Ohio
Ohio State recruiting primer: Positions of need, prospects to watch in Class of 2025
Ohio State is off to a blazing start in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Buckeyes’ class ranks second nationally in the 247Sports Composite and leads the country with a 94.53 average player rating.
The class is headlined by three five-star prospects, including in-state quarterback Tavien St. Clair and the top two corners in the class, Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord.
It’s clear Ohio State isn’t going to land every blue-chip prospect it wants, but the Buckeyes have a chance to build an elite secondary, fix some glaring weaknesses and address depth concerns in the trenches.
All of that starts Friday when on-campus visits commence.
Here’s a preview of what’s to come.
Ohio State’s Class of 2025 commitments
| Player | Pos | National Ranking | Pos Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Devin Sanchez |
CB |
5 |
1 |
|
Na’eem Offord |
CB |
6 |
2 |
|
Tavien St. Clair |
QB |
14 |
3 |
|
Tarvos Alford |
LB |
47 |
5 |
|
Carter Lowe |
OT |
54 |
7 |
|
Zahir Mathis |
LB |
60 |
5 |
|
London Merritt |
DL |
116 |
13 |
|
Nate Roberts |
TE |
132 |
6 |
|
DeShawn Stewart |
S |
294 |
26 |
|
De’zie Jones |
WR |
313 |
42 |
|
Cody Haddad |
S |
373 |
18 |
|
Eli Lee |
LB |
377 |
41 |
How should Ohio State fans feel about the class?
Very good.
Notre Dame currently has the No. 1 ranking, but the Fighting Irish’s class consists of 22 players compared to Ohio State’s 12.
As June inches closer, the Buckeyes’ focus will be to add to the class, but they also need to hold onto the commits. Corner Blake Woodby decommitted a few weeks ago. That wasn’t a major loss, but losing either Sanchez or Offord would be an issue. It sounds unlikely that either will flip, but you can never be certain in recruiting.
It helps that a few of Ohio State’s biggest recruits are in-state. St. Clair is about as locked in as a recruit can be, so it would be a significant surprise if the program had to deal with another quarterback flip this cycle. The same goes for Carter Lowe, who plays for Whitmer High in Toledo.
Ohio State will have to stay on Tarvos Alford, though. The Florida native is going to be pursued by Miami and Florida State up until signing day.
What are the positions of need in this class?
This is an important class for Ohio State because it has a few positions it absolutely must hit on. The offensive line and defensive line are at the top of that list.
The Buckeyes have missed on O-linemen in recent years but are off to a good start with Lowe, who is ranked in the top 60 nationally. Ohio State has made five-star tackle David Sanders Jr., the No. 2 player in the country, a priority. The North Carolina native has a visit to Ohio State planned for June 21 and is also being pursued by Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, among others. Another tackle to watch is Josh Petty, a top-50 prospect from Georgia who will visit Ohio State on June 14.
The defensive line is crucial, especially after Ohio State signed only two at the position in the 2024 cycle. The Buckeyes are off to a good start but are looking to add more.
Two other spots to watch are running back and safety. Both positions have new coaches, with Carlos Locklyn leading the running back recruiting and Matt Guerrieri at safety. Both have elite prospects they need to land.
Ohio is home to two of the best running backs in the country, Bo Jackson and Jordan Davison. They are ranked fifth and sixth at the position, respectively, and are being recruited by Ohio State heavily. The Buckeyes likely need at least two running backs in this class. Hitting on both Jackson and Davison would be the dream but will be difficult. Both are planning visits to Ohio State this summer, so the Buckeyes will get their chance to keep the talent in state.
As for safety, Ohio State is once again looking at two of the best players in the country — Trey McNutt, from Shaker Heights, and Maryland native Faheem Delane.
Prospects to watch
We touched on a few key targets above, but here are a few more players on the Buckeyes’ board.
Ohio State is no stranger to locking down elite wide receiver talent, and it’s going after the best once again. Brian Hartline is pushing for five-star Dakorien Moore, the top receiver in the class and a former LSU commitment. Texas will be very hard to beat for Moore, who plays at power Duncanville (Texas) High. Vernell Brown III, a top-40 prospect, and five-star Jaime Ffrench are high on Ohio State’s list, as well. Brown will reportedly visit Ohio State this weekend. Ffrench doesn’t have a visit to Columbus scheduled but could get one on the books for the fall.
Edge rusher Justin Hill, a four-star prospect from Cincinnati, will visit Ohio State this summer and is expected to announce his decision July 3.
One more big name is five-star corner Dorian Brew, who has strong Ohio State ties. His mother, Donica Merriman, is a former Ohio State sprinter and is in the program’s hall of fame. If Ohio State locks down Brew, it will have three of the top five corners in the class on board.
(Photo of Tavien St. Clair: Steve Helwagen / The Advocate / USA Today Network)
Ohio
No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.
Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.
Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.
Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.
Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next
Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.
Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.
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Ohio
Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.
The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:
- Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
- Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
- Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
- Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.
The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.
In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
Ohio
Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players
The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.
Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.
An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot
Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.
“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale
Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.
Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.
The defense takes over
All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.
“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.
Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.
“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale
The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.
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