The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Commits Show Support After Michigan Loss, Recruits React to Lincoln Riley Heading to USC, Cedric Baxter Jr. Puts OSU in Top 12

By Garrick Hodge on November 28, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Hero Kanu
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It’s barely been a full 24 hours since Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time in 10 years.

Even though they haven’t joined the roster yet, 2022 Ohio State commits and Lakota West standouts Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola were equally hurt by seeing their future team lose to its rival. 

Tshabola, an offensive lineman ranked as the 114th-best player in the 2022 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings, sent out a tweet shortly after the loss with a promise attached, which he later pinned to the top of his profile. Fellow 2022 commit and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson retweeted Tshabola’s message. 

Brown, a four-star cornerback, echoed his commitment to the Buckeyes to show he’s in it for the long haul, good times and bad.

Recruits react to Riley leaving

As mentioned earlier, we aren’t even a full day removed from the end of the college football regular season, but that doesn’t matter, because the college football news cycle just keeps on turning. Lincoln Riley is reportedly leaving Oklahoma for USC while Billy Napier is on the move from Louisiana to Florida

We’ll have a more in-depth breakdown later this week on what Riley’s move to USC could mean for Ohio State recruiting from the angle of both USC hiring Riley and Oklahoma losing him.

In the meantime, several recruits have already reacted to Riley’s hiring on social media. The one most of interest to Ohio State? Four-star 2022 defensive tackle Hero Kanu, who the Buckeyes are heavily pursuing. Ohio State was already in a good spot with the 92nd-ranked player in the 2022 cycle, but Oklahoma was considered to be one of the biggest competitors for Kanu’s services. Likely much less so now. 

Another player of interest to OSU is 2023 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, who received an OSU offer in June. Frausto-Ramos is seemingly very interested in Riley’s move out west.  

There may now be one less suitor for 2023 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) four-star offensive lineman Knijeah Harris, who remains uncommitted and holds offers from both OSU and Oklahoma.

Whereas there’s excitement from a USC perspective, there’s also disappointment on potential Oklahoma recruits. For example: 2022 offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, who also holds an OSU offer and put the Buckeyes in his top five. 

Treyaun Webb, a 2023 Oklahoma running back commit, and Brandon Inniss, a five-star OU wideout commit who is ranked as the top wide receiver in the country, both expressed shock at the news. Both hold offers from Ohio State, which has actively recruited both of them.

Baxter puts OSU in top 12

Four-star 2023 running back Cedric Baxter Jr. has narrowed down his top schools. Baxter Jr. released a top 12 Saturday consisting of Ohio State, Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Florida State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami, UCF and Louisville. He was offered by Tony Alford and the Buckeyes in September. 

Even though he is being primarily recruited as a running back by OSU, Baxter is a two-way player at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida, where he has played defensive back and linebacker as well. In Baxter’s sophomore season, he rushed for 426 yards and two touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry. On the defensive end, he recorded 20 tackles (one for a loss) and two pass deflections. 

OSU would like to take two running backs in the 2023 class, with Richard Young being their top preference and Justice Haynes likely being next in line, but Baxter is a name worth watching as the recruiting cycle plays out.

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