A couple of important prospects are gearing up to make their way to Columbus today.

The Buckeyes are slated to roll out the red carpet to the No. 6 overall prospects in the 2021 and 2023 cycles: J.T. Tuimoloau and Kadyn Proctor.

Tuimoloau will be in town for a three-day official visit to Ohio State, while Proctor is going to be on an unofficial since he’s still a rising junior.

Check out BuckeyeGrove’s preview of today’s key visitors, and join the conversation at The Horseshoe Lounge.

It took a while, but the following statement is coming to fruition: J.T. Tuimoloau will be arriving in Columbus later today.

At one point, it appeared as if this would not be a guarantee. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic repeatedly pushed back the dead period, and it was not certain if Tuimoloau would even be able to take any of his visits.

After incredible patience from Tuimoloau and his family, they’ve been able to check out his potential future schools with his decision right around the corner. Tuimoloau has already been to Washington and USC on officials, and begins his OV to Ohio State later tonight.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more important visitor for the Buckeyes this month. Not only is Tuimoloau a five-star prospect and pairing him alongside Jack Sawyer could help Ohio State wreak havoc in the trenches for the next few years; his decision to visit Alabama, possibly tOSU’s biggest threat, last puts a lot of pressure on the program to knock it out of the park this week.

Tuimoloau is not revealing anything, but Ohio State is still the school most view as the one with a slight edge in his recruitment. In fact, his uncle, Kenny Aukuso, went as far as to say last month that he believes the Buckeyes are the program to beat.

It is very unlikely we’ll get to speak with Tuimoloau after he leaves the school, but we’ll be working to provide updates on how his visit went.

Kadyn Proctor, who will be a five-star once the Rivals.com rankings for rising juniors are expanded, will also be in town today.

Proctor is going to be a priority target for the Buckeyes in the 2023 class as they will be in need of an elite offensive lineman or two. They've struck out on several important targets along the o-line, such as J.C. Latham and Kiyaunta Goodwin, but they can quickly change people’s perception of recruiting at the position group by landing Proctor.

Check out what our national analyst Adam Friedman had to say about Proctor back in April when describing what makes him a coveted prospect.

“The Iowa native is a big, nasty tackle prospect with great length, lateral agility, and a knack for finishing his blocks," Friedman wrote. "Proctor also has the body type college coaches are looking for; a broad, lean frame with plenty of natural strength and room to add solid muscle mass.”

What could Ohio State here is their pursuit of Xavier Nwankpa. Nwankpa and Proctor both go to Southeast Polk High School in Iowa, so signing Nwankpa could give the Buckeyes a leg up on some of the other contenders in Proctor’s recruitment.

We’ll be reaching to Proctor following this visit to see how his time in Columbus went.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.