Death. Taxes. Brian Hartline landing Ohio State’s priority wide receiver targets.
Shortly after five-star wideout Carnell Tate committed to Ohio State, Hartline added yet another impressive recruiting win to his belt when the Buckeyes landed the commitment of the second-ranked wide receiver in the 2023 class: five-star Florida product Brandon Inniss.
Buckeye nation. Im home! #Back2Back #blessed @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/p9xCkqSrAE
— Brandon Inniss (@brandon5star2) June 21, 2022
Considering the events of last summer, Ohio State is probably thankful the stars aligned for the Buckeyes to even have a chance at landing the five-star talent. The Buckeyes extended an offer to Inniss in February 2021, then got him on campus for a visit in late June. Two months later, Inniss had committed to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley.
By now, you all know the rest of the story. Riley bolted Norman for USC, and Inniss decommitted from the Sooners soon after. This gave the 6-foot, 190pound wideout an opportunity to refocus his recruitment and find the best fit for him, though there was plenty of initial thought from some recruiting circles he would just follow Riley to Southern California.
The Inniss File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-0/190
- Pos: WR
- School: American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★★
- Composite Rank: #18 (#2 WR)
Inniss quickly disproved that notion. While Inniss did his due diligence and explored other options such as USC, Alabama and Georgia, he led a relatively drama-free recruitment, as the Buckeyes seemed to pull ahead in the spring and never wavered any momentum through his decision date.
Inniss, ranked as the 18th-best player nationally in 247Sports’ composite rankings, chose Ohio State because of his close relationship with Hartline and his belief in Ohio State’s recent developmental track record with wide receivers.
“Coach Hartline is like no other coach," Inniss told Eleven Warriors at the All-American Bowl in January. "He breaks down the game to you in a way that no other coach will. It’s amazing to see what their receivers do in and out every single year.”
With his commitment to OSU, Inniss becomes the 12th player to commit to the Buckeyes in the current cycle. Inniss’ addition to the 2023 class gives the Buckeyes their 13th top-100 wide receiver and their sixth top-50 wideout in the past five recruiting cycles.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | BRANDON INNISS | ★★★★★ | #18 NATL | #2 WR | 6-0 | 190 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) |
| WR | CARNELL TATE | ★★★★★ | #28 NATL | #3 WR | 6-2 | 185 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| OT | LUKE MONTGOMERY | ★★★★ | #42 NATL | #4 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Findlay (Findlay, OH) |
| CB | DIJON JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #95 NATL | #11 CB | 6-1 | 190 | Wharton (Tampa, FL) |
| TE | TY LOCKWOOD | ★★★★ | #131 NATL | #8 TE | 6-5 | 225 | Independence (Thompson's Station, TN) |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | ★★★★ | #149 NATL | #8 S | 6-2.5 | 175 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| IOL | JOSHUA PADILLA | ★★★★ | #180 NATL | #8 IOL | 6-4 | 265 | Wayne (Dayton, OH) |
| S | CEDRICK HAWKINS | ★★★★ | #210 NATL | #14 S | 6-0 | 175 | Cocoa (Cocoa, FL) |
| RB | MARK FLETCHER | ★★★★ | #219 NATL | #10 RB | 6-1 | 225 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) |
| OL | AUSTIN SIEREVELD | ★★★★ | #222 NATL | #9 IOL | 6-5 | 320 | Lakota East (Middletown, OH) |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | ★★★★ | #270 NATL | #32 WR | 6-0.5 | 175 | Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, FL) |
| DL | WILL SMITH JR. | ★★★ | #451 NATL | #55 DL | 6-3 | 260 | Dublin Coffman (Dublin, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
OSU's run on five-star receivers is nothing short of remarkable, as Inniss becomes the sixth five-star wide receiver to commit to Ohio State since 2019, joining Tate, Garrett Wilson, Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka.
Ohio State now has commitments from two of the top three wide receivers in the 2023 class and three total receiver commitments, with four-star Florida wideout Bryson Rodgers also committed.
Hartline will continue to pursue top talent to round out the class with one more wide receiver. Four-star North Carolina receiver Noah Rogers is the Buckeyes’ top remaining target at the position.
