The Hurry-Up: Ian Moore Confirms Visit for Wisconsin Game, Ohio State Uses Recruiting Rankings As a Resource but Doesn't Take Them As Gospel, Josiah Abdullah Will Visit OSU

By Garrick Hodge on September 23, 2022 at 5:30 pm
Ian Moore
5 Comments

Shortly after his trial to Ohio State on for the Notre Dame game, four-star 2024 Indiana offensive lineman Ian Moore had designs on his next appearance in Columbus.

He was eyeing this weekend’s Big Ten opener against Wisconsin as his preferred next visit date, but wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make the trip because of obligations to his high school football team. Moore confirmed to Eleven Warriors Friday morning he will be in town for the game — his second of the month. Perks of night games, right? 

Moore will get another look at Ohio State’s offensive line and get to take in his second gameday visit to Columbus this weekend. His first such experience made a strong impression on the 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman.

“The offense was great,” Moore said after his visit. “The passing game and the run game really impressed me. The offensive line ran through the Notre Dame defense.” 

Moore is one of a few priority 2024 visitors expected to make a second visit to Columbus in September, and Ohio State would love nothing more than to start building the foundation of its 2024 class.

OSU views recruiting rankings as a resource, but not an end all be all

Sometimes when we write about a prospect on Eleven Warriors, we’ll reference what the player is ranked in 247Sports’ composite rankings, which is a combination of various recruiting networks’ rankings of an individual prospect. 

They make for very interesting discussions for fans and media alike, and of course they ultimately lead to formulating the overall national recruiting ranking that a class signs in a particular class.

This is common knowledge for most of you. But do college coaches, and more specifically, Ohio State, care about how a specific player is ranked in the recruiting industry? Eh, sort of. But it’s likely not going to dictate what prospects they pursue or don’t pursue.

“We're definitely aware of it,” Day said of knowing what prospective prospects are ranked by various recruiting networks. “We have our own evaluations and we kind of rank our guys and go through them. And then every once in a while, we'll say, 'What are they ranked nationally on some of the publications?' Just to get an idea. Typically, the higher-rated guys are a little bit harder to get. And that's just the way it is.” 

Day added that just because a recruit is highly-touted by a national publication doesn’t mean that Ohio State feels the same way about that prospect. But at the same time, he didn’t discount that the rankings sometimes can align with the Buckeyes’ view.

“(A high ranking) doesn't mean that maybe they're the right fit for us or our evaluation is in line with what maybe that ranking is,” Day said. “We try to find the right fit for us. And it's pretty close, the guys who are ranked higher, are usually really good football players. And maybe there's a couple that aren't. 

“So when there's somebody out there that we evaluate very highly, that's high on our list, that is highly recruited, we're competitive, we want to go get him.” 

Abdullah to visit OSU

A wide receiver with multiple Power Five offers in the 2025 recruiting class is planning on taking a visit to Ohio State this weekend. 

Georgia wideout Josiah Abdullah announced on social media he’d be making the trek to Columbus for OSU’s Big Ten opener, joining a plethora of highly-touted recruits from various recruiting classes. 

Abdullah does not yet hold a composite ranking but has picked up 24 Division I offers, including Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue, NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas and Florida State.

5 Comments
View 5 Comments