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Ohio State’s two most important targets headline weekend of official visits: Buckeyes Recruiting
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State heads into its final weekend of June official visits needing to put together one last great performance as we close out the month.
Once again, the defense takes center stage with only one visit being from an offensive player. The same will be the case for the commits with four-star linebacker Payton Pierce coming to town for his first post-visit trip to Columbus.
The Texas native will lead the way, serving as a valuable helper to Jim Knowles and James Laurinaitis as OSU tries to land one more linebacker to go alongside Pierce and four-star Garrett Stover.
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But this is the weekend that Tim Walton has spent the month preparing for. There is a chance that the Buckeyes’ entire cornerback class will be in Columbus this weekend with Walton just needing too put the finishing touches on each recruitment.
Here’s the list of official visitors for this weekend:
| Player, Position | School | Rank (Pos.) | Rating | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Scott, DL | St. Ignatius (IL) | No. 14 (No. 3) | 0.9940 | 5-Star |
| Bryce West, CB | Glenville (OH) | No. 49 (No. 4) | 0.9747 | 4-Star |
| Aaron Scott, CB | Springfield (OH) | No. 54 (No. 5) | 0.9725 | 4-Star |
| Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB | St. John Bosco (CA) | No. 100 (No. 7) | 0.9511 | 4-Star |
| Payton Pierce, LB | Lovejoy (TX) | No. 170 (No. 16) | 0.9318 | 4-Star |
| Damarion Witten, TE | Glenville (OH) | No. 345 (No. 19) | 0.8988 | 4-Star |
| Miles Lockhart, CB | Basha (AZ) | No. 356 (No. 31) | 0.8978 | 4-Star |
• Justin Scott once delayed a winter decision date that would allow the Buckeyes to continue to work toward eventually landing him. He’s the only five-star expected to be in town but it will be interesting to see if the trip still ends up actually happening. Both sides seem to have pivoted toward different options over the past six months.
• Bryce West might be the most important target left on the board for Ohio State. He’s a top 50 recruit at a position of need who’s from Ohio and attending a school the program would love to have a pipeline with again. This has become a recruiting version of The Game and this weekend may end up being the last chance for the Buckeyes to make their case.
• Outside of the school detail, everything said about West can probably apply to Aaron Scott, too. Oregon has made a push as well and Michigan’s probably a bigger threat here than with West.
• Kyngstonn Vilamu-Asa is probably Ohio State’s best chance at making 2024 a three-linebacker class. He has spent a ton of time in Columbus over the past two years for somebody who lives in California.
• Ohio State has been trying to have a two-tight end class since Ryan Day took over the program but has never succeeded despite coming close a few times. Damarion Witten offers a chance for it to happen during Keenan Bailey’s first year on the job with Max LeBlanc already in the fold. It won’t force it if Witten goes elsewhere though, as Kentucky has made a strong push even with the four-star camping this summer.
• In a cycle where the Buckeyes could go heavy on in-state defensive backs Miles Lockhart offers the best chance for there to be a national commit at that spot. He’s had OSU momentum since February and it’s felt like this official visit was just the final nail in the coffin for a player set to make his announcement on July 6.
To see Ohio State’s full 2024 recruiting class, click here.
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