The Hurry-Up: Bryson Rodgers, Edwin Spillman and Nigel Smith to Attend Spring Game, Richard Young Puts Ohio State in Top 7, Christopher Vizzina and Mark Fletcher Will Announce Commitments Tuesday

By Garrick Hodge on April 11, 2022 at 5:30 pm
Bryson Rodgers
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Ohio State football has a busy week ahead.

Saturday’s spring game will serve as both a culmination of the Buckeyes’ spring football season and another opportunity for Ohio State to host several important recruits on visits.

Prospects who announced Monday that they will be attending Saturday’s spring game include a trio of noteworthy targets: 2023 three-star Florida wide receiver Bryson Rodgers, 2024 four-star Tennessee linebacker Edwin Spillman and 2024 four-star Texas defensive lineman Nigel Smith.

For Rodgers, it will be his second visit to OSU this spring. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound wide receiver was one of OSU’s first spring visitors when took a trip to Columbus on March 9. 

“I loved it,” Rodgers told Eleven Warriors of his visit in March. “There’s a great culture there and a brotherhood-like atmosphere. In the practice I watched in the morning, coach Hartline was out there getting intense with the guys. He was really involved with every wide receiver, it was good to see.” 

Rodgers is ranked as the 366th-best prospect and the 49th-best wide receiver in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. After his March visit, he said Ohio State was the leader in his recruitment. Although Rodgers currently resides in Florida, he’s from Warren, Ohio, originally, and grew up a Buckeyes fan. He plans on making a commitment later this summer.

Spillman will be making his third visit to Ohio State after attending a camp last June (when he received his offer from the Buckeyes), then later returning for the Akron game in September. Spillman currently has 12 Division I offers and is ranked as the 102nd-best prospect and the 10th-best linebacker in the 2024 class. 

It will be the 6-foot-2, 221-pound linebacker’s first chance to interact with Ohio State’s new defensive coaching staff in person, and a visit that could go a long way in his recruitment.

Smith will be taking his second visit to Ohio State after attending the Buckeyes’ game against Michigan State last November. He received his offer from the Buckeyes a couple of months later after Larry Johnson visited Smith in Texas to extend the offer in person.

“It felt great,” Smith told Eleven Warriors of the offer in January. “Especially the fact coach Johnson came down himself to extend that offer, it was definitely awesome. He told me ‘I told you I was going to watch a full game of yours and if it was good, I’d make my way down there and make you an offer. I loved your film, and I’d love to have you at Ohio State, congratulations.’” 

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end is ranked as the 37th-best player nationally and the fourth-best defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle. OSU ranks among the top schools for Smith, who holds 18 Division I offers. 

“I don’t know the exact rank, but they’re definitely a top school,” Smith said. “They’re a great defensive line school and they win a lot, so they’ll definitely be one of the top schools. Coach Johnson spits people out into the league. The development aspect, he’s developed so many defensive linemen and coach Day is an amazing coach. It’s just great over there.”  

Young puts OSU in Top 7

Ohio State’s top target at running back is closer to making a decision. Five-star Florida running back Richard Young, the second-ranked back in the 2023 cycle, released a top seven list Sunday consisting of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oregon and Florida. 

OSU has been recruiting Young for a long while now, as he visited Columbus twice last summer and again in October for the Penn State game. He’s ranked as the 19th-best player in the 2023 cycle.

The Buckeyes have a great chance of landing a running back commitment for the 2023 class Tuesday night (more on that soon), but they’ll remain in the race for Young, as the Buckeyes plan on signing two running backs in the cycle.

Vizzina to commit Tuesday

By Tuesday evening, another 2023 quarterback prospect will be off the board. Four-star Alabama quarterback Christopher Vizzina has scheduled a commitment announcement for 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. He announced a top six of Clemson, Ohio State, Auburn, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ole Miss on Sunday.

Vizzina was offered by OSU on March 10 when the 6-foot-4, 207-pound signal caller took a visit to Columbus, but he is not expected to pick the Buckeyes on Tuesday. Clemson seems the likeliest selection, as the Alabama product just attended the Tigers’ spring game over the weekend.

Fletcher will announce college decision Tuesday

While Vizzina likely won’t pick Ohio State, the Buckeyes could have good news on the way from four-star 2023 Florida running back Mark Fletcher. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound bruising running back is scheduled to make a commitment at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the momentum is squarely with Ohio State here, seeing as he just visited Columbus two weekends ago.

Fletcher is ranked as the 153rd-best prospect and the eighth-best running back in the 2023 class. If he picks Ohio State, he’ll become the seventh overall commit and first tailback in OSU’s 2023 class.

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