Larry Johnson was a busy man on the recruiting trail Wednesday.
The Buckeyes' defensive line coach offered six new defensive linemen for the 2024 cycle, five of whom are defensive ends, doubling the number of ends he had offered in the current class in just one day. We've also got one offer to discuss that came late on Tuesday, so there are seven offers to break down in total, starting with three five-star defensive linemen. Let's not waste any time.
David Stone
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Stone is the most highly touted prospect Ohio State offered Wednesday, as the Florida prospect is considered the No. 9 overall player and second-best defensive line prospect in the 2024 class per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Im very grateful to have been blessed with an offer from The Ohio State University #GoBucks @R2X_Rushmen1 @ryandaytime pic.twitter.com/yIzWkG7TGR
— David Stoney Stone Jr. (@iamdavidstonejr) January 11, 2023
Stone, an IMG Academy product (Bradenton, Florida), has racked up more than 30 Division I offers, including from the likes of Michigan State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Wisconsin.
Of those offers, he had already trimmed his list to 10, a group that includes Michigan State, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC. With OSU offering, the Buckeyes should be in strong consideration for Stone. Michigan State and Oklahoma are seen as big contenders for the Florida product, as he has set a visit to Michigan State for this weekend.
The top-10 prospect was selected as a first-team selection on the MaxPreps Junior All-America Team.
Elijah Rushing
In Rushing, Johnson has offered a true pass-rushing defensive end capable of being a defensive game-changer for any collegiate team. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Arizona prospect visited OSU for the Buckeyes' spring game last April, his lone visit to Columbus, and is grateful Johnson extended him an offer nearly a year later.
Thank you to @R2X_Rushmen1 and @OhioStateFB for offering me the opportunity to become apart of the #Rushmen at The Ohio State University! @bangulo @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @CSing57 @CoachEricRogers pic.twitter.com/Fei0NrPcU7
— Elijah Rushing (@elijah_rushing) January 11, 2023
"It was really exciting," Rushing told Eleven Warriors Wednesday of his offer. "Definitely just to hear coach Johnson say those things and speak positively of me just gave me more confidence in my game and gave me a reason to keep pushing."
Rushing is considered the 16th-best prospect and the third-ranked edge player in the 2024 class and like Stone, has also picked up more than 30 Division I offers. Those offers include Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC and UCLA.
In 12 games for Salpointe Catholic (Tuscon, Arizona), Rushing racked up 73 tackles (13.5 for loss), 11.5 sacks, one pass deflection and four forced fumbles in 2022.
The top-20 prospect hopes to make a commitment by the start of his senior season and says he's considering a visit to Ohio State in either the spring or the summer.
Williams Nwaneri
The other five-star defensive end Johnson offered Wednesday, Nwaneri’s national rankings aren't far behind Rushing as he's considered the 17th-best player and third-best defensive lineman in the 2024 class.
Im extremely blessed and beyond grateful to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University!! #AGTG @R2X_Rushmen1 pic.twitter.com/cEMxzJLPH8
— Williams Nwaneri (@NwaneriWilliams) January 11, 2023
As you can imagine, Nwaneri has no shortage of Division I offers. 26 schools in total have offered the 6-foot-5, 245-pound prospect including Alabama, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
In 14 games for Lee's Summit North (Lees Summit, Missouri), Nwaneri racked up 56 tackles (10 for loss), 12 sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, six pass deflections and a blocked punt in 2022.
Solomon Williams
Stone wasn’t Johnson’s only offer from the Sunshine State Wednesday. Three-star defensive end Solomon Williams also picked up an offer from OSU, his 19th Division I offer in total.
Wow! Blessed to receive an Offer from THE University of Ohio State!#GoBucks @ryandaytime @R2X_Rushmen1 @CoachTonyAlford @MarshallMcDuf14 @Qoach_Nick @CoachTrae813 @BayAreaLAB @jshea407 @BigPlayRay50 @ChadSimmons_ @RWrightRivals @Andrew_Ivins @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/sUyJS9waRX
— Solomon Williams (@SolomonW__) January 11, 2023
Schools that have offered Williams include Alabama, Florida State, Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers and Wake Forest. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound edge prospect is considered the 382nd-best prospect and 24th-best edge player in 2024.
In 10 games for Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Florida), Williams accumulated 61 tackles (32 for loss), 15.5 sacks, eight quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 2022.
Darien Mayo
Maryland is a frequent recruiting stop for Johnson. Moreso, he seems to have taken an interest in players from Our Lady Good Counsel High School, as Mayo joins a list of players offered from the school that includes four-star linebacker Aaron Chiles, three-star 2024 wide receiver Elijah Moore and 2025 safety Faheem Delane.
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University @R2X_Rushmen1 @RivalsFriedman @247Sports pic.twitter.com/njqfId5mmc
— Darien C. Mayo (@TheDCMayo) January 11, 2023
The Ohio State offer marks Mayo’s 17th Division I offer in total. Other schools that have offered include Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Liberty, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, USC, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
He's considered the 485th-best prospect and 31st-ranked edge player in the 2024 cycle.
Danny Okoye
Oklahoma defensive end Danny Okoye was the first to publicly announce his offer on Wednesday after he spoke with Larry Johnson.
#AGTG after a great talk with Coach J Im blessed to receive my 25th D1 offer from Ohio State University!! #BuckeyeNation @Josh_Scoop @BrandonDrumm247 #okpreps pic.twitter.com/pOfjoPqaoY
— Danny "hantom" Okoye (@itsdanielokoye) January 11, 2023
While Okoye does not yet hold a composite ranking, his pedigree as a prospect certainly isn’t lacking as the 6-foot-5, 233-pound Okoye holds 25 Division I offers. Schools that have offered include Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Duke, Georgia, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech and USC.
In 10 games for NOAH Homeschool (Tulsa, Oklahoma) in 2022, Okoye racked up 43 tackles (16 for loss), six sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Okoye also contributed offensively occasionally, as he ran for 64 yards on 14 carries with a rushing touchdown while catching six passes for 58 yards with one receiving touchdown.
Jordan Lyle
Ohio State has also offered its eighth running back for the 2024 cycle.
Four-star Florida running back Jordan Lyle picked up his Buckeyes offer Tuesday from Tony Alford and now holds 18 Division I offers.
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State University #GoBucks @CoachHarriott @EugeneBethea1 @CoachTonyAlford @STA_Football @StaBooster @247Sports pic.twitter.com/I46IxrQIt2
— Jordan M Lyle (@jlyle0) January 11, 2023
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Lyle is considered the 297th-best player and 25th-best running back in the 2024 cycle. Other schools that have offered Lyle include Georgia, Oregon, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and UCF.
Last season for St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Lyle helped lead his team to an undefeated season at 14-0 and a state title. He ran for 1,015 yards on 91 carries (11.2 yards per carry) and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 55 yards.
Other running backs offered by OSU in the 2024 class are Jerrick Gibson, James Peoples, Jordan Marshall, Stacy Gage, Anthony Carrie, Davion Gause and Kewan Lacy.
