The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Offers Reggie Powers III, Nicholas Rodriguez, Trenton Wilson, Darrion Smith, Preston Carey, 4-star QB Air Noland Puts OSU in Top 7

By Garrick Hodge on March 27, 2023 at 5:30 pm
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Ohio State’s recruiting personnel had their hands full last weekend.

With more than 30 visitors appearing on campus, five offers went out to players in various recruiting classes, and the weekend culminated with two commitments on Monday from Ohio offensive linemen Devontae and Deontae Armstrong.  

Eleven Warriors also caught up with 14 prospects that attended OSU’s scrimmage on Saturday to get their thoughts from the visit, which you can read about here. In the meantime, we’ll break down each of the prospects OSU has offered, then delve into some news about a 2024 quarterback target. 

Reggie Powers III

Starting with one of the two prospects closest to college, three-star safety Reggie Powers was the lone in-state prospect to pick up an OSU offer over the weekend. 

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Powers does not hold a 247Sports composite ranking, but is considered the 99th-rated safety in the 2024 class per the recruiting network’s individual ratings. He’s picked up 27 Division I offers to this point, including Akron, Appalachian State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Iowa State, Kent State, Liberty, Louisville, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Western Michigan.

As a junior, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Powers racked up 80 tackles (eight for loss), 10 pass breakups, four forced fumbles and two sacks.

Nicholas Rodriguez

The other 2024 prospect OSU offered over the weekend is three-star Florida linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez. 

The OSU offer was Rodriguez’s 22nd Division I offer, others including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Tennessee. Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, he’s considered the 545th-best player nationally and the 52nd-rated linebacker. 

Last season for St. Thomas Aquinas, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Rodriguez registered 93 tackles (10 for loss), nine quarterback hits, five sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked field goal. He was primarily the Will for his team.

Trenton Wilson

Maryland 2025 defensive lineman Trenton Wilson has picked up no shortage of impressive offers leading up to his junior season, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame all among them. 

Ohio State offensive line coach Larry Johnson wanted Wilson to visit Columbus before the Buckeyes pulled the trigger, and after Wilson made the trek to OSU this weekend, he left with his 24th Division I offer. 

“I loved the visit,” Wilson told Eleven Warriors of his OSU trip. “I got to meet coach Larry Johnson. He impressed me a lot with his regiment. He told me that he liked me a lot and that we should establish a close relationship over the next two years and that I should come visit the school a lot more. I liked the competitive part of the practice, the whole team really got after it."

When Johnson offered Wilson, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman said it was a special feeling. 

“I was really excited, they have an amazing history,” Wilson said after picking up the OSU offer. “Coach Larry is arguably the best defensive line coach in college football. Playing for him would be a rare opportunity. Ohio State is high on my list. I won’t say what number they are, but they’re high on my list for sure.” 

Wilson didn’t share his experience alone. His high school teammate at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) and fellow 2025 defensive lineman Darrion Smith also picked up an offer from OSU (more on him in a minute).

“It was exciting for sure,” Wilson. “We both had plans to come down and get the offer. We were really excited he was interested in both of us.”

Both Wilson and Smith are expected to return to OSU on April 15 for the Buckeyes’ spring game.

Darrion Smith

Smith was the second defensive line prospect from St. Frances Academy to be offered by OSU Saturday, giving him 17 Division I offers total. Other offers include Boston College, Colorado, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, NC State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, USC and Virginia Tech.

"It was a really nice experience,” Smith told Eleven Warriors of his visit. “I've always wanted to visit Ohio State. I loved being able to watch the team compete. It was really nice. The d-line moved fast and were always competing. They really had a lot of chemistry with each other."

Like Wilson, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Smith was also offered by Johnson.

“It felt great because coach Larry is a legend,” Smith said. “It was incredible to be offered by him. He said he loves the way I play and that he’d love to develop me as a player. I’d say Ohio State is definitely in my top schools, probably in my top three.”

Smith said the most appealing thing about possibly playing for Ohio State would be to get coached by Johnson. He added he was impressed with how aggressively the defensive line played in the scrimmage on Saturday.

Smith is primarily an interior defensive lineman for St. Frances Academy and is likely going to be an interior prospect at the next level.

“My feet and how quick I am,” Smith said about his best on-field attribute.

Smith and Wilson will return to OSU on April 15 for the Buckeyes’ spring game.

Preston Carey

When a prospect wears a full-fledged suit to a visit, you know they mean business. That’s exactly what happened with 2026 defensive lineman prospect Preston Carey on Saturday, as you’d be forgiven if you mistook the 6-foot-5, 285-pound prospect as an Ohio State football staffer rather than a freshman in high school. 

“My dad encouraged me from the time I went on my first visit, adapt the mentality that football is going to be your job, and I want it to be my job,” Carey told Eleven Warriors. “My goal is the NFL, but before that point it’s going to be my job in college and high school to perform. I’m approaching visits like I’m going on a job interview, because it’s my job to perform well.”

Carey and his family arrived on campus for the first time and were blown away by their experience in Columbus. 

“It was an amazing visit,” Carey said. “Right when I walked in, the vibes were amazing. There were a lot of people there and I think it was family practice day. I got to see some familiar faces. The vibes were immaculate. The thing I always do on visits is I put myself in the players' shoes and watch their practice and meetings and watch how they interact and everything. Because that could be me. Overall it was so great because the coaches were hyped when they made a big play but they also knew when to get serious and break down film. It was awesome and a place I could definitely see myself in another few years when it's time.”

At the end of his visit, Carey was given an OSU offer from Ryan Day and Johnson. 

“It felt amazing sitting down with coach Day and coach Johnson, two of the best, if not the best coaches in the country,” Carey said. “Being able to learn from them from such a short time was really an honor. Ohio State is one of the best places for defensive linemen in the country, if not the best.” 

Carey has 15 Division I offers to this point, including Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. In nine games for St. Anthony's (East Northport, New York) last season, Carey racked up 57 tackles (three for loss) with a sack.

Air Noland down to seven teams, sets commitment date 

Last weekend’s recruiting efforts are over. But preparations are already being made for next week, as another decent number of quality prospects are expected to be on campus for Saturday’s scrimmage. 

Among them will be four-star 2024 quarterback Air Noland, who narrowed down his recruitment to seven teams over the weekend: Ohio State, Alabama, Miami, Clemson, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Oregon. 

Beyond that, Noland is ready to make a college decision, setting a commitment date for 8:30 p.m. on April 8. It’s all the more interesting that Noland hasn’t even received an offer from OSU yet, but he’s still counting them among his top schools. That’s because the Georgia prospect talks to Day, Corey Dennis and Brian Hartline nearly daily, and expects to be offered when he makes his visit to Ohio State. 

“I’m extremely excited to get myself and my mom up there to Ohio State,” Noland told Eleven Warriors earlier this month. “I think Ohio State’s coaching staff has done a great job recruiting me between Coach Day, Coach Dennis and Coach Hartline. They’ve visited my school twice, and I think they think I have the right intangibles and all the right things to play quarterback for Ohio State. I think coach Dennis does a great job with quarterbacks and coach Day and coach Hartline’s offensive system is a very quarterback-oriented type of offense. A lot of quarterbacks have watched Ohio State this year and previous to this year and saw how explosive the offense can be. I’m very excited and can’t wait to get to Columbus.” 

Michigan, Ohio State rivalry continues in recruiting

With the Armstrong twins committed, Ohio State now has four in-state Ohio prospects for the 2024 class. The St. Edward prospects were met with various congratulatory messages on social media, but one of their high school teammates and Michigan commit Ben Roebuck playfully stoked the flames of the rivalry to come. It didn’t take long for Deontae to issue a retort.

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