Ohio State Lands Commitment From Aussie Punter - Recruiting Tracker

Updating information about top Ohio State Buckeyes recruiting targets daily.

MAR 8

The Ohio State Buckeyes have added another name to their 2024 class.

On Friday morning, 6-foot-7, 255-pound Australian punter Nick McLarty committed to the Buckeyes, becoming the only scholarship player at the position on the roster and the 23rd member of the class. 

Officially Committed pic.twitter.com/KJF31wGcOu

— Nick McLarty (@nick_mclarty) March 8, 2024

"I'd firstly like to thank Coach Rob Keys and Coach Gunner Daniels for the hospitality while visiting this week and truly believing in me. I cannot wait to work alongside the both of you at OSU," McLarty wrote on X. "To my coaches and mentors at @TheGridironCompany, Darren Bennett, Sav Rocca, Dwayne Armstrong, and Aaron Perez (@puntfactory) I truly can't thank you enough for the effort you guys have put in while training me in Australia, which has led to me receiving this wonderful opportunity."

"To my family and friends who also have shaped my development and supported this dream, I am blessed to have you in my life as this new journey begins."

McLarty is set to join the team this summer.

MAR 6

Ohio State is after one of the best receivers in the country, and the feeling seems to be mutual. 

On Wednesday five-star receiver Jaime Ffrench was crystal balled to Ohio State by 247Sports Director of Football recruiting Steve Wiltfong, with a confidence score of six. 

Ffrench recently de-committed from Alabama and reopened his recruitment. 

“I’m pretty much open right now,” said Ffrench last month. “I’m all ears for everybody that is showing love. I’ll probably remake my top 10 schools and just go from there. I also want to see where I fit best and where feels like home among those top schools.”

The Buckeyes will have some major competition when it comes to attempting land Ffrench, with programs such as Georgia, Texas, Miami, Florida State, and Ole Miss all pursuing. 

It's no secret why these teams are after him either, as this past season he put up the ridiculous stat line of 62 catches for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns.

On3 currently ranks Ffrench as the No. 15 overall prospect, the No. 3 wide receiver, and the No. 2 prospect in Florida.

MAR 1 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the running for an elite talent at a position of need.

On Friday, elite four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes released his top-10 schools, with the Buckeyes making the list amongst a host of other top programs.

Texas A&M, Texas, LSU, Florida State, Alabama, Oregon, USC, Nebraska, and SMU also made the list.

The Skyline (Dallas, TX) product currently ranks as the No. 107 player nationally, No. 12 linebacker and No. 19 player in Texas per the On3 Industry ranking.

On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine has Barnes listed as a Texas lean by 89.6 percent.

FEB 28

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the running for the top player in the 2026 class. 

According to On3's Chad Simmons, St. Augustine (Reserve, LA) defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart has set multiple upcoming visits, including to Columbus to visit Ohio State.

“I like the defensive line coaching and what they have with coach Larry (Johnson) and (LaAllan) Clark,” Stewart said. “I want to look more into the coaching staff and how they build and how they will use me in their system. Ohio State could do a great job with me because I am an all-around defensive line player. I just want to have a bond with my coach and I feel like coach Larry does a great job with that from the players that he’s coached like Chase Young.” 

Stewart recently released his top 15, with Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC making the cut alongside the Buckeyes. 

It will be his first visit to Columbus. 

FEB 26

The Ohio State Buckeyes have made the cut for an extremely talented Texas wideout. 

On Sunday, four-star Red Oak (TX) wide receiver Taz Williams unveiled his top 10 schools, listing the Buckeyes among other elite programs. 

Joining the Bucks in Williams' list of finalists are Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Michigan, Alabama, SMU, Florida State, Penn State, and Georgia Tech. 

Williams currently ranks as the No. 263 player nationally, No. 33 wide receiver, and No. 46 player in the state of Texas per the On 3 Industry Ranking. On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has him leaning toward the Texas Longhorns.

February 17

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the running for four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn, who recently released his list of finalists.

The Buckeyes made Pettijohn's final six, alongside Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Florida State and Georgia. 

"I like Ohio State because they are always top 5 in developing players and producing draft picks and I have a good relationship with the coach too," Pettijohn told On3. 

Pettijohn currently ranks as a consensus four-star recruit and is the No. 27 player nationally, No. 3 linebacker, and No. 7 player in Texas per the On3 Industry ranking.

January 30

The Ohio State Buckeyes are known as 'WRU' for a good reason, putting arguably more elite talent into the NFL at the position than any other school in college football.

That will continue this season with Marvin Harrison Jr., with the future also in good hands with Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Jeremiah Smith, Mylan Graham and more. 

And in 2025, some of the top receivers are looking at the Buckeyes as well, with five-star Jaime Ffrench set to take an official visit to Ohio State.

 "I am definitely hitting Ohio State," Ffrench told 247Sports in a recent interview. "Just the receiver production with what coach Hartline has been able to do. There is no question about that one." 

Ffrench is also set to take a visit to Florida State, and was recently offered by Texas. 

January 13

The early signing period may be done, but the Ohio State Buckeyes aren't finished recruiting for the 2024 cycle. 

According to reports, four-star defensive tackle Dominic Kirks will take an official visit to Columbus this weekend. 

Kirks recently de-committed from Washington following the hiring of Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer at Alabama. 

The Riverside (Painesville, OH) product had 86 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks this past season.

December 28

The Ohio State Buckeyes landed the signature of No. 1 wide receiver Jeremiah Smith during the Early Signing Period last week, after a nerve-racking day that saw a flurry of rumors suggesting a flip. 

However, Smith ultimately stuck with the Buckeyes, much to the relief of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who was visibly affected by the news of his plans to sign. 

However, according to Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, Smith never wavered in his choice to join the Bucks. 

“I guess I’ll say this about Jeremiah: He never wavered," Hartline said. "His family never wavered. He can say what he wants 2 minutes before the hat came out, but he always told me the same thing. His parents always told me the same thing. From his family to him, everything."

“The reality of college football is you guys see it. You guys the clicks and the conversations and those kinds of things. And that’s all I can say. His family is loyal, they always did what they said and I can’t thank them enough. I’m really excited for him and we’ll see him here in a couple weeks.”

To be fair, the Buckeyes did get their guy. That said, how close they were to losing him, is something that will be left up to debate. 

December 18

Dominic Raiola may have broken the hearts of Ohio State Buckeyes fans when he de-committed almost one year ago today. 

However, Raiola was able to give the Buckeyes one last parting gift on Monday, flipping from Georgia to Nebraska, and giving the Buckeyes the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, per Rivals.com.

Even without Railoa, the Buckeyes have a dynamic class, consisting of five stars Jeremiah Smith, Eddrick Houston, Air Noland, Mylan Graham, and Aaron Scott Jr.

Smith, in fact, is the No. 1 overall recruit in the country per the On 3 industry ranking.

Will the Buckeyes finish the Early Signing Period at No. 1 overall? That remains to be seen. But Railoa, in his own way, gave them a better chance to do so. 

December 15

The Ohio State Buckeyes could be on the verge of a major recruiting loss.

Per a report from On3, the Miami Hurricanes are trending to flip Ohio State running back commit Jordan Lyle.

Lyle ranks as the No. 11 running back in the 2024 class, and the No. 156 player nationally. He also is rated as a four-star recruit, and No. 21 player in Florida, per the On 3 industry ranking.

Per Max Preps, Lyle rushed 130 times for 1,376 yards and 21 touchdowns in 15 games in 2023 for St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL).

December 7

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost out on a big prospect on Thursday when five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton committed to the Colorado Buffaloes. 

Seaton picked the Buffs over Ohio State, Tennessee, Oregon, and Florida.

No. 1 ranked offensive tackle in the country, and the No. 12 overall player nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

December 4

Five-star Ohio State Buckeyes commitment Jeremiah Smith has been ranked as the new No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class by Rivals.com

Smith, who is expected to be an early enrollee with the Buckeyes, is coming to Colombus at an extremely opportune time, with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka both likely heading for the NFL Draft. 

"I'm coming to Ohio State to be one of the best receivers to ever come through Ohio State," Smith said on ESPN in August. "I'm coming. In January, I'm definitely going to be there, and I'm coming to work, definitely. Go Bucks."

Smith was originally the No. 2 player in the class and has now surpassed former Ohio State and current Georgia Bulldogs QB commit, Dylan Raiola.

November 24

The Ohio State Buckeyes added to an already stellar recruiting class on Thanksgiving Day, landing a commitment from former Northwestern offensive line pledge Gabe VanSickle. 

VanSickle, a Coopersville, MI native, picked Ohio State over Northwestern, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Indiana.

VanSickle was committed to Northwestern until this month and decommitted from the Wildcats after a visit to Columbus. He then pledged to the Buckeyes two days later.

The Buckeyes class currently ranks No. 2 in the country behind only the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

November 20

The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to welcome arguably the top recruit in the 2024 class after the Early Signing Period in five-star receiver, Jeremiah Smith.

And while Buckeyes fans are undeniably excited to welcome the five-star pass catcher, their most famous supporter, NBA superstar LeBron James, might be the most hyped. 

"I can't wait to see him in Scarlet and Gray," James tweeted in response to a Smith highlight video.

Can’t wait to see him in Scarlet & Gray https://t.co/GT73qt2Tfr

— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 20, 2023

Smith is set to be an early enrollee this spring and will join the team in January.

November 16

The Ohio State Buckeyes are trending to flip an elite defensive line prospect, in four-star Clinton (N.C.) Florida Gators commit, Amaris Williams. 

Williams has been committed to Florida since June but was recently crystalballed to the Buckeyes by a pair of 247Sports recruiting insiders, while multiple other industry experts have also projected the flip to Ohio State. 

November 7

The Ohio State Buckeyes are trending for one of the top prospects in the 2025 class, in five-star North Shore (Houston, TX) cornerback, Devin Sanchez. 

According to three different crystal ball predictions from 247 Sports, including that of Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong and national analyst Mike Roach, the Buckeyes will land Sanchez upon his Jan 6. commitment.

Sanchez will announce his decision at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio and will choose between Texas A&M, Alabama and Ohio State.

October 25

The Ohio State Buckeyes added another commitment to their 2025 recruiting class on Wednesday, with three-star linebacker Eli Lee committing to the program. 

Lee picked the Buckeyes over Akron, Central Michigan, Iowa State and Massachusetts. 

Lee, who attends Archbishop Hoban in Akron, OH, is a standout at the same high school as current Buckeyes running back Chip Traynum.

“I'm enjoying the ride,” Lee said. “I just love playing football (and) I get rewarded. I'm thankful for my teammates, they've given me the opportunity, the school has given me the opportunity. I'm just thankful for them.”

October 14

The Ohio State Buckeyes won in two ways on Saturday. Amid a 41-7 blowout win over the Purdue Boilermakers, the Buckeyes also landed a commitment from 2025 St. Francis Academy (Baltimore, MD) cornerback Blake Woodby.

Woodby chose the Buckeyes over teams like Oregon, Tennessee, Alabama and Clemson. His decision came down to Oregon and Ohio State.

“It was a tough decision because of my relationships with both of those coaching staffs,” Woodby told On3. “I have great connections with my position coaches at Ohio State and Oregon, so I thought a lot about both schools. In the end, I chose Ohio State because of the feeling I had on campus. When I visited for the first time in the spring, it just felt like me.”

September 30

The Ohio State Buckeyes' 2024 recruiting class now only has three offensive linemen in it.

Three-star interior offensive lineman Marc Nave Jr. announced on X Saturday he was decommitting from Ohio State. 

"I just wanted to inform everyone that I have decommitted from OSU. I want to thank everyone involved," Nave said in a post on X. "I feel as if I rushed this process and I've prayed on it and it is Gods plan not mine. I want to thank you all and I wish nothing but the best for your program going forward. Thanks be to God."

The Buckeyes still have commitments from three-star offensive tackles Deontae and Devontae Armstrong and four-star interior offensive lineman Ian Moore.

September 24

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost out on a huge commitment from the top offensive tackle in the class of 2024.

Five-star Brandon Baker announced his commitment to Texas Sunday, choosing the Longhorns over Ohio State and Nebraska.

“The trajectory they’re headed on for sure,” Baker told On3's Hayes Fawcett. “The development by one of the best OL Coaches in the nation, and an offensive mind at head coach. Can’t really beat that, they’re headed in the SEC, and you cannot beat blocking for my guy Arch Manning! Life after football is incredible, and the opportunity is endless.”

September 22

Five-star Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver commit Jeremiah Smith is set to take an official visit to Florida this weekend. 

Smith took an official visit to Gainsville in June. 

September 19

The Ohio State Buckeyes have already lost once to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this week.

Four-star offensive tackle Geurby Lambert announced his commitment to Notre Dame Tuesday, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett. The No. 28 player in the class of 2024, according to On3, chose the Fighting Irish over Ohio State, Harvard and Boston College.

Ohio State is still in line to land On3 five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, while also holding a commitment from Deontae Armstrong.

September 15

Class of 2024 three-star edge rusher Eric Mensah was committed to play at in-state Virginia Tech, but then had a change of heart.

Mensah posted on X Friday that he was decommitting from the Hokies and flipping his pledge to Ohio State's class of 2024, making him the 23rd commit in the cycle and the third on the defensive line.

"I would first like to start off with a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey in football [and] in finding the perfect school for me to continue my athletic career," Mensah said in a post on X. "Secondly, after careful consideration I have decided to respectfully decommit from Virginia Tech. After much reflection and discussion with my family, mentors, and coaches I believe it is in my best interest. 

"This decision was not taken lightly, and it was arrived at after a long period of consideration. I would last like to announce my commitment to play football at The Ohio State University!"

September 14

The Ohio State Buckeyes were in the running for a top-10 player in the class of 2025, but could not close the deal.

Five-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount announced his commitment to Miami Thursday, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett. The top player in Florida chose the Hurricanes over the Buckeyes, Florida State, Oklahoma and USC.

The only commitment the Buckeyes have in the class of 2025 is from No. 3 quarterback Tavien St. Clair. They have a crystal ball to land a commitment from four-star tight end Emaree Winston.

September 8

The Ohio State Buckeyes' top offensive tackle option in the class of 2024 announced his commitment decision.

Brandon Baker, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2024 cycle, will announce his commitment live on Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET on 247Sports' YouTube page. Why, of all dates, did Baker choose Sept. 24?

“Sept. 24 is my birthday, so I felt like it was a good time to announce,” Baker told 247Sports. “It has been a really fun process, but I have a good idea what I want to do and I’m ready to get this done.”

Ohio State hosted Baker on an official visit June 9. He will choose between the Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, Oregon Ducks and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

September 6

Ohio State Buckeyes 2024 wide receiver commit Jeremiah Smith announced on X Tuesday that he will be in attendance for the Youngstown State game.

This weekend will be Smith's fifth unofficial visit to Columbus after taking his official visit June 9. Smith was on an unofficial visit with Florida State and attended the Seminoles' season-opening game against LSU in which they won 45-24.

Ohio State kicks off against Youngstown State at noon on Big Ten Network.

September 1

The Ohio State Buckeyes were one of four programs to host five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley on an official visit, but their pitch wasn't good enough.

The Buckeyes were unable to pluck McKinley out of Louisiana, as he announced his commitment to the Texas A&M Aggies Friday. Ohio State still holds commitments from five-star defensive linemen Justin Scott and Eddrick Houston.