Ohio State football adds 4 verbal commitments, hosts local prospects in busy weekend

Jones is 6-foot, 180-pound receiver while Stewart is a 6-2, 185-pound safety from DePaul Catholic in Wayne, N.J. They committed Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The weekend started with London Merritt, a four-star defensive lineman who attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., making his commitment and continued with Vero Beach, Fla., linebacker Tarvos Alford telling the world he would be a Buckeye, too.

At No. 63 in 247Sports Composite rankings, Alford is the highest-rated of the new recruits followed by Merritt (101), Steward (284) and Jones (367).

Five players from Trotwood-Madison were part of a large group of highly regarded prospects to visit Ohio State over the weekend: Jahmale Clark, Jamarcus Whyce, Treston Nichols, Jeremiah Nash and Darius Dennis.

Clark is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound defensive back in the class of 2025, Whyce (defensive line) and Nichols are sophomores while Nash (DL) and Dennis (DB) are freshmen (class of 2027).

Also in Columbus on Saturday were Dunbar junior receiver/defensive back Baron White and Dorian Brew, a five-star defensive back. Brew was a standout at Northmont before moving to Conroe, Texas, last fall.

Brew was the No. 1-rated prospect in Ohio for the class of 2025 before he moved, but he remains a priority target for the Buckeyes and many other power programs.

Ohio State’s 2025 class consists of 11 members so far and ranks No. 2 in the country behind Notre Dame, which has 19 players who have committed to head coach Marcus Freeman, a Wayne grad.

LSU, Clemson and Penn State round out the current national top five recruiting classes, but much promises to change between now and the end of the summer as players make official visits and earn new offers during summer camp season.