Five-star Prospects Mylan Graham and Jordon Davison Stand Out, 2026 Offensive Linemen Micah Smith and Tyler Merrill Earn Offers at Ohio State's Second Recruiting Camp

By Garrick Hodge on June 12, 2023 at 7:04 pm
Jordon Davison
10 Comments

Two five-star talents took the field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Monday for Ohio State’s second high school football camp of the summer.

One of them, 2024 wide receiver Mylan Graham, will be suiting up for the scarlet and gray a little more than a year from now. OSU hopes it’ll be able to say something similar about the other premier talent at Monday’s camp, 2025 California running back Jordon Davison, in two years. 

Graham and Davison both put on a show on Monday, with OSU’s wide receiver commitment making contested catches in one-on-one drills despite a few underthrown passes and the highly touted 2025 running back target looking the part in individual drills and one-on-ones. 

Graham made the three-hour trek from Indiana to get some work in with OSU offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and had a productive day, dominating the competition portion of the recruiting camp.

“The more I work with him, the more I understand (committing to OSU) was the best decision for me possible,” Mylan Graham said of working with Hartline. “I know the more I work with him, the more better of a player I can be. Every time I come here, it just feels like home. It felt great to work out in front of coach Hartline and coach Day today.”

Davison camped in the midst of a three-day unofficial visit to Columbus, with his family joining him on the trip. 

“I had a great time,” Davison said. “Getting to feel (coach Alford) out and seeing how he coaches, he pushed me today. That’s big up for Ohio State. I want a coach that can push me and that will push me to be the greatest I can be.

“I’ve had a great time (on this visit), my family likes it and have gotten to see a little bit of Columbus. It’s a big thing that they’re here with me. I feel like (OSU) has been treating me well and they’ve been showing a lot of love. You never know what’s going to happen next.”

Davison said he grew up an Ohio State fan despite living in California and recalls the first college football game he ever watched being an OSU game, with the Buckeye stickers on the helmet leaving a lasting image in his head. The five-star talent says he speaks with OSU running backs coach Tony Alford weekly and considers the Buckeyes one of his top schools.

“The brotherhood and the culture,” Davison said of what is most appealing about potentially playing for Ohio State. “Coming here and learning all their traditions, they’ve got a good thing going with Cali (prospects) right now.” 

Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was watching Davison and 2025 Ohio State four-star linebacker target Tarvos Alford go at it in one-on-ones, with each winning separate reps. Alford looked the part of a premier linebacker in the 2025 class in individual drills and one-on-one matchups and looked like a priority target for OSU in that cycle.

The top-rated offensive lineman in Ohio in the 2025 class, four-star Toledo product Carter Lowe, also participated in Monday’s camp. Lowe, who already held an OSU offer, looked impressive in individual drills and figures to be a top target for the Buckeyes on the line.

“I had a really fun time,” Lowe said of his camp performance at OSU. “I come out here every year to compete and get better. I really think I did that today. We did a lot of stuff with run blocking that we don’t do at my school so that’s something I can take home and improve on.

Lowe has a busy week ahead, as the Toledo prospect plans on visiting Georgia and Alabama. It’s no secret both Michigan and Ohio State are pursuing Lowe aggressively, and the respect on his end is mutual for both.

“Michigan and Ohio State are always going to near the top for me,” Lowe said. 

Lowe wasn’t the only offensive lineman working out with the Buckeyes on Monday who will continue to be pursued by Ohio State. Florida 2026 offensive tackle Micah “Champion” Smith and Pennsylvania 2026 offensive tackle Tyler Merrill both impressed Justin Frye enough in individual workouts to pick up Ohio State offers, becoming the third and fourth offensive linemen to be offered by OSU in the 2026 cycle.

Smith sits at 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds and has earned 18 Division I offers thus far, including Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Liberty, Miami, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, UCF and West Virginia. Merrill checks in at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds and boasts 10 Division I offers, including Iowa State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia. 

On the other side of the line, 2025 Kentucky defensive end Austin Alexander camped at Ohio State for the second year in a row and looked sharp in his workouts. Alexander told Eleven Warriors that while he hasn’t received an offer from Ohio State yet, he expects to hear from Larry Johnson within the next few weeks. 

“It was a lot of fun getting to work with coach Johnson, arguably one of the best in the game, you can never pass up an opportunity to do a workout and get some work in with him,” Alexander said.  

Three-star 2024 Virginia defensive tackle Eric Mensah also worked out Monday and could be worth monitoring over the next month depending on how things unfold with some of OSU’s other defensive tackle targets.

While Graham was the main attraction in the wide receiver group, other receivers showed flashes of excellence throughout the day, including 2025 wideouts Jackson Wiley and Royal Cappell and 2026 wide receiver Efrem White.

Premier Prospects International also made its annual stop at Ohio State on Monday and featured several interesting prospects who hope to follow in the footsteps of Hero Kanu, who was a part of the DreamChasers Tour two years ago and is now entering his second season with the Buckeyes. 

Three-star 2024 linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, a Maryland commit, looked impressive throughout the day and met with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles after the camp. 

Other prospects of note who made the trip to Columbus with PPI on Monday included 2024 running back Oliver Lundberg Coleman, 2024 tight end Daniel Evert, 2025 linebacker Parker Meese and 2025 defensive tackle Tyler Parker.

10 Comments

Cleveland Browns Select Former Ohio State Defensive Tackle Mike Hall Jr. in Second Round of 2024 NFL Draft

Mike Hall

Houston Texans Draft Ohio State Tight End Cade Stover In Round 4 of 2024 NFL Draft

Cade Stover
View 10 Comments