Recruiting Roundtable: Rivals100 DE to visit, BBQ expectations, 2023 QBs

Although there is not a large group of visitors that are slated to be in Columbus for this Thursday's cookout, a big name was recently added to the expected list of attendees.

Earlier today, BuckeyeGrove confirmed that Rivals100 defensive end Kenyatta Jackson. will be taking a multi-day visit to Ohio State starting tomorrow. If you recall, Jackson also made his way up to the school during the final weekend of last month for his official visit.

In this edition of Recruiting Roundtable, Carson MacRae and Joseph Hastings share their thoughts on Jackson's decision to visit tOSU again this summer. They also reveal who they believe is the likeliest to commit to Ohio State following this week's cookout, and which quarterback, if any, they envision Ryan Day's staff signing in the 2023 class.

MacRae: Personally, I believe Kenyatta Jackson is going to end up in this class. I do have a FutureCast submitted for him to land with the Buckeyes.

The way I see it now is the Buckeyes really like him as a fit for the strong-side edge rusher and Jackson’s family is major fans of Larry Johnson’s work, which is something we feel like we mention every week. But it can’t be said enough how much of a factor Johnson is in recruiting these top level targets.

The reason I believe Jackson joins the program is more or less because I’m still skeptical if the Buckeyes can land Enai White. Currently, I believe that if White were to join the Buckeyes that it would deter Jackson away from Columbus and push him towards Oklahoma, who I believe is his second choice right now.

White is being looked at as the priority target there, along with Omari Abor, and Jackson realizes the line gets longer for playing time if he’s the third edge rusher in the class.

However, like I said, I think there isn’t enough there for me to feel confident in White yet, which leads me to believe this class ends up with Jackson, Caden Curry and possibly Abor. Curry is going to be used a lot inside and will play most weak-side pressure, so there would be no real depth battles between Curry and Jackson.

There is also the possibility that you get both White and Jackson if Abor decides to go to Bama or Oklahoma. Regardless, there is no scenario we see Abor, Jackson and White all in one class… Larry Johnson is an unbelievable recruiter but that may even too big for him to pull off.

Hastings: It definitely caught me off guard when I confirmed today that Jackson will be visiting this week.

Besides his father previously saying on Sunday that they weren’t going to take any additional trips this summer, I was surprised to hear that Ohio State would be their only visit in this short quiet period at the end of July. Not only that, but Jackson is slated to be in town for a total of four days, longer than his official visit from a month ago.

I see this as a significant victory for the Buckeyes in their pursuit of Jackson; Oklahoma is high in the mix, but him opting to visit Columbus over Norman could be a sign of where he’s currently leaning. His father says Alabama is also a finalist, but this one is going to come down to the Buckeyes and Sooners, in my opinion.

With this being a close race, Jackson’s upcoming visit could ultimately wind up in buzz surrounding the Buckeyes during or shortly after the conclusion of his trip. I’m inclined to submit a FutureCast, but I want to see how the first day or two of his visit plays out; Jackson joining forces with Ohio State in the near future is absolutely a realistic possibility based on what I’ve heard.

Now, this is not to say that tOSU is a lock to land Jackson. His family currently has a trip to Oklahoma planned for the weekend of Sept. 11. If Jackson heads into that visit uncommitted, then the Sooners could take firm control of the driver’s seat in his recruitment.

But, however, with the combination of this upcoming visit, the length of their stay in Columbus, Larry Johnson having pushed for this trip and what I’ve been hearing behind the scenes, Jackson is someone I’ll likely be putting on commitment watch this week.

MacRae: Now, this cookout has some big names, like Payton Kirkland, Luke Montgomery and Derrick LeBlanc. I know we’ve touched on this a little bit in a previous Skull Session about how confident I feel in these three guys.

Ideally, I think LeBlanc is the guy who should be considered most likely based off of how well of a relationship he has with Johnson and the rest of the staff. Furthermore, he has been able to visit campus more than once and has a feel for the facilities.

However, I think this plays out differently. From what I’ve been told, the Buckeyes are really going to press for Montgomery at this event with him being an in-state player and priority target. Everyone is aware of how much stock this staff puts in having am alpha leader from Ohio being the main recruiter in the class the way we’ve seen from CJ Hicks and Jack Sawyer in the 2021 and 2022 cycles.

I think this is where the full-court press comes and Montgomery ultimately becomes the first player to join Ohio States 2023 class.

Hastings: To be honest, I am inclined to go with Jackson for all of the reasons I previously listed above.

Jackson’s interest in being coached by someone who his father refers to as “the best DL coach in the NCAA,” Ohio State being in his top three, and the Buckeyes receiving a visit over Alabama and Oklahoma, along with his dad saying a decision may arrive soon, could mean a commitment shortly follows the visit.

For this section, however, I am going to go with 2023 defensive end Derrick LeBlanc.

Look, being someone who hails from Florida, making the trip up to Ohio is not a short drive. If you’re flying roundtrip like LeBlanc and his parents have done, then it’s not a cheap visit, either. Factor in hotel stays and food costs since these are all unofficial visits, and you’re getting an expensive trip either way.

So, for LeBlanc to take not one, not two, but three visits to Ohio State in the span of less than two full months indicates to me that there could be something brewing here. Also, the top-40 overall rising junior told me last week that the program sits atop his leaderboard, so the Buckeyes are already the ones to beat heading into this visit.

I also found it very interesting that during our conversation over a week ago, LeBlanc did not outright deny the possibility of committing following this upcoming trip to Columbus. I asked LeBlanc if him joining forces with the Buckeyes after the cookout could happen, and he said, “I don’t know. Y’all probably will see,” with a laugh.

This isn’t the case of me hearing from sources that LeBlanc is going to commit to Ohio State in the near future; it is simply putting together the pieces of the puzzle and coming to an outcome I can see being played out in the coming days.

I think Jackson is a close second followed by Josh Padilla, but I’m going with LeBlanc in this response.

MacRae: Obviously, the Buckeyes were listed among five-star prospect Malachi Nelson's final schools, but the Buckeyes were never an option with Quinn Ewers being a class ahead.

Nelson was not interested in any position battles, which leaves the question: Who’s the guy in this class? I have one guy in mind: Nico Iamaleava.

I think the 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is destined to be the next player in the Corey Dennis QB room. He’s pretty unorthodox compared to Ohio States recent QB commits as Ewers and Kyle McCord were both guys who can make lots of off platform throws while evading the pocket.

Iamaleava is more of a CJ Stroud mood in the sense he’s a tall pocket passer with good legs and is able to extend a lot of plays. It’s pretty rare to see California QBs make their way out to Columbus but Stroud has started the trend and has helped the Buckeyes staff plant some roots.

Iamaleava was able to visit campus recently and he was more than overjoyed with the experience. Everything in this recruitment seems to be pointing Ohio State’s direction.

It’s still very early in the process but I believe Iamaleava is going to be a Buckeye because his other major school he’s focused in on is UCLA. There really is no doubt in my mind that no elite QB would pick to go work with Chip Kelly over Ryan Day.

It’s harsh but true and lots can change if Alabama is able to make up ground. I spoke to a source who said Alabama won’t be that big of a factor here, so I’m sticking to him becoming a Buckeye. Expect a FutureCast once some more boxes are checked for me.

Hastings: When Carson first messaged me about this question being included in today’s roundtable, I struggled with determining whether or not the Buckeyes will even sign a quarterback in the 2023 cycle.

The concept of not adding a signal caller to a class is an interesting one as you typically want to have someone on offense that will be a magnet for wideouts, running backs, offensive linemen and tight ends to team up with them. Also, you’d prefer to have a person that can be viewed as the leader of a class, which is usually the label assigned to a quarterback commitment.

Also, since the 2008 cycle, Ohio State has signed a QB in each class except for one (2019). Even in that one, they ended up landing Justin Fields in the transfer portal, making up for the lack of signing a quarterback out of high school.

This would essentially be a 180-degree turn compared to how the Buckeyes usually go about recruiting, but I think it may happen. The primary reason for that is five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Ewers is widely regarded as one of the greatest high school players, regardless of position, in recent memory. Even though he won’t arrive on campus for another few months, Ohio State fans are anxiously awaiting for the smooth operator with his signature mullet to don the Scarlet and Gray and showcase his skill set on the collegiate level.

Just as Buckeye Nation and media members like myself can recognize what Ewers brings to the table, so will other high school players. As much as the idea of embracing competition exists in football, it would be admittedly a tough challenge for a 2023 quarterback to get snaps as a starter for at least two years if they choose Ohio State.

Ryan Day’s staff can continue landing top wideouts and defensive backs because those aren’t positions where only one player can be the starter; with signal callers, however, that is not the case.

So, with offers to uncommitted prospects Dante Moore, Dylan Lonergan and Nico Iamaleava on the table, I’m inclined to say Ohio State will not sign a QB in the 2023 cycle. Instead, I think Day, Corey Dennis and company will shift their attention to the 2024 class, where they have already offered Adrian Posse and Jadyn Davis.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.