Five-Stars, Future Five-Stars and Ohio State Commits Put Their Talent on Display in the Buckeyes’ Final Skill Camp of the Summer

By Garrick Hodge on June 17, 2025 at 7:16 pm
Brian Hartline
Eric McFarland and Brian Hartline
8 Comments

Ohio State’s fifth and final recruiting camp of the summer brought a special collection of talent to Columbus.

I’ll try to avoid recency bias and will hold off on calling it the most talented group of athletes who worked out at OSU at any camp I've seen as I enter my fifth season covering the team, but it’s on the Mount Rushmore for sure. 

Tuesday’s camp saw five-stars, borderline five-stars and kids who most certainly will be five-stars in the future all work out together in different position groups, along with plenty of other talented blue-chip players. OSU had offered 10 new players in total as of early Tuesday evening, the second time this summer the Buckeyes hit double-digit offers.

If you’re looking for standouts from Tuesday who will suit up for the scarlet and gray, two of the Buckeyes’ commitments from the 2026 class worked out with OSU at the camp: Running back Favour Akih and safety Simeon Caldwell. Akih already took his official visit to Columbus and wanted to get some work in with Carlos Locklyn, while Caldwell will take his official visit this weekend. 

Speaking of Locklyn, all indications are pointing toward Tennessee standout David Gabriel Georges being at the top of his board for the 2027 cycle.

Gabriel Georges has electric speed, but also the ability to run you over with his sturdy 6-foot, 205-pound frame. 

James Laurinaitis had his likely top target for 2027 on campus, too, as four-star Florida prospect Kaden Henderson led the way in what was a pretty loaded linebacker contingent on campus. Henderson is ranked as the No. 2 linebacker in the 2027 class but it’s a good bet OSU views him even higher than that.

“I think I did pretty good,” Henderson told Eleven Warriors after the camp. “I need to improve in a couple spots but overall it was a great workout.” 

We don’t often feature too many prospects several classes away in the intro to these camp recaps, but we’re going to make an exception today. 2028  Florida standouts Eric McFarland and Neimann Lawrence will be household names in the near future. 

McFarland, one of the most talented receivers in the country regardless of class, earned his offer a year ago from Brian Hartline without ever playing a single down of high school football. For two summers in a row, he’s backed up that billing. He’s already started to form a bond with OSU players, as he spent a lot of time with the likes of Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate and Devin Sanchez while at camp. There’s a long way to go in his recruitment, but he’s shaping up as a must-get player. 

Lawrence, a quarterback, was the best signal caller of the day. Like McFarland, he showcased why Ryan Day offered him last summer before he took a snap in high school. He has the makings of a future five-star prospect and he’ll be at or near the top of the Buckeyes’ 2028 quarterback board.

Indiana three-star wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford is the lone uncommitted wideout in the 2026 class who’s taking an official visit to Ohio State this summer. Ahead of his official visit this weekend, Guilford was at OSU to work out with Hartline and showcase that he’s worthy of Ohio State taking a fifth wide receiver this cycle. Guilford looked impressive on the field, so we’ll have to see how this weekend and the days that follow play out ahead of his commitment date on June 27.

10 new offers go out

  • Three-star 2027 safety Angelo Smith: The younger brother of some guy named Jeremiah Smith.
  • Three-star 2027 wide receiver Bryan Porter: In keeping with the trend Tuesday, the Buckeyes also offered Quincy Porter’s younger brother.
  • Five-star 2027 wide receiver Kesean Bowman: Bowman’s first two catches in one-on-ones showcased the type of receiver he is, as the 6-foot, 174-pound Tennessee product completed a contested snag in his first rep and made a diving catch in his second attempt. Hartline has worked out no shortage of talented wideouts over the past few weeks and Bowman certainly has a place among them.
  • Four-star 2027 cornerback Tavares Harrington: Harrington was one of the best cornerbacks of the day, and the Buckeyes joined blue bloods such as Alabama and Notre Dame and offered Harrington, a top-90 prospect in his cycle. 
  • Four-star 2027 wide receiver Braylon Calais: A ton of Louisiana’s best prospects have camped at OSU this summer. Count Calais among them, as the 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect ranked within the top 110 players in his class dazzled Hartline enough to earn an offer from the Buckeyes.
  • Four-star 2027 linebacker Noah Glover: A Virginia product, Glover impressed Laurinaitis enough in drills and one-on-one competition to walk away from Columbus with an offer in hand. He’s a top-250 prospect and one of the better linebackers in his class.
  • Three-star 2027 safety Kenaz Sullivan: Another Virginia standout, Sullivan held his own against a strong crop of wide receivers throughout the day, leading to Ryan Day and Matt Guerrieri offering the 6-foot, 180-pound prospect.
  • Three-star 2027 safety Malakai Taufoou: A lot of West Coast schools have offered the 6-foot-2, 175-pound California product but the Buckeyes saw enough on Tuesday to officially enter his recruitment. 
  • Texas 2028 wide receiver Damarion Mays: The 6-foot-3, 184-pound Mays was another impressive athlete in a loaded receiver group and adds OSU to his offer sheet which already includes plenty of Power Four teams.
  • Kentucky 2028 cornerback Grayden Reid: Reid looks like he’ll be in the mix to be one of the best cornerbacks in his class. He now has offers from OSU, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee and more.

Other news

  • Larry Johnson offered four-star North Carolina defensive end Rashad Streets earlier Tuesday morning, who was supposed to camp at OSU on Tuesday but couldn’t make it to campus due to flight issues. Johnson decided to offer the top-65 prospect anyway.
  • This was the best offensive line group Tyler Bowen had on campus, with guys like Cameron Wagner and Sean Tatum seeing meaningful reps. Bowen had already offered both, but it’s always nice to see kids go out of their way to reciprocate that interest.
  • While I believe Henderson might be Ohio State’s top target at linebacker for 2027, Roman Igwebuike isn’t too far behind, as he looked mighty impressive Tuesday. In-state 2028 linebacker Judah Blair figures to be a target for the Buckeyes down the road, and he also had a nice day.
  • 2028 Florida wide receiver Peter Pierre, who received an offer from Ohio State in January, has all the makings of a future star in his recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound standout hails from the same high school as Jeremiah Smith.
  • Ohio State will welcome one more group of prospects to campus on Wednesday when it hosts its last of three 7-on-7 tournaments this month.
8 Comments

Watch Greg Oden, D'Angelo Russell and Plethora of Ohio State Veterans Work Out With Current Team

D'Angelo Russell

Freshman Phenoms and Rivalry Heartache: Comparing Ohio State's 2024 National Championship to Others in School History

Jeremiah Smith and Maurice Clarett
View 8 Comments