After nearly 15 months of a dead period that was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recruits are finally able to step foot on college campuses for unofficial and official visits.
This will provide prospects an opportunity to meet coaches in person for the first time, see the football facilities, and even camp in front of staff members.
Ohio State is kicking things off with a solid start to the month as a handful of confirmed visitors will be on campus today. Check out which prospects, including a very familiar face for Buckeye Nation, will be in Columbus on June 1.
CJ Hicks, otherwise known as "Captain Buckeye," is slated to be in town from June 4-6 for his official visit to Ohio State. That's not stopping him, however, from taking full advantage of his first opportunity to head to the school following the dead period.
Hicks announced on his Instagram story last night that he will be on campus today ahead of his official.
This is important news considering some of the other recruits who are going to be in Columbus as well. Look for Hicks to be in these players' ears and making his pitch on behalf of the Buckeyes.
Possibly the one visitor who may have played a role in Hicks' decision to visit on June 1 is Christen Miller.
The sixth-ranked defensive tackle on Rivals.com was a surprise addition to today's list of visitors when he made his announcement on Twitter back on Saturday. Miller, a Peach State native, is also gearing up to take an official to the school the final weekend of this month.
Why this is important news for Ohio State is that Miller already took an unofficial to Columbus back in October. So, in the span of less than a year, they'll be getting him on campus three times, and will have the final official visit.
I'm not ready to submit a FutureCast in the Buckeyes' favor just yet, but this is definitely a great sign for Larry Johnson and company.
Also joining him today is rising junior Kayin Lee, who is one of Miller's teammates at Cedar Grove High School. Lee is already in possession of a dozen offers, including ones from Auburn, Georgia and Notre Dame.
Ohio State has offered seven cornerbacks thus far in the 2023 cycle, so we'll see if Lee joins that list following his visit to the school.
Although he's listed as a defensive end on his Rivals.com profile, Luke Montgomery is one of Ohio State's top targets along the offensive line in the 2023 class.
Montgomery has previously told us that he grew up liking and watching the Buckeyes, and that his offer from the program in February was "a really big one." Given this, as well as his close proximity to the school, Greg Studrawa and the staff have to like where things stand with Montgomery.
The Rivals100 prospect appears to be considering all of his options right now, but I'm giving Ohio State the edge here at this time.
A late confirmation to today's list of visitors is none other than Carter Smith.
We've reported on Smith a couple of times as he's been in contact with the coaching staff. Up until this point, however, he has yet to land an offer from the Buckeyes.
We'll see if that changes soon as Smith confirmed to me that he will be doing a private workout in front of Studrawa today. Ohio State's Mark Pantoni told media members last week that these workouts last an hour, so Smith will have plenty of time to showcase his skill set.
Given the Buckeyes' need for offensive linemen in the 2022 class (only one — Tegra Tshabola — is committed to them), it is a possibility that they will expand the board in the future.
If they go that route, and if Smith does well today, look for the product of Olentangy Liberty High School to be one of the top candidates for an offer.
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.
