The Opening Drive 6/6: Friday Recruiting Update on a Saturday
Momentum Continues to Grow With DGG, 3 Official Visits, and a WR Target Comes Off the Board
What’s going on? Jeremy here with your weekly recruiting update. As we’ve discussed in the last couple of updates, business is starting to pick up as the summer visit season is ramping up. This past week has been no different. Despite there being no commitments, there’s a lot of news to share with you guys!
6 Official Visitors This Weekend.
The Buckeye coaches will be hosting a total of 6 recruits from the class of 2027. 3 uncommitted and 3 OSU commits. One of the uncommitted recruits may be on commit watch though! Here is a brief breakdown of each uncommitted visitor.
Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Cornerback Jaden Carey
We’ll start with the player currently on commitment watch. The St. Thomas Aquinas standout is a Miami legacy, which adds another intriguing layer to his recruitment. Ohio State appears to be in a strong position, as both Alex Gleitman and 247Sports Florida recruiting analyst Zach Blostein have logged predictions for Carey to land with the Buckeyes.
At 6-foot-0, Carey fits the mold of the longer, athletic cornerbacks Ohio State has targeted in recent classes. He’ll likely need to add some weight at the next level, as he’s currently listed at 165 pounds, but the physical tools are evident. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as a four-star prospect, the No. 39 cornerback nationally, and the No. 37 overall player in Florida.
Carey has already completed his official visit to Miami and still has an official visit to Auburn on the schedule. If Ohio State is ready to secure his commitment, it will be worth watching how aggressively the staff pushes for a decision during this weekend’s visit.
Cleveland (OH) Linebacker Kaylon Bailey
Will the Tarblooder pipeline continue? We’ll get our answer on June 25 when Bailey announces his commitment.
While his recruiting ranking may not immediately stand out, his athletic profile certainly does. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Bailey draws natural comparisons to former Glenville standouts Arvell Reese and Cincere Johnson. Like those two, Bailey brings the kind of positional versatility that could allow him to contribute at either linebacker or edge rusher at the next level.
The 247Sports Composite ranks Bailey as a three-star prospect, the No. 29 player in Ohio, and the No. 62 linebacker nationally. Those rankings may not tell the full story, however, as his athletic traits and developmental upside are what have made him such an attractive target.
Historically, when Ohio State sets its sights on a Glenville prospect, things tend to work out in the Buckeyes’ favor. Given the timing of Bailey’s June commitment date and Ohio State’s longstanding relationship with the program, it would be somewhat surprising if this recruitment ended anywhere other than Columbus.
Baton Rouge (LA) Running Back Jayden Miles
Running back is one of the more intriguing positions in Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting cycle, and much of the board could hinge on one decision: whether David Gabriel Georges ultimately commits to the Buckeyes.
At this point, Miles should be viewed as Ohio State’s No. 2 running back target. The current buzz points toward Florida State as the likely landing spot for the Baton Rouge Catholic standout, but recruiting remains fluid, especially at a position where dominoes tend to fall quickly.
Miles is a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, checking in as the No. 15 player in Louisiana and the No. 31 running back nationally. While pulling elite prospects out of Louisiana is rarely easy, Ohio State may have a better opportunity here than usual. LSU’s lack of involvement removes one of the biggest obstacles that typically stands in the way of out-of-state programs.
If Gabriel Georges decides to stay closer to home and commit somewhere in the South, don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes ramp up their pursuit of Miles and make him a priority target moving forward.
The 3 committed players visiting this weekend are defensive end Wyatt Smith (teammate of Jaden Carey), Safety Angelo Smith, and Safety Eli Johnson. (Safety Errol Kerns and Wide Receiver Eric McFarland were originally slated to visit this weekend but will not be.)
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The Latest Buzz
I like to share the buzz from the recruiting insiders, as it comes out.
Let’s start with a name I’ve typed multiple times and that’s David Gabriel Georges. This week he received an RPM from Alex Gleitman and another from national recruiting analyst Sam Spieglman. The Buckeyes consider his official visit to have been a success, but as I type this he is on his official to Knoxville and the Vols. Jeremy Birmingham also stated this week that he has DGG in the class, along with Benny Easter, and Marcus Fakatou.
A pair of receiver targets came off of the board this week. 4-star Pflugerville , Texas native Tre Moore committed to the Washington Huskies. and 3-star Atlanta, Georgia product Tauren Rawlings committed to the home state Georgia Bulldogs.
Current quarterback commit Brady Edmunds is taking an official visit to UCLA this weekend. The QB position is going to be very interesting to follow until signing day. The smoke does seem to trend toward OSU possibly preferring Nebraska commit Trae Taylor.
That wraps up this week’s recruiting notes!
Buckeye Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh content.
