Buckeyes make good first impression on four-star tight end

Ohio State is likely going to take a pair of tight ends in the 2021 recruiting class and one prospect that the Buckeyes have been in regular communication with since September is Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian's Country Day standout Louis Hansen. Hansen made his first visit to Ohio State last week when the Buckeyes hosted Penn State.

"The atmosphere was wild," said Hansen. "It was my first game at one of the huge stadiums. When I got to the stadium at 8 AM, there were already thousands of people there tailgating. It felt like the whole town shut down for the game. The facilities and coaches were all awesome, too. Everyone was very welcoming."

Hansen has been communicating with both tight ends coach Kevin Wilson and head coach Ryan Day over the past few months. Though no offer has been put forth by the Buckeyes, Hansen was able to get in to Columbus a day early and continue to build his relationship with the two coaches who have served as his primary recruiters to this point.

"There wasn't really discussion about an offer, but I did get a chance to meet with both coach Wilson and coach Day on Friday (before the game)," he explained. "We just talked about the school, the team, how they use the tight ends and how I would fit into that."

While Hansen got more out of this game day visit than most by coming in a day early, there are still some areas of campus and some components of the program that he'd like to get comfortable with on a return visit.

"I definitely hope to make it back," he continued. "I actually got there on Friday so I was able to see all the facilities and all of that. But I didn't get a chance to see the rest of campus, which is also important."

Now Hansen's focus will turn to his junior basketball season with football recruiting likely going to the backburner until March.

"I haven't really started to plan anything in terms of further visits or officials, but a lot of that stuff will come after basketball season," he explained. "I'll be making a lot of visits in the spring and summer."

Hansen is rated the No. 3 tight end in the 2021 recruiting class by Rivals.com and the No. 114 overall prospect.