Signing Day Tracker: Ohio State looking to ink top-five recruiting class

Recruiting is a non-stop business and there aren't many places in the country that do it at the level Ohio State does. Keeping up with the Buckeyes recruiting efforts is a full-time job and Dotting the 'Eyes is doing its best to keep you up to date with The Inside Stuff, the Ohio State recruiting notebook on Rivals.com.

COLUMBUS — The first day of the early signing period is upon us and Ohio State is taking aim at another top-five ranked signing class.

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes enter the day with the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country according to Rivals.com 21 commitments, the fewest of any team currently ranked among the nation's top eight classes.

Here are the players, in order of their official signing, that have chosen the Buckeyes.

Dotting the 'Eyes will update this story throughout the day with any pertinent information for Ohio State. We'll also be talking about everything going on around Columbus and the rest of college football in Horseshoe Lounge so stop in and share your thoughts.

Ohio State's first 2024 signee wasted no time in getting his Letter of Intent sent to Columbus.

It was a young safety who was only recently added to the class.

Ohio State was looking for a second safety in the Class of 2024 for a while when it stumbled upon Bishop Verot star athlete Leroy Roker and the Buckeyes didn’t hesitate to move quickly on the two-sport standout. Roker, a dynamic point guard on the hardwood, had only one Power Five offer when Perry Eliano came calling—from Big Ten rival Iowa—but Ohio State went all in and it paid off in short order. His recruitment went from offer to commitment in less than two weeks following a mid-October official visit to Columbus. Roker may not have the name recognition and star ranking that moves the dial but the Buckeyes believe they’ve found a diamond in the rough in this talented defensive back.

Ohio State football's general manager, Mark Pantoni, compared Roker to former first-round pick Malik Hooker.

Early Enrollee: No

One of Ohio’s best all-around athletes, Bryce West is a big-time defensive back prospect from Glenville (Cleveland) High School that has the quicks to play cornerback and the physicality to potentially be a safety down the road. He picked Ohio State over Michigan, USC and a host of other national programs, following the footsteps of so many great Tarblooders before him. There were a few tense moments early in his recruitment as West toyed with the notion of leaving the state but in the end, Tim Walton’s presence sealed the deal for the Buckeyes.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Samuel Williams-Dixon was playing at small-town West Holmes (Millersburg, Ohio) High School when he emerged on the scene for the Buckeyes but he was far too big of a fish in far too small of a pond to get a real read on his potential. He transferred to Pickerington (Ohio) North High School outside of Columbus for his senior season and played very well when he was allowed to play. OHSAA rules cost him the back half of his year but he's ready to get to work at Ohio State. Williams-Dixon could also line up at defense if needed for the Buckeyes.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Perhaps the wildest recruitment of the 2023 cycle, Aaron Scott was a back-and-forth battle with Michigan for months before pulling an Ohio State jersey out of a Maize and Blue backpack in late July. Scott’s importance is obvious: he’s a top-tier cornerback and chose to believe in Tim Walton and Ohio State’s ability to bring back the B.I.A. mentality and he was rewarded in the way the Buckeyes played in 2023. Scott has not visited anywhere else and has been a rock-solid commitment since he made the decision this summer. His commitment may have been the single biggest “mood changer” in the cycle for Ohio State.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Ohio State doesn’t land many true senior-year-evaluation type of players anymore but that’s exactly what Michigan offensive lineman Gabe VanSickle is. The former Northwestern commitment didn’t do the recruiting camp circuit and because he’s not in the more-talent rich area of Detroit, he was a relatively unknown player until September. That’s when the Buckeyes began to notice his film and Justin Frye didn’t wait too long from that point to offer him a scholarship. A pair of in-season visits to Columbus helped the Buckeyes knock off the Wildcats for this very athletic but still developing offensive guard prospect.

Early Enrollee: No

Like his twin brother Deontae, there’s been tremendous growth in the game of Devontae Armstrong over the last year and he’s barely begun to scratch the surface of his upside. Devontae is a guard at the next level barring another growth-spurt and he’s a mean, physical player on the interior of the offensive line. There’s a Pouncey-like quality to the Armstrongs and though Deontae may be ranked a touch higher right now as a college prospect, Devontae is no thrown in. He’s a player that the Buckeyes believe can develop into starting offensive lineman in Columbus.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Ohio State landed a commitment from five-star commitment Air Noland in early April and, despite some percolating rumors throughout the early part of his post-commitment days, there was never any real concern about the strength of his word.

Noland emerged as a national name as a high school junior at Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.) High School as he led his team to an undefeated season and a state title. Noland was a high school teammate of current Ohio State freshman tight end Jelani Thurman.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Ohio State was on the outside looking for Max Leblanc but surged when Keenan Bailey offered him just weeks after taking over as the Buckeyes tight ends coach. One visit to Columbus was all Leblanc needed to commit to Ohio State, choosing to join the class in mid-April. Since his verbal Leblanc has made no visits to any other schools and was a key part of the conversation with fellow tight end commit Damarion Witten. The Tennessee product is originally from Montreal and came to the United States to take his chance at playing college football. It’s worked out for him and Ohio State.

Mark Pantoni called Leblanc a "complete tight end" and that's what the Buckeyes will need from him as they look to replace Cade Stover, Joe Royer this year and Gee Scott after next season.

Early Enrollee: No

In a “safety-driven defense” like Ohio State has, it’s imperative to have versatile safeties that can play multiple spots and McClain can certainly do that. He’s big, fast and physical and more important than that, the Buckeyes believe he has the football IQ be a Jordan Fuller-type of player down the road in Columbus. That may be a high bar to meet but McClain, who picked Ohio State over Georgia, Penn State and others, is up for that challenge.

Early Enrollee: Yes

The younger cousin of Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, Garrett Stover is a versatile, hard-hitting linebacker in a rangy safeties frame. Stover shares more than a last name with his cousin: the family work-ethic is alive and well and it’ll serve him very well from the moment he arrives on campus with the Buckeyes. Garrett Stover seemed destined to pick Ohio State after earning a camp offer in the summer of 2022 but stayed patient and explored his options before committing in November of that year, picking the Buckeyes over Notre Dame, Penn State and others.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Ohio State landed a surprise commitment from Eric Mensah in mid-September, flipping the former Virginia Tech commit after receiving an unannounced offer in early August. Mensah made an official visit with the Buckeyes for their first game of the season and flipped his verbal just a few days later. Since then, Mensah—a true defensive tackle prospect in the eyes of the Buckeyes—has been back to campus two other times and has been entirely locked in with Ohio State.

His "relentless motor" captured the attention of the Buckeyes and they never looked back.

Early Enrollee: Yes

When he committed to Ohio State, Ian Moore was the number one-ranked tackle prospect in the country according to Rivals.com. He’s dipped a little but over the course of the last year as other players have made big moves but it’s not a knock on Moore so much as it is an acknowledgment that the level of competition he’s faced in Indiana may not stack up to others. Ohio State and offensive line coach Justin Frye are confident that Moore’s ability and athleticism will translate well to the Big Ten. He will come to the Buckeyes intent on playing tackle for the Scarlet and Gray.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Payton Pierce had not heard from Ohio State or Jim Knowles until three days before James Laurinaitis was announced as the de facto linebackers coach at Ohio State in January. When that happened, the Buckeyes went from “not involved” to “heavily involved” in the blink of an eye. Pierce, nicknamed “Superman” for his ability to do all kinds of things for his Lovejoy teammates, immediately scheduled a visit to Columbus and committed less than a month later. He’s a pure middle linebacker prospect that can play sideline-to-sideline and has no hesitation when it comes time to plug the A-gap and strike a running back in the hole. Expect Payton Pierce to be an early contributor on special teams for the Buckeyes.

Early Enrollee: Yes

A tackle prospect for Ohio State, Deontae Armstrong has played a major role in the run of three straight state titles for the St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) Eagles and he’s become a better player—and prospect—every year. Armstrong will still need to get bigger and stronger, like most college freshman, but he’s a unique athlete with a dominate-every-rep mindset and a serious desire to be great. His outgoing personality and relentless work-ethic will likely make him a fan-favorite at Ohio State.

Early Enrollee: Yes

For the second straight year Ohio State lost a South Florida running back commitment to Miami down the stretch of the recruiting cycle. That happened on Monday night officially when Jordan Lyle announced his flip to Miami but that decision has been known by Ohio State for a few weeks now.

Tony Alford has not had all his eggs in the Lyle basket, however.

James Peoples committed to Ohio State in April and about two weeks later Samuel Williams-Dixon did the same. Peoples wasted zero time committing to the Buckeyes following his first ever visit to Columbus. Peoples dealt with some injuries in his senior season but his arrival at Ohio State is highly-anticipated.

Early Enrollee: Yes

The Buckeyes were the first program to offer Graham, who now checks in as a four-star wideout on Rivals.com. Graham’s recruitment was never really in doubt from the moment that Brian Hartline offered him in June of 2022 and he’s never taken a serious look at any other schools recruiting him. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound receiver officially committed in April but his recruiting process was all but over the nearly a full six months before that.

Early Enrollee: No

The Buckeyes offered Damarion Witten in September of 2022 but weren’t ever really sure what position he’d play at the next level and in some ways maybe still don’t. What Ohio State believes more than anything is that Witten is a “freak” athlete that can and will be a matchup problem for linebackers and safeties when he gets to Columbus. The Glenville (Cleveland) standout helped bring a pair of state titles to the Tarblooders and will now look to add a new element to the Buckeyes offense.

Early Enrollee: No

It’s unusual that a player from Arizona ends up being the most reliable commitment in the recruiting class for Ohio State but Miles Lockhart has arguably been that guy for the Buckeyes in this recruiting cycle. Lockhart camped and earned an offer from Tim Walton in the summer of 2022 and immediately named the Buckeyes his favorite. He visited no other schools officially and never stopped listing Ohio State as his favorite. It was as clear-cut a recruitment as there could’ve been. That kind of love for Ohio State will go a long way for Lockhart as he develops over the next couple of years. He’ll be an inside cornerback/nickel corner early and should excel in that role.

Early Enrollee: Yes

The country's top-overall recruit and one of the highest-ranked wide receiver recruits in the modern era, Jeremiah Smith is the crown jewel of the Ohio State recruiting class and, as expected, this is a recruitment that has been anything but stress-free for the Buckeyes.

Heading into the signing period, Miami and Florida State increased their pressure on Smith but the relationship with Brian Hartline kept Ohio State above the fray and now Smith is officially in for the Buckeyes. He'll come to Columbus with major expectations and a chance to be a star early in his career.

Early Enrollee: Yes

Throughout the recruitment of Eddrick Houston, Ohio State always seemed like the fit that the five-star defensive lineman was looking for. The Buckeyes offered early and Larry Johnson was involved heavily in relationship-building with him throughout the last two years. When Houston visited in April the odds of him committing to Ohio State really took off and despite official visits to other big-time schools like Alabama, Clemson and Georgia, the Buckeyes maintained what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.

In the last week though, things got a little bit scary for Ryan Day and Ohio State as rumors of Larry Johnson’s retirement once again picked up and that allowed Alabama and Clemson to capitalize and each school got him on campus for one final, diligence-doing visit. Though there were some real moments of concerns in the last 72 hours, Houston is following his heart to Columbus where he’ll be a key player on the defensive line early in his Ohio State career.

Early Enrollee: Yes

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Ohio State on signing day. Coming into Wednesday, there were three big-time prospects that were in the "worry zone" for the Buckeyes and, as has been the case the last few cycles, Ohio State came up short in a battles against some of the biggest spenders in the NIL market.

Jeremiah McClellan, a four-star wide receiver from St. Louis, flipped away from Ohio State and signed with Oregon. The Ducks were on his tail for months and kept on top of him until signing day.