Several key 2023 targets are planning visits to Ohio State in June

The sheer number of prospects that Ohio State will be playing host to for official visits in June is incredible.

Over 20 junior recruits are slated to take OVs to the school in a couple of months, including Rivals100 prospects Omari Abor, Xavier Nwankpa and Zion Branch.

What will make the month even more special for the program is that they will get to play host to 2023 prospects on campus as well. For many players who will make their way to Columbus this summer, it will mark the first opportunity for them to meet Ohio State's coaching staff face-to-face.

In the piece below, we take a look at some of the sophomores that are eyeing trips to the school in June, and where things stand between them and the Buckeyes.

The one prospect that has given a date in response to me asking if they’ve set up a visit to Ohio State is Derrick LeBlanc.

LeBlanc, who is one of the top strong-side defensive ends in his class, is planning to see a lot of out-of-state schools in June. Along with Ohio State, the Kissimme (Florida) recruit wants to check out Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC.

On June 6 is when LeBlanc says he will be making the trek up to the Buckeye State. He did not say how long he will be in town for, but LeBlanc told me that he is excited to see everything the school has to offer.

The coaches at Ohio State pride themselves on developing relationships with prospects early on, and that is no different with LeBlanc. He spoke with Adam Gorney earlier this week to talk about the amount of time the staff has carved out to stay in touch with him.

“We are in contact all the time,” LeBlanc said. “We talk about two or three times per week. They’re taking time out of their day to talk to me.”

The Buckeyes currently reside in LeBlanc’s top 10, which includes the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and USC.

Staying along the defensive line, John Walker is another big prospect out of the Sunshine State that tOSU is prioritizing in the 2023 class.

Walker told Gorney this week that the Buckeyes are recruiting him “pretty hard,” and that he’s been in frequent contact with d-line coach Larry Johnson. Ohio State, which extended an offer to the Rivals100 recruit last November, also landed in his top 12 a few weeks ago.

He does not have any visit dates locked in just yet, but says that Ohio State will be the first visit he takes once the dead period ends. Walker is also looking to visit Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Georgia Tech following his trip to Columbus.