This late into the 2022 recruiting cycle, most fans of Ohio State recruiting know which defensive linemen the Buckeyes are hoping to wrap up the current class with.
Those names are Hero Kanu, Omari Abor and Christen Miller. All three are reportedly targeting January announcements at their respective All-American games. The Buckeyes are thought to be in a good spot with Kanu and the same holds true for Abor, albeit to perhaps a bit of a lesser extent. Miller, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle, is down to Georgia and Ohio State, but has been thought to be favoring his hometown Bulldogs.
Ohio State does have a secret weapon in Miller’s recruitment, though: current defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson, who attended the same high school as Miller, Cedar Grove in Ellenwood, Georgia. Jackson said Thursday he has no problem telling Miller what the Buckeyes have to offer.
“You have to bring some good players in after you,” Jackson said. “You have to keep the Ohio State tradition going. Christen, I’m his mentor. He has somebody to look up to that’s in college to tell him what’s going on. I never tell him where to go, I’m always going to be proud of him no matter what college he picks. I love him.”
Jackson said his pitch to any defensive line recruit considering Ohio State starts with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“Just look at who is in our defensive line room,” Jackson said. “We have the best defensive line coach. The tradition here, the guys that were here before us, they passed it down to us. Now we have to pass it on to them. Coach (Johnson) is bringing in some great guys and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Earlier this week, there was some social media flirtation between Miller and the Buckeyes. Jackson didn’t hesitate to throw gasoline on the fire.
Just know we not done yet #BOOM22 https://t.co/Sd7C4We40V
— Antwuan Jackson (@Hercules__52) December 16, 2021
Miller is ranked as the 107th-best player and the 19th-best defensive lineman in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2022 cycle. He visited Ohio State on Sept. 11 for the Buckeyes' contest against Oregon. If OSU can add Miller and Kanu in the same cycle, it will be in great shape at the defensive tackle spot for the near future.
Hinzman won’t sign in early signing period
Earlier this week, a report surfaced that priority four-star Ohio State offensive line target Carzon Hinzman may decide between the Buckeyes and his hometown Wisconsin Badgers and sign by Friday, the final day of the early signing period.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman took to social media on Thursday night to set the record straight, saying he needs more time to make a decision and won’t sign until February.
Sorry for the confusion, I will not be signing tomorrow as the schools Im so fortunate to be deciding from are so incredible that its making my decision extremely tough and Im going to need just a little bit more time. Thank you
— Carson Hinzman (@HinzmanCarson) December 17, 2021
Hinzman, a Wisconsin resident, visited Columbus on Oct. 30 for the Buckeyes’ game against Penn State and is high on Ohio State. But he grew up rooting for Wisconsin.
“Looking at Wisconsin, it's home. It's probably the most comfortable place,” Hinzman told 247Sports. “Ohio State though, they're the next level. They've been playing at top-tier for a long time now. The competition level, I feel like with the defensive linemen they put out, it would be a lot higher. I really respect that. In order to be the best offensive lineman, you have to go against the best defensive linemen. That's what they produce. It's a great opportunity to go there and show that I can play at that level and kind of see something different.”
Hinzman is ranked as the 134th-best player and the sixth-best interior offensive lineman in the 2022 cycle. Should he pick the Buckeyes, he’d become the third player ever from Wisconsin to play for OSU.
Stewart leaves OSU off top 3
Not that it's surprising at this point, considering he didn’t visit Ohio State this fall, but five-star 2022 defensive end Shemar Stewart left Ohio State out of his final three schools, which he announced Thursday evening.
I was never handed the best card but i still made a way @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/uZxO1dOg0h
— Shemar Stewart (@ShemarStewart14) December 16, 2021
Stewart will instead decide between Texas A&M, Georgia and Miami. The 6-foot-6, 272-pound Florida resident is ranked as the ninth-best prospect and the third-best defensive lineman in the 2022 class.
Jackson Jr., Turner are state champs
A pair of Ohio State signees, four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and four-star cornerback Ryan Turner, are ending their high school careers on top. The pair led Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida) to a shutout 21-0 victory over Berkeley Prep in the Florida Class 3A state championship on Dec. 10. Jackson Jr. was a game-wrecker, finishing with seven tackles and two sacks, including this strip sack that lifted his team. Jackson Jr. finished the year with 17 total sacks and was the Florida Gatorade Player of The Year.
Strip sack by On300 Ohio State EDGE commit Kenyatta Jackson in the Florida 3A state title game https://t.co/taejVWP00p @Birm pic.twitter.com/xKE6NRVBsA
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) December 11, 2021
Meanwhile, Turner finished with six total tackles on the evening. He finished with 37 total tackles on the year. Both Jackson Jr. and Turner signed with Ohio State on Wednesday.
Jackson was also named this week as the winner of the Nat Moore Trophy, which honors the top high school football player in the Miami area.
Congratulations to @CMLions defensive end @kjacksonjr_ on being named the winner of the 2021 @CBSMiami Nat Moore Trophy!
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 17, 2021
Turner and Jackson will play one final high school game on Saturday night, when Chaminade-Madonna will face Arizona state champion Highland as part of the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series. The game kicks off at 10:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
