The Hurry-Up: Bo Jackson, Ethan Long and Cam Thomas Enjoy Ohio State Visits, Four-Star Running Back Byron Louis Puts OSU In His Top 10

By Garrick Hodge on September 18, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Bo Jackson
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Ohio State’s second home game of the season brought another group of highly touted prospects to Columbus.

Perhaps most notably, 2024 Miami wide receiver commit Chance Robinson was in attendance at Ohio Stadium for an unofficial visit. Robinson’s trip to OSU Saturday suggests his interest in the Buckeyes is real, as he still could make an official visit later this season, likely for the Penn State game in October. 

OSU’s top tight end target in the 2025 class, Nate Roberts, made his second visit to Columbus this weekend and was present for a game in which Cade Stover had five catches for 90 receiving yards. He spent most of his time pregame hanging out with four-star 2025 OSU quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair, who has openly said he’d like to peer-recruit Roberts to play with him in Columbus.

Five-star 2025 cornerback Dorian Brew was also in attendance for the second straight week, taking an opportunity to see OSU again before his family’s move this week to Texas, where he’ll finish out his high school career. In-state offensive linemen Carter Lowe (2025) and Sam Greer (2026), in-state 2026 cornerback Elbert Hill and 2026 Ohio State wide receiver commit Chris Henry Jr. also made appearances in The Horseshoe. 

Eleven Warriors briefly caught up with a few other recruits who were in attendance to get their takeaways from their gameday experience. Their responses are below. 

  • Four-star 2025 running back Bo Jackson: “When I first arrived I got to talk to coach Alford. Nothing major, just a hello, and we talked about my season so far and how everything is going with him. Pregame, I got to meet with coach Ryan Day and had a good talk with him and my family about our season. I got to hang in the locker room postgame, it was a great atmosphere. I was amazed at the amount of people there for a game against Western Kentucky. Overall, it was a great visit and I’m always amazed when I visit Ohio State.” 
  • Four-star 2025 safety Ethan Long: “Coach Perry Eliano and Ryan Day made time to have a meeting with me and gave me great advice.”
  • Three-star 2025 linebacker Maddox Arnold: “The atmosphere was crazy! Gameday visits are different at Ohio State with your own host, energy in the room, coaches talking. I got to catch up with some guys I’ve camped with and met like Garrett Stover and Sam Williams-Dixon. I train with (2026 linebacker) Cam Thomas at my uncle’s spot called Nevels Fitness so it was cool to be there with him. This time I got to meet coach James Laurinaitis for the first time and he said he knew me, liked how I played and loved my film. Coach (Mark) Pantoni came up to me on the field and said they liked my film and that I’m still on their radar. They want to see me all year at middle linebacker, he liked that I was around and wants to stay in touch. Jim Knowles came over to me and said he was glad I was there since he hadn’t seen me since spring and said I looked bigger and that he really liked my film and was looking forward to talking more.”
  • 2026 Ohio linebacker Cam Thomas: “OSU is always a great visit. This time, I was able to see more than I usually do. Being part of the player walk and hearing coach Day address the fans during Skull Session was a cool experience. I feel like the relationship keeps getting better and better. Most of the coaches, especially on the defensive side, definitely know my name and face since I’ve been up there a lot. They tell me I look good in person and on film so keep grinding. My time is coming soon. Definitely a cool experience.”

Byron Louis puts OSU in top 10

An Ohio State running back target in the 2025 class has started to narrow down his recruitment. Four-star Florida prospect Byron Louis released a top-10 list on Sunday consisting of Ohio State, Miami, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, Tennessee, USC, Florida State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. 

Louis, the former high school teammate of Brandon Inniss, visited OSU over the summer. 

“The most appealing thing would most likely be the energy, there’s no negativity here in this building, I love it,” Louis said in June regarding the most appealing thing about potentially playing for Ohio State. “I’ve talked with (Tony Alford) here and there. All great things of course. Always great things. We talk about life, not everything is about football, football is only a small part of it. He’s checking on me making sure my well-being is good and things of that nature.”

In two games this season for American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Louis has run for 177 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns. 

Jeremiah Smith off to a torrid start this season

It’s not surprising five-star 2024 Ohio State wide receiver commit Jeremiah Smith is considered the best wideout in the country after looking at his performance through four games this season. Smith, who has already competed against four high school teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 100, has caught 33 passes for 515 yards with seven touchdowns so far this season. 

His best performance for Chaminade-Madonna High (Hollywood, Florida) came on Sept. 8 when he faced then-No. 19 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) and caught 16 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters of play.

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