Ryan Day and company had themselves a rather gut wrenching last two weeks of December 2022. What started with the Buckeyes losing a commitment from the #1 player in the 2024 class, quarterback Dylan Raiola, on the 17th, lingered 14 days later when Ohio State lost their national championship hopes on a missed field goal.

All signs pointed toward a downhill spiral for the program, but like we’ve seen before, the public may have written the Buckeyes out too early. Ryan Day still managed to keep the #2 player in America, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, through the December storm. The Texas product has been essential in helping Ohio State lure more talent to the class.

Ohio State got white hot on the recruiting trail to start off the spring season, locking up seven total 4 star players, on top of another 5 star receiver. Day airlifted the Buckeyes to the #2 spot in the national 2024 rankings, with much work still to be done.

The first splash came at the end of March, when offensive line coach Justin Frye received a pair of commitments from instate recruits Deonate and Devontae Armstrong. The twins are both 4 star prospects who are ranked in the Top 12 positionally in Ohio, and team up with fellow 4 star guard commit Ian Moore to make an impressive base in the class thus far.

The first week of April was nuclear for Ryan Day, capturing three big commitments within a six day span. It began with running backs coach Tony Alford joined the action, earning a pledge from 4 star tailback James Peoples out of Texas. Peoples ranks as the fifth best in the country at his position, per 247 sports. The Buckeyes have familiarity dipping into the pool of talent in the Lone Star State, locking up J.K. Dobbins during their 2017 cycle as well. If Peoples can bring half the horsepower that Dobbins brought to Columbus, Buckeye fans will be a huge fan of his.

Two days later, Ohio State’s wide receivers coach reminded everybody why he had just earned himself a shiny $1.6M yearlysalary this offseason. The Buckeyes’ newly named offensive coordinator Brian Hartline tied the knot on 5 star receiver Mylan Graham. The Indiana native is the top ranked player in the state, and got pulled out of Notre Dame’s backyard despite a heavy recruiting push by the Irish. Graham and Smith are the only 5 star commits to the class through the month of May, which hopefully expands this summer.

After losing the gem of their class, it was full court press time for Day and his staff to find a new signal caller. The quarterbacks that they had stopped recruiting due to Raiola’s commitment were back on their radar again, and it put them in a bad spot behind some of their biggest competitors.

Without batting an eye, Ryan Day found his playmaker, and landed the #6 ranked quarterback in the 2024 class. Air Noland, the highly touted 4 star out of Georgia, is coming off a season in which he threw for 55 touchdowns in the top division in the state. Noland led Langston Hughes to a state championship victory, while earning Player of the Year honors. Noland could reach 5 star status with another lavish senior season.

Ohio State reached an agreement with former three time All American James Laurinaitis earlier in the year, stealing the Notre Dame linebackers coach to command the same role in Columbus. Within three months of being on the job, Laurinaitis landed his first silver bullet. Payton Pierce, the 4 star athlete and top 15 linebacker in the state of Texas, committed to the Buckeyes on April 11th. A strong season from that unit in year one for Laurinaitis will help his recruiting appeal in their search for future prospects.

Ryan Day reached commitments from 4 star players Max LeBlanc and Jordan Lyle to close out the month. LeBlanc, the tight end from Tennessee, is the seventh ranked player in the state, adds another throwing target to Noland in the class. Lyle, the running back from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, follows the path of many Buckeyes who were recruited from there. The combination of Peoples and Lyle in the class has the people of Columbus, Ohio feeling elated.

It may be reasonable to feel suspicious about the lack of defensive players committed so far, as that side of the football has kept Ohio State from a national championship the past two seasons. Rather than overreact, it’d be best advised to stay patient if you are a fellow fan of the scarlet and gray. There is plenty of room in the class to still be filled, with the summer months often a popular time for players to announce their college decisions. Jim Knowles needs to be assertive in his approach here, and I believe he will be.

By the time the signing period comes, I believe the Buckeyes will be in shape to have another Top 5 recruiting class.