Nate Roberts, Carter Lowe, Marquise Davis and Justin Hill Among Top Targets Visiting Ohio State This Weekend

By Garrick Hodge on January 19, 2024 at 8:35 am
Nate Roberts
Nate Roberts
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A massive recruiting weekend for Ohio State is on deck.

The Buckeyes will host a flurry of top prospects from the 2025 and 2026 classes on campus this weekend in what will be the biggest recruiting event in Columbus between now and the start of spring football. 

With no shortage of premier prospects making their way to campus this weekend, we take a look at some of the most intriguing storylines surrounding the weekend.

Top 2025 TE target Nate Roberts makes his return to campus

Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey isn't leaving much mystery as to who his top target is for the 2025 cycle.

Bailey visited four-star prospect Nate Roberts earlier this week in Oklahoma, and now the 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect will return the favor by visiting Columbus for the first time since September.

Roberts’ last visit came for the Western Kentucky game and he spent a decent chunk of time with OSU quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair, who is also expected to be in Columbus this weekend. 

Though Ohio State is the favorite to land Roberts, it's probably too early to be on commitment watch this weekend. Roberts plans on visiting Oregon on Feb. 2, and his hometown Sooners are also still very much in this recruitment. But another successful trip with the OSU coaching staff would go a long way toward the Buckeyes eventually winning this recruitment.

Buckeyes hosting trio of important 2025 in-state standouts

Three priority uncommitted in-state 2025 targets are making their way to campus this weekend: Running back Marquise Davis, offensive tackle Carter Lowe and linebacker/defensive end Justin Hill, all four-star prospects ranked among Ohio’s top seven players in the class.

Davis was one of the best players in Ohio in his junior season, in which he ran for more than 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Cleveland Heights product has received significant interest from Michigan (among many others), so Ohio State has to continue to show him he's a priority.

Lowe may commit before the end of the month, so the need for a successful visit from Ohio State's end is apparent. There may not be a bigger position of need in the 2025 class than landing a premier offensive tackle, and Lowe certainly fits that bill. While Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are all schools Lowe is high on, the Buckeyes should be in the pole position for the No. 85 overall prospect ahead of his announcement. 

Hill is a versatile prospect who could play either linebacker or defensive end in college, and getting him back on campus is a win for Jim Knowles and James Laurinaitis. This weekend could serve as an opportunity for the pair to strengthen their relationship with the Winton Woods standout and for Ohio State to emerge as the favorite in his recruitment.

Flurry of 2026 Ohio prospects set to arrive on campus

A trio of talented teammates from Archbishop Hoban in the 2026 class are expected to be at OSU this weekend: Cornerback Elbert Hill, offensive tackle Sam Greer and wide receiver Payton Cook. Cook is the only prospect of the three without an OSU offer, but he impressed while at the Buckeyes' recruiting camp in June and has offers from six Power Four (still feels weird to say) programs.

Five-star offensive tackle Maxwell Riley should also be in attendance, marking yet another trip to OSU for the Avon Lake product. Considering he'll be one of the top offensive tackles in the 2026 class (along with Greer), the Buckeyes are certainly happy that Riley continues making frequent visits to OSU early in his recruitment.

Cleveland offensive lineman Will Conroy is another intriguing prospect for 2026, as he holds offers from Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State and Oregon. He'll hope to add an OSU offer to that list this weekend. The same goes for linebacker Cincere Johnson, who could be the next Glenville product to one day play for the Buckeyes.

Jared Curtis cancels visit

The weekend's visitor list was supposed to include the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, but five-star Tennessee quarterback Jared Curtis canceled his scheduled trip to Columbus for this weekend. Between projected snowfall in Columbus and the hiring of Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator in addition to former quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis taking a new role with OSU, both parties felt it would be better to reschedule for another weekend.

Per 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong, Ryan Day and Curtis are expected to speak soon about the staff change. Wiltfong also flipped his Crystal Ball projection for Curtis from Ohio State to Georgia, which seems significant with Curtis potentially committing in the next month or so. 

Kirks expected back on campus

This weekend isn't only about future recruiting classes. Ohio State's lone remaining target in the 2024 class, four-star defensive end Dominic Kirks, is expected back on campus this weekend one week after taking an official visit to OSU, which resulted in him finally earning an offer from the Buckeyes. With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, a second visit in as many weeks from Kirks likely spells future good news for the Buckeyes with the talented in-state pass rusher.

Should he eventually commit to the Buckeyes, it would give them three defensive linemen for the 2024 class, along with Eddrick Houston and Eric Mensah. 

With the visits about to get underway, we've compiled a complete expected visitors list for the weekend below (commits bolded): 

2024

2025

2026

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