One of the top-rising safeties in the 2026 class was thrilled to receive an offer from Ohio State.
Safeties coach Perry Eliano offered Maryland prospect Jireh Edwards on Jan. 24, and the 6-foot-1, 194-pound safety felt blessed to receive it. After his freshman year, Edwards already holds 12 Division I offers, including Georgia, Arkansas, Boston College, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and West Virginia.
“I was extremely excited to get offered from The Ohio State, I was so grateful but all glory goes to god,” Edwards told Eleven Warriors. “All I can say is Ohio state is real (high) on my recruiting list just because of the history they have and how good they are.”
Extremely blessed to receive an Offer from The Ohio State Buckeyes !@Coach_Eliano @ryandaytime @RivalsFriedman @On3Recruits @ChadSimmons_ #Gobucks @DreKates7 pic.twitter.com/tH2lZg0i2q
— Jireh Edwards (@jaygolive1k) January 24, 2023
Edwards is being recruited as a safety by OSU, with Eliano telling him he envisions him being able to move all around the field in the secondary.
“I was grateful to say coach Eliano was the one to offer me just because of all the great DBs he produced,” Edwards said. “He was basically saying how I can fit in the Ohio State defense and make some big plays. I feel like my relationship with coach Eliano is real good, he wants to know how my life is off the field and I would love to get coached by him.”
Edwards said he plans on taking a visit to OSU this spring in March.
“I’m so excited about the visit,” he said. “The one thing that will sell me to schools is how much love they will show me, and will I be able to play as a true freshman? I also want to be coached by the right coach for me.”
Last year for Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), Edwards primarily played strong safety and helped lead the team to a 6-3 record.
“I will say my best ability is taking control of the whole defense and just knowing where I’m supposed to at, just flying around the field and making plays,” Edwards said.
Max LeBlanc includes Buckeyes in top 8
An Ohio State tight end target has narrowed down his recruitment.
Tennessee prospect Max LeBlanc released a top eight Friday consisting of Ohio State, Penn State, Duke, Stanford, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and Miami.
Thankful to be in this position and to all the coaches that recruited me in the past months.
— Max LeBlanc (@MaxenceLeblanc5) February 15, 2023
TOP 8 @ErikKimrey @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ pic.twitter.com/wYGUWJoRjy
LeBlanc told 247Sports he hopes to visit Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford and Tennessee soon.
“Love coach (Keenan) Bailey and how they use the tight end. Also I’ve been a big fan of Ohio State since I started playing football,” LeBlanc told 247Sports.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound LeBlanc does not hold a 247Sports composite ranking but does hold 19 Division I offers. Some schools that have offered include Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, UCF, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
Last season for Baylor High School (Chattanooga, Tennessee), LeBlanc caught 39 passes for 695 yards and three touchdowns. He was often utilized as a wide receiver, lining up primarily in the slot and on the outside. On running plays, LeBlanc was also deployed in a traditional tight end position on the line of scrimmage and used as a run blocker.
Nathan Roy puts OSU in top 7
LeBlanc isn’t the only OSU target to include the Buckeyes in a trimmed-down schools list. Four-star Wisconsin offensive tackle Nathan Roy released a top seven Thursday consisting of Ohio State, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA and USC.
top 7 @AllenTrieu @McNamaraRivals @BadgerFootball @OhioStateFB @Vol_Football @MSU_Football @GopherFootball @UCLAFootball @uscfb pic.twitter.com/ER2sKTRcG1
— Nathan Roy (@thenathanroy) February 16, 2023
Roy told 247Sports he plans on visiting OSU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Tennessee and Michigan State this spring. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound lineman is considered the 185th-best prospect nationally and the 12th-rated offensive tackle in 2024 per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Bryce West could take official visit to OSU June 16-18
June 16-18 is shaping up to be one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the summer for Ohio State, with top prospects Charles Lester, KingJoseph Edwards, KJ Bolden and Miles Lockhart all expected to take OSU official visits that weekend. Five-star cornerback Bryce West, arguably the top in-state target for Ohio State this cycle, may join them.
In an interview with Eleven Warriors, Lockhart said he believes West will take an official visit to OSU with him that same weekend and said the pair have talked about potentially playing together.
