Four Goals for Ohio State on the Recruiting Trail for January

By Garrick Hodge on January 16, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Carter Lowe
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January may be half over, but Ohio State’s work on the recruiting trail has just gotten started.

OSU coaches will be on the road in full force from now until the next dead period begins on Feb. 4, prioritizing key prospects in the 2025 and 2026 cycles. 

With plenty to be done on the recruiting trail in the next few weeks, we take a look at three key recruiting goals for OSU before the month expires.

Finish off the 2024 class by adding Dominic Kirks

This one seems simple enough. Following his official visit to Columbus last weekend, the Buckeyes were comfortable enough to finally pull the trigger and offer four-star Ohio defensive end Dominic Kirks.

Kirks, considered the 251st-ranked prospect nationally and the 33rd-ranked defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle per 247Sports' composite rankings, decommitted from Washington right before starting his official visit in Columbus and is expected to sign on Feb. 7. 

Where he'll sign is still to be determined, but right now all the momentum is trending toward Ohio State landing the in-state target. It's unclear if Kirks will take any further visits before deciding within the next three weeks, but considering OSU only signed two defensive linemen in the 2024 cycle, Kirks would be a welcome addition as the Buckeyes' 21st commitment in the class.

Win key recruitments in the 2025 class

A priority target for Ohio State will announce his commitment next week. Five-star cornerback Dorian Brew will announce his decision on Jan. 24, his mother’s birthday, and choose from a final five of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and Texas. 

Nearly a week out from Brew’s decision date, the Buckeyes are seen as the frontrunner for the impact prospect. Brew is from Ohio originally but moved with his family to Texas during the fall. 

“I grew up watching Ohio State, my mom ran track and she’s in the (Ohio State Athletics) Hall of Fame,” Brew said in June. “It’s been one of my dream schools for the longest time. It’s crazy I’m getting recruited and building that great relationship with coach Tim Walton.”

If OSU can land Brew, it would give the Buckeyes two five-star cornerbacks committed for the current cycle (Brew and Devin Sanchez) and another top-100 prospect in Blake Woodby. That’s a Brian Hartline-esque haul for Tim Walton, who has emerged as a top recruiter on OSU’s staff.

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But Brew may not be the only priority 2025 prospect announcing a decision in January. Four-star Ohio 2025 offensive tackle Carter Lowe had considered shutting down his recruitment last fall but decided to prolong his process. Lowe’s recruitment could soon be coming to an end as the Toledo resident may commit before the month is over, per various reports.

Should Lowe pull the trigger early, that’s likely good news for Ohio State, who have long been seen as the frontrunner for the 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle. Lowe visited Ohio State countless times during the fall, even as other bluebloods in the sport such as Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee heavily pursued him. 

Landing Lowe would be a terrific start for the Buckeyes at arguably the most important position of need in this recruiting cycle. In the past few classes, OSU has swung and missed at recruiting top-end offensive tackle talent. Keeping Lowe, a top-100 prospect, in-state is an important start in a crucial recruiting cycle for offensive line coach Justin Frye.

Continue to monitor the transfer portal for any impactful additions 

Ohio State has already made crucial additions via the transfer portal for next season, including quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, center Seth McLaughlin and tight end Will Kacmarek. 

But there still could be room for further additions. Based on the roster as it stands, there could be a need for another offensive lineman, a safety and perhaps a linebacker. Identifying which current portal entries are a fit for OSU is another task entirely, but with transfer portal windows continuing to open for schools changing coaches in the coaching carousel spurred by Nick Saban’s retirement, there could be further players that hit the portal that would have been completely unexpected as of a week ago. 

One player who could fit OSU’s needs that is already in the portal is Washington offensive lineman Parker Brailsford. Brailsford is a tad undersized at 6-foot-2 and 275 pounds, but had a terrific redshirt freshman season for the Huskies in which he started the first two games at right guard and the final 13 at center. 

Per Pro Football Focus’ grades, Brailsford earned an overall mark of 77.8 for the 2023 season, grading out at 80 in pass blocking and 80.8 in run blocking. He was part of a Washington offensive line that earned the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the best offensive line in the nation. He’d have three years of eligibility remaining. 

Maybe the logical fit for Brailsford is Alabama considering Kalen DeBoer is now there, but Brailsford could be an upgrade on the interior offensive line for OSU.

Ohio State — and frankly, probably every other Power Five team in the country — are also watching with vested interest to see if Alabama freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs will enter the transfer portal. Downs’ decision on his future could reportedly come as soon as Tuesday. 

Whether it’s in the next couple of weeks or in the post-spring transfer window, it’s likely Ohio State isn’t quite done adding transfer players to its 2024 roster yet.

Set the tone for the next cycle

How Ohio State spends its next few weeks in the active period will be crucial, because the next dead period lasts from Feb. 4 until March 4, near the time when spring football will begin for the Buckeyes. 

OSU coaches have been busy stopping in to see top prospects since they were allowed to get back on the road Friday. Ryan Day and James Laurinaitis took a trip to Florida to see priority linebacker target Tarvos Alford on Tuesday, while Frye went down to Georgia to visit four-star offensive tackle Mason Short, who decommitted from Alabama shortly after the trip.

While Laurinaitis remains a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes, he is allowed to be on the road recruiting right now because OSU is down one assistant coach with the firing of Parker Fleming. Ohio State has designated Laurinaitis to fill in temporarily, which is allowed by the NCAA.    

In addition to making trips to visit prospects, the Buckeyes are expected to host a large contingent of juniors and sophomores on campus on Saturday, which could further strengthen relationships with prospective targets. 

Prospects expected to be in attendance include Preston Bowman, Marquise Davis, Nate Roberts, Tavien St. Clair, Eli Lee, Blake Woodby, Cal Thrush, Jared Curtis, Payton Cook, Justen Hodge, Cincere Johnson, Maxwell Riley, Will Conroy, Elbert Hill, Cody Haddad, Chris Newell Jr. and Shahn Alston.

We’ll have a full breakdown of the visitor list in Friday’s Hurry-Up.

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