With a football organization that produces some of the Midwest's top talent, a 2016 running back, and a big tackle prospect all expected to visit Columbus, the Buckeyes have an important recruiting week ahead of them. Let's get right into the latest on prospects scheduled to visit Ohio State over the next week.
Upcoming Visitors
As mentioned last week, Core 6 Athletes will head to Columbus on Saturday to tour campus and see the coaching staff. 2015 tight end Miles Boykin, who holds an OSU offer, is expected to be the biggest name in attendance.
Boykin had a dominant day at Rivals' Chicago camp, leading him to win the camp's wide receiver MVP. The Buckeyes have a chance to gain ground on Notre Dame and Michigan State for the 6-foot-4, 212-pound prospect.
Another visitor to watch is 2016 running back George Hill. After picking up an offer from lifelong favorite Ohio State, Hill is scheduled to make a visit with his family. The Ohio native is on commitment watch; could some good recruiting news finally be coming for the Buckeyes?
Noah Listermann to visit?
Cincinnati native Noah Listermann has been a hot name on the recruiting circuit over the past two months. The three-star tackle prospect has picked up offers from Michigan State, Louisville, Georgia Tech and UConn in that time. They join Illinois, Indiana, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Rutgers and Toledo as schools pushing hard for one of Ohio's top offensive lineman.
Listermann, who is fairly new to football, is seen by the staff as a "project," a lineman with great athleticism and a good frame. Ed Warinner has done wonders for the offensive line since arriving in Columbus, so he could be the latest lineman Warinner coaches up.
Michigan State's recent offer and buzz of a possible commitment may have accelerated Ohio State's timeline for the 6-foot-8, 280-pounder. Kerry Coombs has been in routine contact and previously wanted to see him camp: in recent days, the Buckeyes requested he come back to Columbus tomorrow.
"If I can make it up there, I will," Listermann said of the potential Tuesday visit.
While Listermann thinks an offer is possible, he can't be certain. The Buckeyes have eyes on some of the nation's best offensive lineman, but he could have too much potential to let escape from Ohio.
Would Ohio State immediately jump ahead of Michigan State on Listermann's list with an offer? "No," he told Eleven Warriors. "But they'd be up there."
This recruitment is one to keep a close eye over the next few days and months. In the meantime, check out John Brandon's article on Listermann from March.
2017 Athlete Jared Payton to Visit
It is a little too early to obsess over the 2017 class. Even so, a visit to Ohio State is coming this weekend for freshman prospect Jared Payton.
Payton, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound prospect, plays safety in Gahanna Lincoln's 4-2-5 defense. He could be better suited for outside linebacker since he has room to grow. Not much film is out there on Payton, but colleges have already taken notice.
NCAA rules limit contact between underclassmen and coaches, so his contact with college coaches is sparse. "No offers," he told Eleven Warriors. "Miami (Ohio) and Florida are showing the most interest."
One of Ohio's top sophomores, Jonathon Cooper, attends the same school as Payton. Both prospects drew a visit from Luke Fickell last week, though Cooper is not expected to make a visit this weekend.
Payton plans to camp at Florida and hopes to camp at Ohio State as well. Despite crystal ball predictions for Florida, Payton says not so fast.
"Yeah, I liked them since I was eight for some reason," Payton said of Florida. "But my whole family are Buckeye fans."
While the crystal ball is useful sometimes, this one is too early to hold any weight. Jared Payton repeatedly mentioned he loves Ohio State and could see himself playing for the Scarlet and Gray.
