Ohio State recruiting: Ranking the Buckeyes' top 10 remaining 2022 targets (2024)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — This month feels like the calm before the storm, a time for players and coaches to catch their breath before visits and camps open back up in June and the recruiting world gets even crazier.Assuming a monster month of June visits yields a few commitments, Ohio State’s 2022 class could come nearly into full view by mid-summer.

So it’s time to reassess the Buckeyes’ top targets in the Class of 2022.

Since the last time we did this, OSU lost a commitment from four-star linebacker Dasan McCullough, who flipped to Indiana, while adding commitments from four-star receiver Kyion Grayes, three-star safety Kye Stokes and three-star cornerback Ryan Turner.

Here’s a look at where the class, currently ranked No. 2 in the 247Sports composite rankings, stands:

And here are 10 of Ohio State’s top remaining targets:

1. Zach Rice, OT

Particulars: Five-star prospect from Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va.
Where he ranked last time: No. 2

The buzz: Here we are entering crunch time of the recruiting cycle (this summer is going to be wild) and Ohio State is in the thick of another battle for that elusive five-star, national offensive tackle prospect. There are only four composite five-star offensive tackles in the 247Sports database this year. Rice is the top player at the position and appears to be the only one the Buckeyes are pursuing. He will officially visit Ohio State the weekend of June 4, which is shaping up to be the team’s biggest weekend of the year. He’ll also visit North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama and Notre Dame.

It’s not that five-star linemen have avoided OSU entirely. Donovan Jackson, a Texas guard with strong Ohio connections, signed last year. Tackle Paris Johnson Jr. stayed home in 2020. Guard Harry Miller signed in 2019. But the program has not landed a five-star tackle from outside its geographic footprint since Nicholas Petit-Frere in 2018.And there have been some marquee misses along the way. The Buckeyes land similar prospects at nearly every other position with some regularity. It’s time it happens at tackle, and landing Rice would be a heck of a way to get that going.

2. Xavier Nwankpa, S

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Southeast Polk High in Altoona, Iowa
Where he ranked last time: No. 5

The buzz: Even with Stokes’ recent commitment, Nwankpa remains one of the top prospects on Ohio State’s board. In fact, he’s felt like the top safety target since the time the Buckeyes offered in September. The No. 5 safety in the country is a long, explosive athlete who can lay the wood as a big hitter while also looking like a natural center fielder who could slide into the free safety position in Columbus.

The Buckeyes need more than one safety-type in this class, which is why Zion Branch, Kamari Ramsey and Jake Pope remain key targets even with Stokes in the boat and Nwankpa high on the board. With McCullough (a potential linebacker/safety hybrid) out of the class, there’s room to take three safeties if OSU could pull it off, especially with the positional versatility some of these players have. Bare minimum it seems the Buckeyes need two. Nwankpa will visit the weekend of June 4, and he recently announced a final seven of Clemson, Iowa, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Arizona State.

3. Caden Curry, DT

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Center Grove High in Greenwood, Ind.
Where he ranked last time: No. 1

The buzz: Another player who’s long been at the top of the board, Curry hasn’t yet said when or where he plans to take his visits, but Ohio State remains in the mix for the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country. The position remains one of the bigger needs in this class, which is why you’ve seen the Buckeyes send out of a bunch of offers to tackles over the last few weeks. But Curry has had an offer for almost a year, and his versatility as someone who could potentially play on the edge is likely enticing to defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

In April, Curry trimmed his list to 12 schools: Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Arizona State, Indiana, Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, Florida State, Michigan, USC and Tennessee. The ideal class would include a couple of defensive tackles, which makes players such as Christen Miller, Dominick James, Curtis Neal and Chris McClellan worth monitoring in addition to Curry.

4. Aamil Wagner, OT

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Wayne High in Dayton, Ohio
Where he ranked last time: Unranked

The buzz: He’s not the top-of-the-line tackle prospect that Rice is, though Wagner certainly has the athleticism to develop into that kind of player down the road. After evaluating his junior film and seeing Wagner’s body continue to develop — though he still needs to add considerable weight — Ohio State felt good enough to offer, in March, before getting a chance to see him in person this summer. The fact that Kiyaunta Goodwin, now committed to Kentucky, was trending away from the Buckeyes might have had something to do with the timing, but Wagner is the No. 10 tackle in this class with a real chance to improve that standing with a strong summer and senior year. He’s a borderline top-100 player and a legitimate prospect with a ton of upside.

And the Buckeyes need to land a couple of tackles in this class, especially since Tegra Tshabola could be a candidate to play guard in college. This might be a bit too high for Wagner because OSU is in a good spot with him — and in-state prospects like him are often considered slam dunks. But tackle is enough of a need — and none of the national tackle targets are enough of a sure thing — for Wagner to be much lower than this. Addison Nichols, who has some tackle/guard potential, and Tyler Booker are other tackle prospects to monitor.

5. Enai White, DE

The particulars: Four-star prospect from Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia
Where he ranked last time: No. 6

The buzz: White just announced a top eight of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M. You’ll notice Ohio State and Oregon as geographic outliers, and Imhotep has sent a few players to the SEC recently. White was once a five-star prospect and has seen his ranking dip a bit, but he’s still one of the top pass rushers in the country. And thanks to Johnson’s reputation for developing such players, five of the last six OSU recruiting classes have included at least one premier end who ranked among the top 40 players in the country. You can bet the Buckeyes will want to add at least one this cycle.

White is scheduled to visit Columbus the weekend of June 25. OSU is also in the hunt for five-star prospect Omari Abor, who’s visiting in early June, though pulling him out of Texas could prove difficult. Kenyatta Jackson, the No. 5 weakside defensive end in the class, is ranked a little lower than Abor and White but is still a top-100 player whom the Buckeyes offered a year ago. Jackson is also set to visit in June, and it might help Ohio State that it just landed a commitment from Turner, Jackson’s high school teammate at Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Florida.

6. Dallan Hayden, RB

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Christian Brothers High in Memphis, Tenn.
Where he ranked last time: No. 7

The buzz: It’s felt particularly noteworthy over the last year when prospects paid their own way to make visits to colleges — even when they couldn’t have any contact with staff — just get a vibe for the place. Hayden did that in the spring. He’s certainly not the only player to do it. He’s not even the only running back to do it. But Hayden doing so recently still feels like something worth considering as we try to separate the running back targets for position coach Tony Alford. Hayden will officially visit Ohio State the weekend of June 18. He announced a top four of Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee in January. He has official visits planned to Notre Dame and Illinois, in addition to his visit with the Buckeyes. It’s worth noting that Hayden’s father, Aaron, was a running back at Tennessee from 1991 through 1994.

With fellow running back target Nicholas Singleton canceling his Ohio State visit, it feels as though Hayden is atop the board at the position right now. Gavin Sawchuck and Omari Hampton are other running backs with official visits set who are certainly worth keeping an eye on. It’s not likely that Alford pulls off taking two running backs in this class after signing TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor last year.

7. Earnest Greene, OG

Particulars: Four-star prospect from St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif.
Where he ranked last time: Unranked

The buzz: Ohio State offered more than a year ago. The last interior lineman it took from Bosco turned out to be pretty good. And while Greene doesn’t have the same pedigree as Wyatt Davis, he is a similar kind of tough, powerful lineman. He could provide some versatility for whichever program he picks, though a position on the interior seems most likely. With only Tegra Tshabola in the class right now, it’s easy to see the Buckeyes adding three or four more offensive linemen after taking only three last year. Tackle is more of a priority than guard, but there’s room for another interior player.

8. Toriano Pride, CB

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Lutheran North High in St. Louis
Where he ranked last time: Unranked

The buzz: OSU bolstered what was already a solid corner haul on Wednesday with the addition of Turner to a class that also includes Jaheim Singletary and Jyaire Brown. And yet there’s still room for more. With three seniors on the roster, including converted receiver Demario McCall, and factoring in the likelihood that defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs would like to get back to playing three or four corners regularly, it’s easy to see why the Buckeyes would want four corners in this class.

Simply put, this position needs a lot of attention and needs to be restocked a bit. That started last year with the additions of Jakalin Johnson, Jordan Hanco*ck and Denzel Burke. And it’s continuing with this group, which would be rounded out nicely with the addition of Pride. He’s been a priority target since receiving an offer last August, and that doesn’t change even with three other corners in the class. Pride is visiting Ohio State and Clemson back to back in June, with the two programs locked in another battle for a top-250 cornerback.

9. Kojo Antwi/C.J. Williams, WR

Particulars: Antwi is a four-star prospect from Lambert High in Suwanee, Ga. Williams is a four-star prospect from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif.
Where they ranked last time: Unranked

The buzz: It looks like the goal is to have a three-man receiver group in this class, with space for one more player to join Caleb Burton and Kyion Grayes. Williams will visit Ohio State on June 11, with other visits to Notre Dame and Texas set this summer. He told 247Sports that he wants to commit in September. Antwi will visit OSU on June 18 and has a decision date set for July 5. It looks as though USC will get the final visit from Antwi before his decision. Of the two, OSU seems more likely to land Antwi.

10. David Bailey, OLB

Particulars: Four-star prospect from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif.
Where he ranked last time: Unranked.

The buzz: This one is a little weird because Bailey doesn’t even have an Ohio State offer yet. It’s possible he never gets one — though he does look like someone the program could turn to with McCullough out of the class and outside linebacker still being a need. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to get some inroads at Mater Dei, one of the top talent-producing high schools in the country every year. Maybe this is a bit of a pipe dream and Bailey will just stay out West. But there aren’t a lot of clear alternatives to McCullough because OSU until recently didn’t have to monitor alternatives to McCullough. The class could also use an inside linebacker like Shawn Murphy or Justin Medlock, but adding either wouldn’t do much to address the loss of McCullough. Bailey would more fit that mold, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few other outside linebacker names emerge over the next few weeks and months.

(Photo of Ryan Day: Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)