Ohio State's final commit for the 2024 class is now officially in the fold.
Its official #GoBucks https://t.co/1G76AYTTO0
— Dominic DK Kirks (@Domkirks) February 7, 2024
Four-star Ohio defensive lineman Dominic Kirks signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, giving the Buckeyes 21 signees to complete their current cycle (22 if you count freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, who transferred in from Alabama).
The Kirks File
- Class: 2024
- Size: 6-4/255
- Pos: DE
- School: Riverside (Painesville, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #162 (#24 DL)
Kirks' recruitment with Ohio State was very off and on for most of his senior season, but things picked up steam in December and culminated in early January with Kirks taking an official visit to Columbus. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive lineman had been committed to Washington since June, but when Kalen DeBoer bolted for Alabama following Nick Saban's retirement, opting to play for his hometown team instead was a no-brainer for Kirks.
OSU didn't officially offer Kirks until his official visit in January, then the Painesville resident committed a week later on Jan. 20. The Buckeyes had to fend off USC and a few other schools that pursued Kirks late in the cycle, but OSU was always the team to beat for him once things started to become unclear with Washington.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | ★★★★★ | #1 NATL | #1 WR | 6-3 | 198 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Opa Locka, Florida) |
| DL | EDDRICK HOUSTON | ★★★★★ | #26 NATL | #7 DL | 6-3 | 265 | Buford (Buford, Georgia) |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | ★★★★★ | #33 NATL | #7 WR | 6-1 | 170 | New Haven (New Haven, Indiana) |
| CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | ★★★★★ | #36 NATL | #6 CB | 6-0| 170 | Springfield (Springfield, Ohio) |
| QB | AIR NOLAND | ★★★★★ | #56 NATL | #4 QB | 6-3 | 195 | Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | ★★★★ | #64 NATL | #9 CB | 5-11 | 177 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | ★★★★ | #114 NATL | #8 RB | 5-10 | 192 | Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Texas) |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | ★★★★ | #140 NATL | #10 LB | 6-0 | 195 | Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH) |
| DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | ★★★★ | #162 NATL | #24 DL | 6-4 | 255 | Riverside (Painesville, Ohio) |
| OT | IAN MOORE | ★★★★ | #165 NATL | #5 IOL | 6-5 | 295 | New Palestine (New Palestine, Indiana) |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | ★★★★ | #203 NATL | #15 LB | 6-1 | 225 | Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) |
| TE | MAX LEBLANC | ★★★★ | #256 NATL | #14 TE | 6-4 | 222 | Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tennessee) |
| OL | GABE VANSICKLE | ★★★★ | #281 NATL | #18 IOL | 6-5 | 283 | Coopersville (Coopersville, MI) |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | ★★★★ | #368 NATL | #35 S | 6-0 | 185 | Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | ★★★★ | #397 NATL | #33 CB | 5-10 | 185 | Basha (Chandler, AZ) |
| OT | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #405 NATL | #34 OT | 6-6 | 280 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| OL | DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #440 NATL | #29 IOL | 6-5 | 297 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| TE | DAMARION WITTEN | ★★★★ | #460 NATL | #28 TE | 6-4 | 215 | Glenville (Cleveland, OH) |
| RB | SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | ★★★ | #658 NATL | #48 ATH | 5-11 | 203 | Pickerington North (Columbus, OH) |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | ★★★ | #788 NATL | #90 DL | 6-3 | 290 | Mountain View (Stafford, VA) |
| S | LEROY ROKER | ★★★ | #824 NATL | #88 S | 6-1 | 170 | Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, FL) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Kirks is considered the 162nd-ranked prospect and the 24th-best defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle. He'll begin his career at Ohio State at defensive end, but has the frame to move inside if necessary. Being a February signee, he'll enroll at OSU in June.
"It's interesting because coach Larry Johnson reminded him that when he comes to OSU, he doesn't have to worry about bulking up at this point in time," Riverside coach Dave Bors told Eleven Warriors in January when asked what position he envisions Kirks playing at the next level. "That'll evolve and take care of itself. But he wanted him in shape and to hit the ground running. His weight that he's at right now is totally fine with Ohio State. They want to see how his feet improve, his hips and his flexibility, his use of hands and things like that. Once they see what he can do with their tutelage, then they'll decide 'Alright, we have this guy that can do this, we'll put another 25 on him then move him inside' or 'We really like what we've been doing with him on the outside, we'll keep him here and tweak the things we think he needs to tweak.' I could see it either way."
Kirks could be in line for a redshirt year as a summer enrollee with seven other scholarship defensive ends on the roster, but Bors believes “the ceiling is very high” for Kirks as he develops.
“There's a lot that he can work on and he knows he can work on it,” Bors said. “He's such a gifted athlete right now, but that's a very positive development.”
Kirks' addition gives the Buckeyes a third defensive lineman in the 2024 class, where the in-state product joins three-star defensive tackle Eric Mensah and five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston.
