Ohio State's recruiting visitor list for Nov. 26 could be lengthy when all is said and done.
Another high-profile prospect has confirmed he plans to attend Ohio State's contest against its archrival, as four-star 2024 linebacker Kristopher Jones told Eleven Warriors he plans on making his second visit to Columbus at the end of November.
"I’ll be looking at how the linebackers move around on the field," Jones told Eleven Warriors about his upcoming visit. "I've been watching on TV, and coach Jim Knowles has the linebackers looking invincible. I'll finally get to see them in person."
Jones impressed Knowles and Ohio State when he attended a recruiting camp on June 15 and earned an offer after making several nice plays in one-on-one drills despite dealing with a sore knee heading into the camp. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Virginia linebacker said he appreciated the opportunity to be instructed by OSU’s defensive coordinator.
Good coverage from Kristopher Jones (@bigkris4422) in one-on-ones. pic.twitter.com/GW2eCCwRV2
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 15, 2022
“He’s intense,” Jones said in the summer. “But he’s trying to teach you things.”
Jones is considered a top-100 prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings, as he’s the 90th-ranked prospect nationally and the seventh-best linebacker in the 2024 cycle. He’s picked up 24 Division I offers in his recruitment thus far, including from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.
He said he remains in consistent contact with the Buckeyes.
“I talk to coach (Matt Guerrieri) and coach (Koy) McFarland the most,” Jones said. “We talk every once in a while.”
Hurley commits to LSU
In news that came a bit out of nowhere on Friday morning, one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2025 is no longer on the board. Five-star quarterback Colin Hurley announced his commitment to LSU on Friday and reclassification to the 2024 class.
COMMITTED | LSU@LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/szsR7Dx2B2
— ColinHurley (@ColinHurley) November 4, 2022
Hurley was scheduled to visit Ohio State for the Michigan game later this month, but now it’s probably a safe assumption he’ll no longer be making the trip. If Hurley’s goal were always to reclassify to the 2024 class, the Buckeyes wouldn’t have been a great fit, considering they already have their quarterback for that cycle in five-star Arizona signal caller Dylan Raiola.
Hurley picked up his OSU offer in June after an impressive camp, and he’s one of two quarterbacks in the 2025 class to hold an offer from the Buckeyes. The other, of course, is Ohio prospect Ryan Montgomery, the younger brother of OSU 2023 offensive lineman commitment Luke Montgomery.
Ohio State offered the younger Montgomery as a freshman, a rarity for the Buckeyes to extend offers to freshman quarterbacks. It wouldn’t be surprising for OSU to primarily push for Montgomery for their 2025 quarterback with the caveat that Montgomery has since picked up lots of interest from other high-profile programs nationally and that other signal callers could pop up on the Buckeyes' radar. He plans on taking his second gameday visit of the season to OSU on Nov. 26.
Ricks leaves OSU off top three
In news that will shock no one, five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks has announced a top three, and none of the finalists are Ohio State. Ricks, who reclassified to 2023 from the 2024 class, will choose between Alabama, LSU and Florida on Dec. 23, his scheduled commitment date.
BREAKING: Five-Star CB Desmond Ricks is down to 3 Schools!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 3, 2022
The No. 2 CB in the 23 class will make his college decision on December 23rd.
Ricks recently reclassified from the 2024 class, where he was ranked as the No. 2 player nationally (No. 1 CB)https://t.co/1Q1OQeEEMu pic.twitter.com/Oci2iSwm7q
Despite not being in the mix for Ricks, the Buckeyes have a strong cornerback class in the 2023 class and have high-profile targets on their radar for 2024. In addition to in-state cornerbacks Bryce West and Aaron Scott, Ohio State's top preferred cornerbacks in the 2024 cycle seem to be five-stars Ellis Robinson IV and Charles Lester III.
