Goodnews: Ohio State Buckeyes set to finalised deal with the fans favorite RB from….read more.
When it comes to another St. Josephs Prep product, the Buckeyes are the clear favorite.
It’s a busy time for Ohio State recruiting, as usual. With just a few percentage points separating them from Notre Dame (who, interestingly, has 21 commits compared to OSU’s 12—ten of whom are three-star prospects) the Buckeyes are presently claiming the No. 2 class in the nation for 2025. Having said that, there is still much to be done even though the foundation for a possible top national class has been established.
Ohio State is pursuing a four-star running back.
Running back is a critical position for the coaching staff in this cycle, as Ohio State will lose both Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson to the NFL following this season. This would mean that freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon are the only two scholarship running backs still on the team. The Buckeyes will therefore probably need to take two players at the position in 2025, and maybe even three.
Although Ohio State has concentrated most of its attention on athletes with established names like Bo Jackson and Jordan Davison, a new running back has entered the race, and the Buckeyes are strongly considering the former Kentucky commit.
After decommitting from the Wildcats on May 13, four-star running back Isaiah West has seemingly been talking exclusively about taking his skills to Columbus ever since. The 5-foot-11 ball carrier from St. Josephs Prep, which recently turned out both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord, has been the target of numerous Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Ohio State over the past week, including ones from On3’s Steve Wiltfong and 247Sports’ Bill Kurelic, an expert on OSU.
In his scouting report on West, Andrew Ivins of 247Sports said the following:
a powerful running back with a good mix of quickness and strength. In addition, Although he might not have a genuine top-end gear, he can maximize yards after contact by applying a hard foot to the gas. Though he could select his lanes a little quicker, he will make quick cutbacks to avoid tacklers both at the second level and close to the line of scrimmage. Usually accepts his job as a pass defender and may use his delicate hands to swing and screen passes to move the chains. ought to be seen as a Power Four impact player with the ability to perform well close to the goal line and convert third downs.
According to 247Sports, West is currently ranked as the No. 204 player in the country and the No. 11 RB. West rushed for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023 while playing for St. Josephs Prep, a 13-1 team that won the PIAA Class 6A state championship. West is ranked No. 7 in the MaxPreps Top 25. Additionally, this past spring, the running back won MVP honors at the Under Armour camp in Baltimore.
Season of spring visits
Ohio State has been busy planning official trips that are planned for this summer. Emmanuel Karmo, a 2025 Minnesota linebacker commit, said over the weekend that he would be visiting Columbus on June 14 for an OV, adding another well-known figure to the Buckeyes’ guest list.
Karmo has four official visits planned, including visits to Ohio State. In addition to Minnesota, the linebacker will visit three other Big Ten schools—Wisconsin, Nebraska, and OSU—that are not part of his current commitment. Karmo, the best player in Minnesota, accepted 18 offers before deciding to commit to the Golden Gophers in-state in April. In April of this year, a Karmo did make an unofficial visit to Columbus, as the Buckeyes had originally proposed back in January.
According to 247Sports Composite, Karmo is presently ranked as the No. 36 LB and No. 341 player in the country. Karmo, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Riley Pettijohn, and other players are on Ohio State’s roster as they search for a third linebacker in this class to join Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee.
It seems like a big weekend for the Buckeyes on June 14, so Karmo won’t be the only one visiting. The quickly expanding guest list now includes 2025 four-star wide receiver Phillip Bell.
According to 247Sports Composite, Bell is the No. 149 player and the No. 16 wide receiver in the country. The 6-foot-2 California native has the Buckeyes scheduled as one of several official visits in the upcoming weeks, along with Washington (May 31), Penn State (June 7), Tennessee (June 18), and USC (June 21). Bell, who also plays basketball and track at Mission Viejo, caught 56 passes for 641 yards and seven touchdowns this past season.
De’Zie Jones is Ohio State’s only committed wide receiver in the 2025 class, but position coach Brian Hartline is still after some big fish. Vernell Brown, Dakorien Moore, and Jamie Ffrench are perhaps the finest prospects in the group; the other two are five-star prospects. However, Bell is a player to watch as Hartline aims to keep bringing premium talent to one of the best position groups in the nation for several years to come.
The two confirmed over the weekend that Ohio State will receive official visits this summer from 2025 three-star OL Andrew Stargel (June 7-9) and 2025 four-star DL Maxwell Roy (June 14). In addition to Bell and Karmo.
