First off I would like to thank every school that reached out and gave me an opportunity to play at there respective program, with that being said I will be furthering my Academic and Football career at THE Ohio State University #GoBuckeyes🌰 pic.twitter.com/3XHLZiXUQr
— Josh Simmons (@josh5immons) April 30, 2023
The player who could be the biggest help the earliest is Josh Simmons, who announced Sunday afternoon he intends to transfer to Ohio State after two years at San Diego State.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Simmons started 13 games for the Aztecs last season, meaning he will be the most experienced tackle on the Ohio State roster when he joins it this summer.
The San Diego native figures to join the competition with Tegra Tshabola and Zen Michalski at right tackle, push Josh Fryar to be the new left tackle or both.
Simmons was a four-star prospect in the 2021 class and had an impressive offer list that included Oregon, Georgia, Miami (Fla.) and Michigan.
Ohio State did not recruit Simmons, but current Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye did when he was on the staff at UCLA, so there was some familiarity between the two before Simmons re-entered the recruiting process as a transfer earlier this year.
The Buckeyes also added a transfer on the defensive side of the ball with Lorenzo Styles Jr. announcing he will join his brother, Sonny, at the school where their father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., was a standout linebacker in the 1990s. (Sonny Styles is a sophomore safety.)
Styles Jr. was a four-star prospect in the class of 2021, the No. 115 prospect in the 247Sports Composite national rankings and a recruiting coup for Notre Dame when he chose the Fighting Irish.
He caught 54 passes for 684 yards in two seasons in South Bend but plans to switch to cornerback at Ohio State.
That is a position that unlike offensive tackle appeared to be on the upswing this spring after multiple down seasons, but cornerbacks coach Tim Walton said in February he can never have too many talented players in his room.
That was driven home last season when a rash of injuries left the team shorthanded in the preseason and forced youngsters such as then-freshman Jyaire Brown of Lakota West into emergency action.
Ohio State also utilizes five defensive backs nearly full-time under coordinator Jim Knowles, including a nickel safety who is expected to have strong coverage skills, so there are a lot of snaps to go around in the secondary.
From the high school ranks, Ohio State picked up a verbal commitment from Jordan Lyle, a four-star running back prospect from Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.
Lyle is the third running back to join the 2024 recruiting class along with James Peoples of San Antonio, Texas, and Sam Williams-Dixon of Pickerington (Ohio) North.
Peoples is the fifth-ranked running back in the country while Lyle is No. 27 and Williams-Dixon is ranked as a three-star “athlete” prospect.
The unusually big class is a result of Ohio State failing to find a scholarship back in the 2023 class and the possibility three of the five on scholarship this fall — juniors TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams and senior Chip Trayanum — are gone by the fall of ‘24.
Late Sunday night, 247Sports reported Ohio State lost a player as redshirt freshman receiver Kaleb Brown entered the transfer portal.
That would make Brown the second four-star receiver recruit from the class of 2022 to leave Ohio State since the end of spring practice, joining Caleb Burton.
Some attrition was considered likely at that position after Ohio State signed four recruits ranked four-stars or more in consecutive years and none of the newcomers last year made much of an immediate impact.
The depth chart is loaded at the top with 1,000-yard receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, who are both juniors, as well as seniors Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson Jr.
About the Author
