Five-star Quarterbacks Tavien St. Clair and Dia Bell, Rising Freshman Phenoms Eric McFarland and Neimann Lawrence Star at Ohio State’s Third Camp As Seven More Offers Go Out

By Garrick Hodge on June 11, 2024 at 7:43 pm
Dia Bell and Tavien St. Clair
Dia Bell and Tavien St. Clair
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Tuesday’s Ohio State recruiting camp was dominated by quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Five-star 2025 quarterback Tavien St. Clair got work in at an OSU camp for a second time this summer and continued to look every bit the part of a future star under center. You’d expect this based on his class and his billing, but it’s still worth mentioning St. Clair was the most polished and accurate signal-caller at camp Tuesday. 

St. Clair told Eleven Warriors he’ll play in a 7-on-7 tournament hosted by Ohio State at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday since he’ll miss next week’s 7-on-7 tournament while competing in the Elite 11 Finals.

That’s not to say there weren’t other prospects that stood out in a big way. Five-star 2026 quarterback Dia Bell was also working out with Chip Kelly and Ryan Day, and made several notable throws and impressed with his arm talent and accuracy. Bell has been a frequent visitor to Columbus over the last year or so and it’s easy to see why OSU is high on the Florida quarterback. 

California 2026 prospect Brady Palmer also was impressive Tuesday and camped with the Buckeyes despite already holding an OSU offer. Palmer’s deep ball was particularly notable late in individual drills and in one-on-ones. 

Meanwhile, fellow quarterback prospect Neimann Lawrence hasn’t even taken a single snap in high school yet but left Columbus with a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Lawrence is the first signal-caller to get an offer from the Buckeyes in the 2028 class and the second prospect overall (we’ll talk about the first in a second). OSU was the third Division I school to offer the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Florida prospect along with Miami and TCU.

“Getting the offer was great,” Lawrence told Eleven Warriors. “I had the mindset to come out there and compete with some of the best guys, like Dia Bell and Tavien St. Clair. (Coach Day) told me that I have a lot of potential and that I’m only a rising freshman but there were a lot of good things that caught his attention. Honestly, it’s a big deal (to get an offer as a freshman), I can see just from the views and things like that from the past two hours. It’s truly a blessing.”

There was no shortage of talented wide receivers on campus, but it almost seems like a disservice to start with anyone other than Eric McFarland.

The Florida prospect was OSU’s first recruit offered in the 2028 cycle and after watching him work out, it’s understandable why Brian Hartline offered him before he ever saw a snap of high school football. McFarland flashed rare speed, athleticism and route running skills during individual drills, which translated into successful rep after successful rep in one-on-ones.

We’re a long way away from having recruiting services rank 2028 prospects, but you can bet McFarland is going to be a top-five recruit nationally when they do. 

Four-star North Carolina 2026 wideout Brody Keefe has been no stranger to Columbus over the last year and was back at OSU Tuesday to get some work in with Hartline. Keefe camped with the Buckeyes a year ago and earned his offer from Hartline, so this time around was much more relaxing.

“I learned a lot from coach Hartline like every time I do when I get up here,” Keefe told Eleven Warriors after the camp. “I felt a lot more comfortable this year and more confident in my ability. Last year I was also just getting started in the recruiting process. I feel a lot more confident this year.” 

Keefe couldn’t participate in competition drills because he was nursing a pulled hamstring from a month ago and starts workouts for his high school on Wednesday, but still enjoyed getting individual work in on Tuesday. Ohio State and Tennessee are the two major players in his recruitment and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. There’s still a while to go in his process, though, as Keefe says he likely won’t commit until next summer. 

Hartline also offered two other 2026 wide receivers on Tuesday, Brayden Robinson and Mike Brown.

Robinson is a four-star prospect from Texas, considered the No. 206 player and the No. 33 wide receiver in the 2026 class per 247Sports’ composite ratings. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound prospect has nearly 35 Division I offers, including Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. 

"It means a lot to have an opportunity to be one of the best wide receivers in the country and play for one of the best wide receiver coaches in the country," Robinson told Eleven Warriors. "Columbus is a great place."

Brown is another Texas product who doesn’t hold a composite ranking as of yet but holds nearly 30 Division I offers. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect already holds a top five and estimates he’ll make a commitment within the next month or so. Brown, a Texas A&M legacy, told Eleven Warriors he’ll choose from Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma and Houston.

“It feels really good,” Brown told Eleven Warriors of getting the offer from OSU. “Ohio State has been one of my top schools that I’ve been wanting an offer from. What drew me to them is how many wide receivers they’ve put in the NFL. They’re doing great with their receiving corps.”

2027 Michigan prospect Dakota Guerrant earned an offer from the Buckeyes after working out with both Hartline and Tim Walton, so it’s feasible he could play either wide receiver or cornerback at the next level. More than 20 schools have already offered the 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete including Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Tennessee. 

Earlier this month, Ohio State landed one of its top running back targets in the 2025 class in Bo Jackson. Tuesday, Keenan Bailey offered his high school teammate, 2027 tight end D’Angelo White. White’s frame is already impressive enough for his age at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, but the Villa Angela-St. Joseph product displayed soft hands and quick acceleration for someone of his build, too. White’s OSU offer was the 10th of his recruitment, adding to an offer that includes the likes of Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Purdue and West Virginia.   

Former NFL running back Clinton Portis’ son, 2026 cornerback Camdin Portis, also picked up an offer from the Buckeyes Tuesday. The 6-foot, 165-pound prospect has nearly 20 Division I offers, including Colorado, Indiana, Miami, Mizzou, NC State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Finally, Washington 2027 linebacker Liufau Loumoli impressed James Laurinaitis enough to earn an offer from OSU, giving the 6-foot-1, 210-pound recruit 16 Division I offers. Other schools that have offered include Arizona State, BYU, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, UCF, USC and Washington.

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