3-2-1: 2022 class gets stronger, five-star DB is offered by Ohio State

In this recruiting-themed edition of "3-2-1," which is presented by Infinit Nutrition, BuckeyeGrove takes a look at some of the most recent news relating to Ohio State basketball and football recruiting.

Down below, we talk about three things we learned recently, a couple of questions that we still have and dish out one bold prediction about Ohio State's recruiting efforts in this month.

Some of the topics below include an assessment of the Buckeyes' 2022 recruiting efforts, a five-star defensive back who was recently offered, expected commitment total for this cycle and more.

1. The 2022 class keeps on getting stronger

Ohio State has never landed a No. 1 class in the Rivals.com era.

Well, the way things are shaping up, it appears as if they can accomplish that feat in back-to-back cycles.

On Wednesday, the Buckeyes landed a commitment from another Rivals250 prospect, with their latest addition being Benji Gosnell. Gosnell, who was considering the in-state North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida Gators as well, is the fifth-ranked tight end in the nation.

I am going to get into more details about how Ohio State’s 2022 class can get even more elite, but it’s currently on an impressive pace. Although they have the same number of commits as LSU, the Buckeyes have 168 more total points than the Tigers have.

Also, the average star rating of their commits is 4, which goes to show that they are recruiting a number of quality juniors. A half-dozen of their commits reside in the Rivals250, with three of them being top-25 prospects.

Ohio State fans will also like how well the program is doing in comparison to Big Ten East rival Penn State. The Nittany Lions also have seven commits in their 2022 class, but only have 792 total points and their average star rating is 3.71.

There is still a lot of work to be done for Ryan Day and company, though it’s hard not to believe they are on pace for the top class next year. They are done with recruiting tight ends and almost done at linebacker, and are trending for several elite prospects on both sides of the ball.

2. Closing out the year with a bang

If all goes well, Christmas could be arriving early for Ohio State and Buckeye Nation as a whole.

Just over a week ago, a handful of FutureCast predictions were submitted in the program’s favor for Domani Jackson. Jackson is the second-ranked overall junior in the country, and would be a massive pickup for the Buckeyes.

I took a look at every player from Mater Dei High School in our recruiting service’s history (dating back to the early 2000s), and Ohio State has never signed a prospect from there. Mater Dei produces coveted recruits on a yearly basis (they currently have Rivals100 seniors Jaylin Davies and Raesjon Davis), and establishing a presence there could prove beneficial in the future.

On Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, 16 predictions flowed in for the Buckeyes to land Quinn Ewers, the top-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2022 cycle. The program already has a commitment from Kyle McCord and signed C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller last year, but this would be a game-changer if Ewers commits to Ohio State.

I say this because the Buckeyes have done well recruiting in Texas; a commitment from Ewers, however, could elevate them to another level. Ewers would figure to be a strong voice on the trail and convince some other top Lone Star State prospects, such as Caleb Burton, Denver Harris, Kam Dewberry and/or Keithian Alexander, to team up with him at the next level.

Speaking of Burton, the FutureCast currently has Ohio State at 100 percent in his recruitment. While Ohio State was hoping to once again strike gold in St. Louis and add Luther Burden to the fold, adding Burton would somewhat make up for the loss of Burden to the Sooners.

Looking elsewhere, Shawn Murphy and Xavier Nwankpa are other players to keep an eye on. Nothing is a guarantee in the world of recruiting, but the juniors listed above are trending toward the Buckeyes and, potentially, could commit sooner rather than later.

What would be one of the top additions if this was to happen, however, would be Derrick Davis joining the fold. Davis, the fourth-ranked safety out of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is seen by most as a Penn State lean, but I’m starting to give the edge to Ohio State.

He’s done an excellent job of keeping things under wraps, so we’ll see what transpires this upcoming Saturday. If Davis does commit to OSU, however, then that would mean the program will have arguably the top DB class in the country and they would have beaten out Penn State for yet another Pennsylvania-based recruit in this cycle.

We’ll certainly be keeping our Twitter notifications on and will have continued coverage at BuckeyeGrove.

3. Ohio State offers a five-star defensive back

While writing this piece, the Buckeyes became the latest program to dish out an offer to Jacksonville, Florida, cornerback Jaheim Singletary. Singletary is the No. 5 overall junior in the nation, and is the third-ranked player at his position as well.

I have my FutureCast prediction in for Singletary to end up at Florida, but that was submitted a while back. The expectation was that he would commit to the Gators in the spring, but LSU offering him in February seemingly delayed his decision.

Even though UF continued to be seen as the favorite, Singletary wound up releasing a top eight last month, which features Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma and Tennessee. This indicates to me that his recruitment is still far from over and that he is still in the evaluation process.

That’s worth noting as Ohio State could certainly squeeze into this group and become a real contender for Singletary down the road. The Buckeyes have had success dipping into Jacksonville in recent years as they’ve signed Marcus Crowley (2019), Tyreke Johnson (2018) and Shaun Wade (2017).

There’s not much more to add here as Singletary just received the offer, but I should be able to speak with him soon, so be on the lookout for an update on the highly sought-after junior.

1. How many players will Ohio State sign in 2021?

A lot of focus has been placed on the Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts in next year’s cycle, and for good reason. Even so, the program is still putting in the work to close their 2021 class out on a strong note.

I already mentioned Davis above, but we know they are putting in the work for Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloa and Tristan Leigh. There is a contender for an offer down the line – four-star wideout Markus Allen, so we’ll also throw his name into the mix as he continues to stay in touch with Brian Hartline and company.

I am continuing to give the edge to Ohio State for Egbuka and Tuimoloau, but their recruitments are admittedly difficult to dissect. Each of them, including their family members, have been low-key and rarely conduct interviews. In fact, Egbuka’s father told me his son is focused solely on training and school, with recruiting being on the back-burner for him.

A lot of this also will depend on what the NCAA decides to do with the dead period. If they decide to extend it again, that is a blow to the Buckeyes in terms of their chances of landing Tuimoloau. It somewhat hurts with Egbuka, but he’s already been to the campus twice and is familiar with the entire coaching staff; Tuimoloau, on the other hand, has never made the trek to Columbus.

One has to wonder if an extension of the dead period would push Tuimoloau to stay closer to home, such as the University of Washington or University of Oregon, instead of signing with a program that is thousands of miles away from where he lives.

As for Leigh, LSU and Oklahoma – the Sooners, in particular – are the two apparent top schools in his recruitment. The five-star offensive tackle not being able to attend the Buckeye Bash was definitely a significant blow, so a return trip to Ohio State is going to be crucial here.

Based on how everything is trending, I’m going with 23 as my answer for this question. It’s somewhat of a low number, but I believe the Buckeyes will bounce back with 25-26 commits in next year’s cycle.

2. Where do things stand with five-star point guard Bruce Thornton?

This past weekend, Chris Holtmann and his staff received excellent news from the only lead guard they have offered in the 2022 class. On Sunday, five-star point guard Bruce Thornton unveiled his top five, which featured Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue.

Thornton is one of the top overall juniors in the nation, and even though he resides in the Southeast, there is definitely an appeal to him when it comes to playing in the Big Ten.

Thornton describes himself as a leader on the court and someone who values chemistry as an integral aspect of a team's success. His highlight tape also shows he can attack the rim and finish at different angles, as well as pull up for mid-range jump shots.

It is tough to say exactly where things stand in his recruitment, but Alabama and Georgia are definitely heavy players. In our previous conversation with Thornton, however, he had high praise for the Buckeyes and the effort with which they play with.

"They're very, very disciplined. They're very detail-oriented," Thornton previously said when describing Holtmann's team. "Just knowing every little detail matters and they get after it. I just know that every time I see them play on the TV, they're always 110 percent. So, that's a big plus. And they win. I'm a big winner. Doesn't matter what you do, you got to get the job done and win."

Thornton would be a big-time addition for Ohio State, but the next step will be to get him on campus for a visit. The dead period will prevent a normal recruiting trip from occurring for the rest of year, but expect Columbus to be one of Thornton's first stops when it's time for him to get on the road again.

Between their 2021 and 2022 cycles, the Buckeyes have landed six commitments since Aug. 1.

So, this may qualify as my boldest prediction yet.

Just based on what I've seen publicly from the program's 2022 commits, what I am hearing behind the scenes and how Ohio State is dominating on the field, I believe they can have a very special November.

I will not say specifically who I believe will commit to them this month, but Gosnell will count toward that total. So, over the next three or so weeks, I am expecting the Buckeyes to add a handful of commits, which could be a historic run considering the amount of top talent that may join the fold.

Ohio State's run earlier this year in the spring was special, but they could take things to a whole other level in November.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.