Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class: 24 thoughts and things to know (2024)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class is set to put pen to paper, officially ending the frantic recruiting cycle.

With 21 commits in the class, the next set of Buckeyes are set to join the program in January. Here are 24 thoughts and things to know about the 2024 recruiting class:

1. The class is very, very talented

For as much bad news as there’s been in the last month about the landscape of Ohio State recruiting, the Buckeyes are still set to bring in a very good group of freshmen.

As it stood on Tuesday night, Ohio State had the No. 2 class in the country behind only Georgia. Even if Alabama makes a move, it’d be hard to complain about a top four/five recruiting class.

2. Jeremiah Smith might be the best Ohio State receiver recruit ever

Strictly from a recruiting sense, it’s hard to imagine a more polished high school player than Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit. Now he’s joining a Buckeye roster that has four and five-stars loaded all over the receiver room.

Per the 247Sports all-time commits, he’s ranked just behind Quinn Ewers and Terrelle Pryor, and just ahead of Ted Ginn J.

3. Air Noland is probably the most important part of this class

Air Noland, per the rankings, is just the fifth-ranked player in the class.

But as a five-star quarterback, and considering the depth chart currently at Ohio State, his development and role in the offense is just as big a part of the future as anything is.

4. And Noland might be ready to play sooner rather than later

Noland played at Langston Hughes high school in Georgia, one of the most talent rich states, in Class 6-A, one of the toughest divisions in the entire state. If there’s someone who won’t have a learning curve because of competition, it’s Noland.

5. James Peoples might play right away

There’s talent, and there’s opportunity. And James Peoples, the No. 95 player in the class, has the talent and the opportunity to see the field immediately — especially if TreVeyon Henderson leaves for the NFL. Keep an eye on Peoples.

6. Ohio State’s corner room stays local

Ohio State earned commitments from the Nos. 1 and 2 players in Ohio in Aaron Scott and Bryce West, both cornerbacks. It was a massive swing for the secondary for the Buckeyes.

7. Ohio State’s defensive line class is teetering on disaster

Ohio State once had five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott, who since flipped to Miami. Now, the Buckeyes are trying to keep five-star Eddrick Houston.

In terms of quality and quantity, the Buckeyes need both Houston and three-star Eric Mensah — and then maybe some more.

8. ... And if Ohio State’s defensive front does end that way, the Buckeyes have major holes to fill

If Ohio State pulls in just one player in the 2024 class on the defensive front, it will likely set in motion a need to add in the transfer portal in the coming weeks, months and years to fill that gap. That’s not a place you want to be.

9. An underrated player to watch: Miles Lockhart

Miles Lockhart (No. 368) is the third member of the cornerback room behind Scott and West, but keep an eye out for what he can do in the slot. There could be a role for him to find the field early on.

10. Ohio State’s most intriguing development project: Damarion Witten

Damarion Witten, No. 454, doesn’t fit the mold of a “traditional” tight end, but the high school receiver from Glenville High School in Cleveland has all the traits to be a field-stretcher for Ohio State. If he hits, he will be a massive matchup problem for opposing defenses.

11. Twinning on the offensive line

Ohio State is bringing in a set of twins along the offensive line in Deontae (No. 427) and Devontae (No. 462) Armstrong out of St. Edward in Lakewood. Expect to hear this story dozens and dozens of times in the next four to five years.

12. Family relations

The Armstrong twins aren’t the only family ties, as linebacker commit Garrett Stover (No. 105) is the cousin of current Ohio State tight end Cade Stover.

13. Safety recruiting leaves questions

Ohio State has two safety commits in the class in Jaylen McClain, No. 270, and Leroy Roker, No. 1,176.

The Buckeyes swung and missed on five-star safety K.J. Bolden, meaning that they’ll have to get positive impacts out of that duo or else the safety room could be in trouble. If Lathan Ransom departs for the NFL, the safety-driven defense will only have eight defensive players on scholarship.

14. Yes, there is a specialist!

Ohio State is set to bring in Morrow Evans as a preferred walk-on longsnapper.

Evans, from Bellaire, Texas, is ranked as the No. 1 longsnapper in the 2024 class by 247Sports.

15. Sam Williams-Dixon is an intriguing option

Sam Williams-Dixon is truly being recruited by Ohio State as an athlete.

A three-star recruit and the No. 594 player in the nation, he’ll start out as a running back before the Buckeyes decide where he’ll fit best on the roster. The Pickerington North-product will have some options.

16. Ohio State’s cornerback recruiting is elite

The Buckeyes have brought in two top 50 players in Scott and West, and Lockhart, in the class. A year ago, they signed Jermaine Mathews Jr. (No. 51) and Calvin-Simpson Hunt (No. 62) in the nation. Looked ahead to the 2025 class, they hold a commitment from Blake Woodby, No. 76 overall, and they’re sitting pretty with five-star Devin Sanchez.

In terms of positional recruiting on the roster, wide receiver is clearly the best. But then, cornerback might have a case to be next.

17. Ian Moore is the headliner of the offensive line class

Ian Moore, from New Palestine, Indiana, will headline the offensive line class as the No. 138 overall player. He’ll start at offensive tackle when he gets to Columbus, a position that the Buckeyes sorely need to start hitting on.

18. Flip candidates might be needed

Ohio State is working on flipping safety Koi Perich from Minnesota and defensive lineman Amaris Williams from Florida, and both come from positions that the Buckeyes not only need supplemental talent, but bodies, too.

Adding Perich and Williams to the class would go a long way to rounding out the defensive side of the ball, both in quality and quantity.

19. Brian Hartline does it again

Hartline bringing in three top 50 players was impressive enough, but the fact that he did so with three out-of-state players is another notch on his belt for what he can bring to a coaching staff.

And considering the pressure Smith was under to stay home and play for a program in Florida, he deserves props for keeping Smith in the class.

20. Tim Walton deserves oodles of praise

Hartline isn’t the only one deserving of praise, as Ohio State cornerbacks coach Tim Walton has done a stellar job in the last few classes to bring good talent into the position.

Now, Ohio State’s cornerback room is talented, deep and well-equipped to handle the loss of any NFL talent.

21. The offensive line will have time to grow

Many will look at the star ratings for Ohio State’s offensive line class and worry. Fear not — or, at least not yet.

Sta rankings, especially along the offensive line, are not everything. For offensive lines, it typically takes two to three years to get a gauge on how good, or bad, a particular class is.

22. The top trio of college football still lingers

The top three recruiting classes headed into Wednesday were: Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama.

Ho-hum. The rich stay rich, as the top-tier talent in college football still decides to play its college football at the known names.

23. This class still leaves similar questions about Ohio State’s recruiting

For as good as Ohio State’s class is, there are still questions about the offensive line and its ability to bring in high-quality talent (for example, not signing five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton), and the defensive line recruiting as a whole (stay tuned for Houston’s decision).

The worry amongst fans for years has been that the classes are good enough on the edges, but the defensive classes don’t have enough juice and the offensive line recruiting has not been good enough.

If a few things go awry for Ohio State on Wednesday, then those same questions will persist.

24. Still, the class is good enough to be part of a national championship team

But either way, Ohio State still has a bevy of talent joining the program, and that should be exciting for a team that needs some excitement.

The Buckeyes are bringing in the No. 1 player in the nation, and the most talented trio of receivers of any program. There’s a five-star quarterback and a supremely talented duo of cornerbacks to go along with a five-star defensive end.

There’s still excitement about what this class is, and what it can be.

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