With some recent developments in the 2022 recruiting cycle, we have a jam-packed Recruiting Roundtable today.

This week's edition features a conversation on an important Ohio State commit, how BuckeyeGrove envisions offensive line recruiting panning out, and what to make of a key Michigan coach in Will Johnson's recruitment departing from the Wolverines.

Be sure to head to The Horseshoe Lounge and join the conversation after reading this piece.

MacRae – The Tegra Tshabola situation is a very interesting one as Tegra has been one of the players who has always been thought of as a rock-solid commitment. Now, we did discuss this a couple of months back on who we thought could be most likely to decommit from the class then. My answer was Tshabola based on if Ohio State were to land some more offensive line targets who were higher ranked.

Since then, the Buckeyes have not added any other offensive linemen, but the Buckeyes are going to land a couple more soon. I do not think this should factor into Tshabola’s commitment as I believe he is on the same playing field as the guys who Ohio State is most likely to land. Now, the interesting part here comes with the info Joseph provided from the Kentucky source he spoke to the other day saying they feel they have a shot at a possible flip here.

I do not believe a flip is on the horizon, especially with Tshabol’s Twitter announcement yesterday reaffirming his commitment to Ohio State. This leads me to assume that the staff heard the new UK’s staff has been trying to work their way in and Ohio State’s staff responded by flexing its muscles, reassuring Tshabola he is a priority in the class. My stance is as – although one time he was a bit of question mark for me – after yesterday’s tweet, I see him as hard commit.

Hastings – My first reaction to the Tegra Tshabola news is that Kentucky is becoming a legitimate threat to Ohio State for key offensive lineman targets.

For one reason or another, the Wildcats have been able to get some crucial victories on the trail over the best programs in the country recently. In the past year alone, they have beat out Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State for Rivals250 prospects Jager Burton and Kiyaunta Goodwin.

And, although Tshabola tweeted out that he had canceled his official to Lexington, the fact he scheduled it in the first place is proof that Kentucky’s message is resonating with big-time o-linemen.

The most concerning part about him setting up that trip in the first place, in my opinion, is that he did not notify Ohio State’s staff about it. This does not mean that Greg Studrawa and the rest of the coaches would have been thrilled about it, but it would have been preferable compared to being out of the loop.

After his recent tweets, however, it’s safe to assume the two parties had a conversation and are back on the same page. I still won’t rule out an official visit down the line, and I’m interested to see if Tshabola maintains contact with Vince Marrow from the Wildcats’ staff.

Overall, my big takeaway here is that with a program-record of NFL Draft picks last month (six) and recent wins on the trail, Kentucky should be viewed as a viable recruiting threat that should be taken seriously.

MacRae – This is a great follow-up question as I stated above that I believe Tshabola is going to be on a fairly even playing field with the other offensive linemen who will join the class. I believe the most obvious one for many people to look at and assume is Aamil Wagner; it almost seems like he is a lock to join the Buckeyes in June.

With Wagner being a Wayne High School product and his family ties to CJ Hicks, I almost feel as though this one is as wrapped up as it could be, similar to the Kyion Grayes recruitment. All the work has been done; now, it is just about Wagner enjoying his visit to Columbus in June and letting the cards fall as they may.

Most may disagree or feel a little hesitant on who they could see as being the next guy. In all seriousness, I think the toughest pulls among the guys left on the board are Kam Dewberry and Addison Nichols.

Here is where it gets interesting: I’ve spoken to a couple sources who are close to Zach Rice and although North Carolina is the clear frontrunner, those sources said Rice is a very passionate kid who can change his mind a lot based on emotion. He is set to visit Columbus the first weekend of June, and I’m really intrigued to see if being there in person and speaking to the coaches and players creates a swing in favor of the Buckeyes.

From what I know, Rice’s mom is a huge advocate of him becoming a Buckeye’ however, she’s not as impactful in his recruitment as Will Johnson’s father was. Rice is still going to be tough but he’s my wild card pick.

Finally, Tyler Booker has been seen as maybe an SEC lean because he is down at IMG and tends to speak often with schools like Florida and Alabama. But I have had the chance to speak to some people close to him who do not think it’s as much of an SEC race as it seems.

The Buckeyes are in a great position and I would go as far to say they are second in that recruitment right now, and it is not the Tide who are leading. With that being said, I really like Ohio State’s chances if they are only going to have to beat out Florida in this one.

I see this 2022 class ending with Tshabola, Wagner, Booker and possibly Rice. If they land all four, I expect the two to move inside.

Hastings – When answering these types of questions, I usually like to start off with a couple of fairly easy eliminations.

First off, I will eliminate Billy Schrauth, Julian Armella and Joe Brunner. I believe Ohio State is six or seventh on Armella’s list, and I would be very surprised if the program is able to poach Brunner, a Wisconsin-based prospect, away from the Badgers. I also don’t see them beating out the in-state Badgers or Notre Dame for Schrauth’s services.

Next up, I will select a couple of players that I envision the Buckeyes landing over the next couple of months or so. Those would be Rivals250 targets Jaylen Early and Wagner. Carson stated above why Ohio State is in an excellent position to land Wagner, and I believe the staff has done a good job of cultivating a strong relationship with Early that will pay dividends when he commits.

Finally, let’s take a look at the rest of the board, which doesn’t feature any slam dunks for Ryan Day’s program. The remaining targets would be Addison Nichols, Earnest Greene, George Fitzpatrick, Kam Dewberry, Kiyaunta Goodwin, Neto Umeozulu, Tyler Booker and Zach Rice.

I would change my mind here if Goodwin officially visits Ohio State but until that happens (if it happens), then I’m saying he’s not going to wind up in this class. The rest of these recruits are interesting as I see the Buckeyes in that 2-4 range for each of them.

The one who really piques my interest is Fitzpatrick; he’s somewhat of an unknown to Buckeye Nation, but he will be officially visiting in early June, and I could see him pouncing on an opportunity to commit to Ohio State if they give him the green light.

I also won’t rule out Dewberry given tOSU’s track record in Texas. It is just tough for me to see them winning multiple major battles for out-of-state recruits when their o-line recruiting has had its struggles recently.

So, I will go out on a limb and say the fourth addition to this class is one who is not even on this offer sheet: Carter Smith. Smith, like Wagner before him, has been in touch with Ohio State without yet receiving an offer, and it would not shock me if they dip into his recruitment, assuming he camps at the school next month.

To answer this question, I will go with Early, Smith, Tshabola and Wagner. I would consider replacing Smith with Fitzpatrick if that official from June 4-6 goes well and they push hard to get him in this class.

MacRae – This has been a question that has been talked about a lot on the board as of late, and I have given my view on it a couple times. But here is the larger version of the answer.

Will Johnson at one time truly was a Buckeye lean after visiting Columbus with his family. It was a well-known fact and when his dad realized this, he pumped the brakes on it. With that being said, even with Linguist departing to become the head coach at Buffalo, and Linguist being Johnson’s main recruiter, I do not think the Ohio State becomes the destination.

Johnson does not want to upset his father and the message has almost just seemed as “if it is not Michigan, then just at least not Ohio State” type of deal. I just find it to hard to believe that following a decommitment from Michigan, if there was one, he flips to his dad’s alma mater’s rival. The most likely destination is USC as he apparently really enjoyed that visit and the

Trojans did finish second in his recruitment as he told numerous sources.

Hastings – I could definitely see Johnson exploring his options and reopening his recruitment.

The main reason for this would be the departure of Maurice Linguist as he played a pivotal role in Johnson committing to Michigan. Linguist took the bull by the horns when he was hired in January, and had Johnson going from an Ohio State lean to a Wolverine in a few weeks.

Now, it still remains to be seen what the hire of Steve Clinkscale will mean for Johnson’s recruitment. Clinkscale and Johnson could manufacture a great bond that leads to the five-star corner feeling even more comfortable with his decision.

I will say, however, that Kerry Coombs certainly has a couple of advantages here. First off, Johnson and Coombs have had a longer relationship than Johnson has had with Clinkscale, so there is more familiarity here. Also, Coombs has experience coaching in the National Football League, while Clinkscale’s resume features coaching stops at college programs and no NFL teams.

In my opinion, there could be some serious momentum that Ohio State builds up in the coming weeks, and I don’t think Johnson should be viewed as a lock for Michigan anymore. I would pick the Wolverines over the Buckeyes right now, but this one could get very interesting.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.