On Monday, Rivals.com expanded their group of five-star 2023 prospects from four to seven.
This allowed a trio of rising juniors, all of whom being Ohio State targets, to earn their coveted fifth stars on our network.
Down below, BuckeyeGrove lists all of the recruits that Ryan Day's staff is after who are now five-stars. We also share the latest on the Buckeyes' pursuit of them, as well as a recent quote they made describing their interest in the program.
New Ranking: No. 3
What you need to know: Checking in as the third-ranked overall prospect in his class, Hicks will be yet another coveted player from Texas that Ohio State is hoping to land.
They're off to a good start with the product of Allen High School, who took a visit to Columbus in mid-June without even having the Buckeyes on his offer sheet. After a dominant performance at their camp on June 15, however, Hicks walked away from campus in possession of an offer.
Ohio State immediately rose to the top of his leaderboard after giving him the green light, though Hicks said a month later that he no longer had a No. 1 school in his recruitment. With the Buckeyes' success in the Lone Star State and Larry Johnson pursuing him, they'll have a good shot at winning out for the elite pass rusher.
Quotable about Ohio State: "It's just a different type of feeling," Hicks said back in June. "I've been to a lot of colleges, but it's a different type of feeling. Larry Johnson is one of the best in the game. Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, look it up. He has the best. Just the coaches are different."
New Ranking: No. 4
What you need to know: As things stand right now, it appears unlikely that Inniss will end up in Columbus at the next level. The five-star wide receiver has been FutureCasted to land at Oklahoma, and programs in the Southeast, specifically in his home state of Florida, are catching his attention.
Even so, he's a noteworthy inclusion on this list as Brian Hartline's track record on the recruiting trail as tOSU's wide receivers coach has been impressive, to say the least.
Hartline and Co. actually got a chance to witness Inniss' skill set in person this summer as he attended their second-to-last camp of June. Following that camp, Inniss praised Hartline for his attention to detail and the lessons he taught him about his release off the line.
We're not expecting the Buckeyes to get Inniss on board in their 2023 class, but check out what he said about the program a couple of months ago.
Quotable about Ohio State: “I think very highly of them,” Inniss previously told BuckeyeGrove. “The production that they’ve sent to the NFL, that’s my final goal. I want to be in the NFL. The guys they produce and the guys they’re going to produce – Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson – next year, it’s just amazing to see.”
New Ranking: No. 5
What you need to know: Proctor is teammates with Rivals100 safety target Xavier Nwankpa, who is viewed by many as a Buckeye lean at this time.
If Nwankpa joins the fold, then Greg Studrawa and the rest of the staff will look to leverage that in their pursuit of Proctor. He's not the must-get offensive lineman target in the 2023 cycle (that title belongs to Luke Montgomery), but signing Proctor would help to change the perception of the program's recruiting along the o-line.
Alabama, Iowa, Iowa State, Notre Dame and Ohio State are sitting in a good spot for his services, though he's not expected to commit until later on in his process.
Quotable about Ohio State: "They were the runner-up in this year's College Football Playoffs," Proctor previously told Rivals.com's Mike Singer. "Their offensive line has an over 3.5 GPA together, so that unit is strong. Just the coaches, I've been talking with them for a little over a year now. Going off of that, stay strong with it."
New Ranking: No. 6
What you need to know: Sonny Styles could very well be the most recognizable name for Buckeye Nation in the 2023 class. As a result, there's not much I can say here that we haven't said about him numerous times in the previous few months.
With a father who played at Ohio State and a brother, Lorenzo, who currently plays on Notre Dame's football team, it's no surprise that these two programs appear to be the ones to beat. He has offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson and over a dozen others, but the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish have the inside track in his recruitment.
Styles did make his way out to Columbus on three separate occasions this summer, an encouraging sign for the Buckeyes. Check out what he had to say following his first trip to the school on June 2.
Quotable about Ohio State: “One of them said if I was to commit, I would kind of be like a magnet or a beam of light for other players,” Styles previously said. “I thought that was pretty cool. I could just tell I’m a high priority for them and I definitely love it.”
New Ranking: No. 7
What you need to know: Lebbeus "L.T." Overton is a multi-sport athlete in possession of over two dozen offers. Those include ones from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, so some of the top teams in the nation covet his services.
Also in the mix for Overton is Ohio State, which has offered him to play basketball and football at the next level. In fact, during his visit to Columbus in late July, the Milton (Georgia) d-linemen toured the facilities of each program, so this could wind up bolstering the Buckeyes' chances with him if he decides to play both sports in college.
We were not able to catch up with Overton following last month's trip to the school, but you can read what he told us about his interest in the Buckeyes in June down below.
Quotable about Ohio State: "Just that certain status they have, especially with d-ends and pass rushers," Overton previously said. "They're always a playoff team. They always make it far. I have the mindset of a winner; I don't really like to lose. That program, they just have what it takes to win at all costs."
"Those are some of the best d-ends, pass rushers I've ever seen," Overton added. "Just seeing what he's developed over there is amazing."
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.
