We’re officially one game away from Michigan week, and there’s no shortage of recruiting news on this Monday, so let’s jump right in.
Mickens picks up OSU offer
While the recruiting visitors list for the upcoming Michigan game will probably be another Notre Dame-esque list with eye-popping names left and right, there were some interesting prospects of note in attendance for Ohio State’s 56-14 victory over Indiana on Saturday. One of them was four-star 2023 Indiana defensive end Joshua Mickens.
Mickens, currently an LSU commit, picked up an offer from OSU over the weekend.
The offer comes very late in the cycle, but OSU wouldn’t make that offer if it didn’t feel at least somewhat confident it can flip Mickens, who is ranked as the 136th-best prospect nationally and 18th-ranked edge player in the 2023 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. In 11 games played for Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Indiana) this season, Mickens racked up 74 total tackles (20.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, one pass deflection and three forced fumbles.
While the visit was Mickens’ first to OSU this year, it wasn't his first game visit at Ohio Stadium, as the 6-foot-5, 225-pound prospect visited the Buckeyes' contest against Oregon last season. Saturday's visit won't be his last, either. Mickens is expected to be in attendance for OSU's contest against Michigan on Nov. 26 for an official visit, leading to further speculation he's a prime flip candidate considering the Indiana prospect plans to sign in December.
Of course, there’s an elephant in the room question that comes with the Mickens offer: Does Ohio State feel less confident about its chances of securing at least one of the three five-star defensive ends on its recruiting board: Damon Wilson, Keon Keeley and Matayo Uiagalelei?
In short, no. OSU still would like to take either two or three more defensive ends in the 2023 cycle, and the offer of Mickens only exemplifies that desire, plus the Buckeyes’ confidence they’ll be able to flip him from LSU and keep him closer to home.
Speaking of the big three, there’s some key news to delve right into concerning one of them.
Wilson to visit for Michigan game
Shortly after Damon Wilson visited Georgia for the Bulldogs’ highly-anticipated contest against Tennessee earlier this month, speculation swirled that he could make another gameday visit to OSU before committing.
Well, speculation has turned into confirmation, as Wilson told On3 he’ll be taking another visit to Columbus for the Michigan game on Nov. 26. Ohio State and Georgia have separated from the rest of the pack in the race for Wilson, and over the past few months, his recruitment has been a see-saw affair of momentum swings between the two programs. But it appears OSU is going to get the final on-campus visit before Wilson makes a decision.
“I don’t think I will wait too late to commit,” Wilson told On3. “I think it will happen before Signing Day. My visit to Ohio State will probably be it for me. I will focus on my position, see what their roles are and how they play in the defense. That will be the biggest part of the visit to the Michigan game.”
Wilson visited OSU for its season opener against Notre Dame and has since made two visits to Georgia. Ryan Day and Larry Johnson visited Wilson in Florida during Ohio State’s off week and continue to actively recruit the premier defensive prospect daily. His visit for the Michigan game could go a long way regarding whether or not Ohio State can seal the deal with Wilson and land his commitment sometime before signing day.
Williams puts OSU in top 10
A four-star 2024 running back with an OSU offer has included OSU in his top 10. Missouri prospect Aneyas Williams released a top-10 schools list Monday consisting of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, Penn State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss.
Checkout the link tagged below https://t.co/JsTNbqhZR1
— AneyasWilliams/4 (@AneyasW) November 14, 2022
Though the Buckeyes cracked Williams’ top 10, Ohio State is not among the schools recruiting him the hardest, per On3. Those schools consist of Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee, with Notre Dame currently holding two 247Sports Crystal Ball projections to land the four-star prospect.
Williams visited Ohio State on Sept. 3 for the Notre Dame game earlier this year and picked up his offer from OSU in July. He plans on committing some time before his senior season begins and will likely cut down his list one more time before taking official visits. While OSU may not be seen as the current favorite to land the Missouri prospect, cornerback commit Jermaine Mathews is taking a stab anyway at convincing Williams to play at OSU.
— Jermaine Mathews Jr (@Jr2Maine) November 14, 2022
