Roundtable: 2023 targets visiting, evaluating two commits, CJ Williams

In this edition of Recruiting Roundtable, BuckeyeGrove's Carson MacRae and Joseph Hastings go in-depth on a trio of topics relating to Ohio State football recruiting.

The duo discuss all of the recent visits that have been scheduled by 2023 prospects, what they thought of Caleb Burton's and Quinn Ewers' clips from last week's Southern Swing, and what to make of Ohio State's chances with CJ Williams.

MacRae: The biggest impact I see currently is Payton Kirkland in the 2023 cycle. I had the chance to speak to Kirkland last week, and the Rivals100 OT explained to me this was the visit that he and his mom were looking forward to planning the most.

Growing up a fan of the Buckeyes, as that is who his mom grew up cheering for, certainly gives Ohio State an advantage. This unofficial visit date could be major in landing the highly touted sophomore who is currently rising up many recruiting boards with his already astounding 6-foot-7 315-pound frame.

Richard Young is another highly regarded prospect who set his visit to Ohio State today. Rivals' No. 27 player resides in SoFla and has been thought by many to be an SEC lean even with it being so early in the 2023 cycle.

However, I have spoken to a few sources that have confirmed that this is the case as of right now, but have also said that if anyone were to be able to land Young outside of the SEC, it would be the Buckeyes. Young really likes the development he has seen from Ohio State running backs like Ezekiel Elliott and J.K Dobbins.

There is a route for Young to become a Buckeye and the fact he has booked his unofficial today is a good start. With that being said, I can see this one shaping up to be another Buckeye-Tide battle.

Treyaun Webb is another big RB target who has announced he will be taking an unofficial visit to Ohio State. Webb currently has a top six consisting of Penn State, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida, and LSU.

The Jacksonville, (Florida) product has done a good job of keeping his recruitment close to him. I believe the Buckeyes are in a good spot right now with Webb, and this unofficial has the potential to make the Buckeyes the top contender for him.

Webb was one time committed to the Bulldogs, and the one aspect that many believe to be the reason for his decommitment is Ohio State coming in to play. Webb is very high on Coach Tony Alford.

The one other card the Buckeyes have in their back pocket with Webb is both Tyreke Johnson and Marcus Crowley attended Trinity Christian, which is where Webb goes to school. Webb, like any player who has seen guys move on from his school, speaks to past players like Crowley on a constant basis.

As of right now, I stand by the Buckeyes as a top contender for him and believe they could become one following the visit. This one appears to be a Buckeyes and Bulldogs fight.

Hastings: Tony Alford should be commended for the trio of visits that were scheduled today.

All of the 2023 prospects we're referencing — Payton Kirkland, Richard Young and Treyaun Webb — all tagged Tony Alford in their tweets on Wednesday. Kirkland is slated to visit from June 22-23, Webb will be in town June 8-9, and Young's three-day visit begins on June 9.

Starting with Young, who is the No. 1 RB on Rivals in his class, he told former Rivals.com analyst Chad Simmons last month that he's been building a solid relationship with Alford.

The 6-foot-1, 201-pounder also noted that Alford has been making Columbus feel "like home" during their conversations. Young has been speaking with Alford ever since he reeled in an offer back in December 2020, so getting to meet him in person will be a key next step in the Buckeyes' pursuit of him.

With Webb, the appeal to become yet another player to go from Jacksonville to Ohio State is certainly there. Along with Crowley and Johnson heading up to the school, Webb saw fellow Duval County product Jaheim Singletary commit to the Buckeyes in January.

Webb is also impressed with how well the staff develops their running backs, and has praised Tony Alford during my previous conversations with him. The top-60 overall junior believes he could make a smooth transition from his high school offense to how Ohio State utilizes their running backs, which is another reason they're so high on his board.

Kirkland is an interesting player since he is actually from the Midwest, and his mom helped he become a fan of the Buckeyes growing up.

This gives Ohio State an obvious advantage as his mother would likely be more than thrilled if he chose to commit to the school. Not only that, but Kirkland's Chicago roots has led to him being open to relocating anywhere, so distance should not play too much of a role in his recruitment.

I honestly believe Ryan Day's staff could land four or five players from the Sunshine State in the 2023 cycle, and they're off to a great start with these Rivals100 prospects scheduling trips to Columbus today.

MacRae: I was unfortunately not able to join Joseph and Kevin on their trip last week, but I was able to watch the clips they posted. Quinn Ewers looked as good as advertised from what we had the chance to see from him in those clips.

At the high school level, almost every QB can complete the route tree in those cover 3 zone pockets. The biggest difference between Ewers and the common high school QB is his ability to tailor off of his release point.

You'll often see he changes the speed in his release based on how short or deep the throw is. This is not something that is usually taught at the high school level; you will see QBs who add power by taking bigger drop backs and stepping into it more with their frame, creating momentum.

Ewers has already developed the mechanics to drive the ball deep without forfeiting his dropbacks as well as keeping the same, if not more, power on each of his throws.

Finally, you have to comment on his elite accuracy, his ability to dot the cone in red zone situations is remarkable and is evident in the clips displayed in the forum.

Caleb Burton, on the other hand, showed great speed as everyone is already aware of, but what stood out most is his ability to high-point the football as well as his elite hands. When running through just a shell session with his QB, he displayed that his hands are as smooth as they come.

Whether it was the one-hander that he hauled in with complete ease or just every inside deep ball that he tracked down, it looked effortless. Texas has been good to the Buckeyes as of late and Burton is one of those guys who is contributing to that.

The biggest take away is he is going to be an all-around receiver who you can play at the "X" slot or outside. Great mechanics overall.

Hastings: I came away very impressed during my time watching Ewers and Burton last week.

The one thing about Ewers that stood out the most, to me, is how smooth he was with his overall mechanics, and it all starts with his footwork. Anytime he dropped back, Ewers was very comfortable, maintained perfect balance and stepped into his throws with great confidence.

Another aspect of his passing, which caught the attention of almost everyone that saw my tweet on him on Thursday, was how quickly Ewers releases the football. I timed the videos we saw of him, and it appears that it takes Ewers less than two seconds to begin his throwing motion and get rid of the football.

The number one priority will be to protect Ewers at the next level, but having a quarterback capable of getting the ball out of his hands quickly, coupled with dynamic wideouts on the outside, could make up for any deficiencies in Ohio State's o-line.

I won't go too in-depth on his accuracy because, with no defensive backs or pressure barreling down on him, it is not a surprise that an elite prospect like Ewers was on-point on most of his throws.

Overall, however, Ewers proved why he's the top-ranked junior in the country, and it would be hard to imagine anyone taking over that spot.

Switching over to Burton, he has everything you are looking for in a potential No. 1 wideout. He gets in and out of his breaks fast, has reliable hands, is not a burner but does have solid speed, and understands the game well.

Even though he missed several months due to a season-ending knee injury, Burton had no issues running routes for 30-plus minutes the other day. His cuts were crisp, and there were no awkward landings when he went up to high-point a ball, which is a positive sign for both him and the Buckeyes.

His dad, Charles, did inform me that a couple of speed and track coaches from his old school told him that they believe Burton can run in the 4.3 or 4.4 range. Burton has never done track and field or timed his 40-yard dash, but his game speed is off the charts, according to the coaches and his dad.

The combination of Burton and Ewers could potentially be lethal down the line, and Ohio State should continue to be a recruiting magnet for top quarterbacks and wideouts with these two in the fold.

MacRae: If you follow what I have been saying in past Skull Sessions, or if you have seen my opinions posted in The Horseshoe Lounge, you will know that I think CJ Williams is the third receiver if they were to land another. Williams is Rivals' No.27 ranked player in the country and the third-ranked WR in the country.

He has been very quiet on his recruiting journey compared to many other Mater Dei prospects like Domani Jackson and Raesjon Davis. However, he may seem like he has been hard to get a read off of with some thinking he may be a Texas lean and others thinking he is destined to stay home at USC.

I've heard other things that tell me otherwise, stating that the Buckeyes are currently among his top three to five and that he really will be making his decision based on how his visits go. For anyone who knows anything about Ohio State and their recruiting visits, this most often the time when they land their top guys.

The "awe" of Columbus can often make players fall in love with the campus as well as the overpowering energy you feel when arriving in the city. My biggest takeaway from this visit date for CJ Williams is that anything can happen. This visit will be the best indicator in my opinion if the Buckeyes are going to land a third WR for the 2022 class.

Hastings: Williams has always remained interested in the Buckeyes, and recently told Adam Gorney that the program is still putting on the full-court press for him despite having a pair of wideouts committed.

The reason why is that Ohio State has not had any success at Mater Dei High School, with their most recent misses being Domani Jackson and Raesjon Davis. They've scored some key recruiting victories in California in recent years, but they have yet to sign any Monarchs dating back to 2002, the beginning of the Rivals.com era.

Even with Williams saying he is still interested in the Buckeyes and this official visit scheduled, I just can't see tOSU breaking their curse at Mater Dei when it comes to their pursuit of him.

I recently heard that Williams is not as connected with Ohio State's commits as fellow wide receiver target Kojo Antwi is. It has been passed on to me that Antwi has been more receptive of their recruiting efforts, whereas this is not the case with Williams.

Also, Texas is sitting in an advantageous position with him since they have Maalik Murphy, a close friend of his, committed to the school. The Longhorns are slated to host him for an official visit in June as well, and I believe they're the program best suited to land Williams if he does not decide to stay close to home by choosing USC.

I won't give an exact percentage on what I believe are the Buckeyes' chances of landing Williams, but I certainly think Antwi is a much more realistic target at this time.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.