2023 Ohio State Target Braylon James 'One Of The Best Receivers In His Class'

The Buckeyes are looking to land a wide receiver from Texas for the fourth time in five cycles.

Author:
Andrew Lind
May 31, 2021 11:32 AM EDT

Ohio State has had quite a bit of success recruiting the state of Texas in recent years, especially at the wide receiver position, landing commitments from five-stars Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Caleb Burton in 2019, 2020 and 2022 recruiting classes, respectively.

The Buckeyes are hoping to continue to that trend in the class of 2023, with Del Valle four-star Braylon James as one of their top targets at the position.

The 6-foot-3 and 175-pound James is a former teammate of Burton, who transferred this offseason to Austin Lake Travis, Wilson’s alma mater. And with Burton sidelined last season due to a knee injury, James broke out with 39 catches for 419 yards and five touchdowns in a six-game, pandemic-shortened season last fall.

"The first thing you see is that he has length," Del Valle head coach Bobby Acosta told SI All-American. "He has big hands, good speed, good body control. Then you watch his ball skills… he has tremendous ball skills.

“But then you talk to him, and talk to the family – and we talk about five-star young men – and that's what he is. He has a really bright future. I think with the summer, with our training moving forward, he's really going to blossom into one of the best receivers in his class."

James landed an offer from the Buckeyes in mid-April following a phone conversation with wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and he’ll soon make his first trip to Columbus during a busy month of June.

"I’m still trying to piece my schedule together so there’s a lot of last minute things I want to fit in," James said. "But the first week, I’ll be in California visiting Stanford and Cal. That following week I’m heading to Louisiana to see LSU. And the week after, I’m at Ohio State (on June 22). I’m still fitting more in but those are my for-sure visits right now."

James, who is already committed to play in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game, has not yet started to narrow down his list of nearly 30 scholarship offers because more continue to pour in, including Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and West Virginia in the last month and a half.

Hes in no hurry to make his college decision, either, so this summer will be mostly about the opportunity to finally conduct visits and meet with coaches for the first time.

“I want to have my top four probably around this time next year,” he said. “I’m just enjoying this process. It feels good to be living in my dream.”

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