the class. He is also the fourth highest rated recruit the Buckeyes have ever landed. Smith committed to the Buckeyes in December of 2022 and has only continued to push the narrative that he will be a Buckeye come Fall of 2024. He isn't the only five-star receiver the Buckeyes are looking to bring in either as they have a commitment from Mylan Graham who is the sixth best receiver in the nation as well.
The potential future quarterback of the class is Air Nolan, a top-five quarterback and four-star prospect. While he wasn't the Buckeyes top quarterback recruit for the class of 2024 he become an emergency recruit after Dylan Raiola flipped his recruitment to Georgia this offseason. He's a left handed quarterback who has been flying up recruiting charts over the last year and just recently confirmed his status as a future Buckeye during an interview with Fox Sports' RJ Young.
Ohio State is also in the lead for five-star edge rusher Dylan Stewart who is the number two player at his position at the moment. But while the Buckeyes don't yet have a commitment from Stewart the Buckeyes are currently favored to land the highly coveted prospect by every major recruiting network. Joining Stewart on the defensive line in the class of '24 is Justin Scott, a five-star defensive lineman rated as the fourth best rated player at his position out of Illinois who was the Buckeyes latest commitment back in the early days of July.
Four-star tight ends Damarion Witten and Max LeBlanc are hard commits to join the Buckeyes tight end room. They both rank top-20 in their position. Witten was one of the biggest commitments of the year for Ohio State as he announced his decision alongside four-star cornerback Bryce West who both come out of Glenville High School in Cleveland. A school coached by NFHS Hall of Famer and father of Buckeye great Ted Ginn Jr., Ted Ginn Sr. and for years has been one of the most important recruiting pipelines for Ohio State. The dual recruitment of their top players reopened a pipeline for the Buckeyes that many thought the team had lost in recent years.
There is also a trio of running backs that are currently hard commits for the Buckeyes class of '24. James Peoples is the higher ranked of the three as a four-star running back out of San Antonio, Texas and is rated as the number three back in the class. He is joined by three-star back Jordan Lyle out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Sam Williams-Dixon of Pickerington North High School in Columbus, Ohio.
Interior offensive lineman and four-star prospect Ian Moore is the number seven ranked prospect in the class and committed to the Bucks in October of 2022 and has not waivered on his future of being a Buckeyes. Moore is the only four star offensive lineman committed to Ohio State, but is joined by three three-star recruits in twin brothers Deontae and Devontae Armstrong out of Lakewood High School in Ohio and Marc Naeve out of Central Catholic High School in Toledo.
A pair of four-star linebackers will look to make a quick impact when they hit the campus next season. Garrett Stover is the No. 12 ranked linebacker in the class and has been committed to the Buckeyes since November of 2022. He is joined by the No. 20 ranked linebacker in Payton Pierce who committed in April of this year.
The final two hard commits for the Buckeyes are defensive backs. One is the No. 22 ranked cornerback in the nation in Miles Lockhart who announced his commitment decision early in the month of July. Last but not least is the No. 37 ranked safety in Jaylen McClain out of West Orange, New Jersey.
With still a year left until these young recruits gear up for the first season of their college football careers a lot can change and just because they are committed now doesn't mean they will be a year from now or even three months from now. Recruiting is a long and ever-changing landscape, but the Buckeyes have landed a top-five class in four-straight classes. Ryan Day and company have now established Ohio State as a yearly championship contender and the athletic department have worked hard to put together a strong NIL collective that has allowed the Buckeyes to remain at the top of potential-recruits lists of prefered schools.
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