Rivals100 WR Caleb Burton breaks down first-ever visit to Columbus
It's been a long time coming for Caleb Burton to step foot on Ohio State's campus for the first time.
The sixth-ranked wide receiver on Rivals.com committed to the Buckeyes back in late November. With the NCAA pushing back the dead period multiple times since then, however, Burton's first opportunity to meet his future coaches in person did not arrive until this past weekend.
From the people at Ohio State to the city of Columbus in general, Burton enjoyed every second of his official visit to the school.
“Columbus, I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I ended up liking it,” Burton said. “It’s like the perfect size. It’s almost like Austin, where I’m from right now. Being on the campus with my future teammates, but then also hanging out with some of the teammates who are already up there, it’s really just a brotherhood. Just a family.
“They brought me in, we hung out,” Burton added. “Coach Hartline, he’s just a good dude. And Coach Day, all of them. It was just a really good experience.”
During our Southern Swing trip in April, we spoke with Burton one-on-one about a wide array of topics. One of the subjects that came up in the interview was Burton's decision to commit to Ohio State last year, and he admitted that everything starts with Brian Hartline and the relationship they've built.
Joined by fellow 2022 commit Kyion Grayes, Burton got to know even more about the Buckeyes' wide receivers coach and his history.
“He was just saying it’s time to go to work,” Burton said of Hartline’s message. “Me and Kyion, we sat down as soon as we got there in the film room. It was our first time meeting him in person, so we just talked. He put up a little presentation explaining himself and his past. What he’s done with the wide receivers that have already been there. It was, overall, just a good talk.”
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Throughout his visit, Burton also got to spend some more quality time with a person he's expected to catch a lot of passes from at the next level: Quinn Ewers.
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The two Texas natives have been bonding over the past couple of weeks, and are gearing up to dive deep into Ohio State's playbook in the near future.
“It was super exciting,” Burton said. “We’re about to start digging in the playbook since the coaches know we’re locked in. We’ve been hanging out the last two weekends. I’m going to see him again in L.A. when I go to The Opening with him, and I’m probably going to go hang out with him in Florida right after.”
Chopping it up with Ewers and Grayes in person was beneficial for both them and Burton, but one of the commits' goals this past weekend was to convince a few of the targets on campus to make the move to Columbus as well.
This appears to have been a successful endeavor as Burton said during our conversation – which took place after Kaleb Brown's commitment last night – that more Booms are on the way.
“It wasn’t so much nagging them to come to Ohio. It was just hanging out with them,” Burton said. “They’ve got to feel the vibe out of who they want to be around. There’s definitely some more commits coming. I would just really say it’s a good visit.”
As has been the case with the other official visitors we spoke with, the people in Columbus made the strongest impression on them. But, based on itineraries and social media posts we've seen, there was more on their schedule than just talking as they went to the Rodizio Grill, a bowling alley and toured the entire campus.
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So, what stood out to Burton the most besides the conversations he had with future teammates and coaches?
“That steak place was good, I’m not going to lie,” Burton jokingly responded. “I would really just say the campus is a little bit bigger than I expected. Nicer. I walked in the stadium… it was my first time being there. I got goosebumps when I walked in there.”
Burton made it clear after his visit was over that his recruitment is shut down and Ohio State will be his home for the next level. He also had the following message for supporters of the football team.
“I want to say thank you for all the love,” Burton told Buckeye Nation. “I’m ready to bring home a national championship.”
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.