There was no shortage of high-profile recruits on Ohio State’s campus last weekend.
And the Buckeyes have already reaped the benefits. OSU landed the commitment of arguably the most high-priority 2024 offensive target on campus, four-star Texas running back James Peoples, on Sunday.
Six days from now, it’ll find out if it did enough to secure the commitment of another top-100 offensive prospect.
In what seemed inevitable for months, Ohio State extended an offer to four-star Georgia quarterback Air Noland after he visited Columbus Friday through Sunday. The offer was more or less a formality, as Ryan Day prefers to offer all quarterbacks in person, but Noland and OSU’s coaching staff have been in daily communication for months and the Buckeyes had already visited Noland in Georgia twice.
# ..
— Pss A N. (@AirNoland_) April 2, 2023
ss s s @ryandaytime @brianhartline @CoreyDennis_ #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ctjOvSYHBv
Noland was confident enough that he’d be receiving an OSU offer that he put the Buckeyes in his top seven ahead of his visit and set a commitment date for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. His other finalists consist of Miami, Texas A&M, Clemson, Oregon, Alabama and Arkansas. Of those, Texas A&M, Miami and perhaps Clemson are likely the top challengers to the Buckeyes for Noland’s commitment.
While on his OSU visit, Noland spoke with Day, Corey Dennis and Brian Hartline, and spent time speaking with Peoples while the pair watched OSU’s Saturday scrimmage together. He also spent some time speaking with his former high school teammate, OSU freshman tight end Jelani Thurman. Thurman has been a big instrument in recruiting Noland to play at OSU.
#TheOhioState pic.twitter.com/TbsOX0Pa7s
— Pss A N. (@AirNoland_) April 1, 2023
“He’s sold me on Ohio State a lot,” Noland told Eleven Warriors last month. “He loves it up there in Columbus. Jelani works very hard and is very smart. He does the right things on and off the field. We talk every day. That’s my guy. You never know. You might run into him and play with a guy like that again in college. It’s in God’s hands.”
#TheOhioState pic.twitter.com/heEfl1ZgJU
— Pss A N. (@AirNoland_) March 31, 2023
Noland has publicly spoken glowingly of the Buckeyes numerous times and knows he could thrive in the OSU offensive scheme. He’s a proven winner, as Noland helped Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) to an undefeated 15-0 record in his junior season, completing 236 of 323 passes for 4,095 yards and a whopping 55 touchdowns to four interceptions while also running for five touchdowns.
Ohio State has put itself in a prime position to land the 6-foot-3, 195-pound signal caller. It’ll soon find out if it closed the deal.
The Buckeyes also offered two more prospects over the weekend, and we’ll delve into each below.
Colton Heinrich
Of the other two prospects offered, three-star Florida tight end Colton Heinrich is the closest to setting foot on a college campus as a 2024 prospect.
After a great visit and a great conversation with coach @ryandaytime im thankful to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University @CoachKee @OhioStateFB @TheCribSouthFLA @larryblustein @On3sports @Andrew_Ivins @RWrightRivals @ConroyWhyte @samspiegs pic.twitter.com/MIQqQJIQJh
— Colton Heinrich (@HeinrichColton) April 1, 2023
While he’s considered the 650th-best prospect and 27th-rated tight end in 2024 per 247Sports’ composite rankings, his offer sheet tells a different story. Heinrich has more than 30 Division I offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Mizzou, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
In Heinrich’s junior season at Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), he caught 36 passes for 464 yards and three touchdowns.
His family’s story is also certainly worth sharing, as a piece from The Athletic last month touched on his brother and mother’s experience being in the building adjacent to the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 while also touching on Heinrich’s rise as a recruit.
Tiqwai Hayes
Ohio State also offered a talented running back in the 2025 class in Tiqwai Hayes, who also made the trek to Columbus on Saturday.
After a great visit to The Ohio State University Im blessed to receive an offer. @CoachTonyAlford @ryandaytime @OhioStateFB #OhioState pic.twitter.com/1ba2qYRDzm
— tikey (@Tiqwaihayes) April 1, 2023
Hayes does not yet hold a composite ranking, but has picked up 11 Division I offers, including Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia.
In his sophomore season at Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pennsylvania), Hayes racked up 2,011 yards on 224 carries with 33 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. He also played safety for his team and had three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), five pass breakups and 11 tackles.
