Ohio State Buckeyes Football Recruiting Class of 2023 Superlatives

Ryan Day's next crop of prep stars fall right in line with what the nation comes to expect from Ohio State recruiting

Author:
Buckeyes Now Staff
Feb 2, 2023 2:47 PM EST

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Ohio State had a quiet traditional National Signing Day on Wednesday, something the coaching staff made sure was the expectation early in the day.

Instead, it served as a transition point, a time for the media to get more out of Ryan Day, Brian Hartline, Mark Pantoni and others in order to look back on the well put-together Buckeye recruiting class of 2023. Among the 20 signees, all of whom inked in December during the Early Signing Period, there are great gets, storylines, floors, ceilings and everything in between.

Buckeyes Now dishes out its class superlatives for the 2023 haul (while not repeating a player in the process).

Best Get: Brandon Inniss

The most talked about future Buckeye still qualifies as its top get in the class. Not only was this south Florida wide receiver recruit committed to Oklahoma at one point, but Ohio State overcame the temptation for him to follow Lincoln Riley to USC in addition to Alabama, Miami and others throughout the recruiting cycle. The reason why Inniss was so coveted was because of his polish and high floor at the position, not to mention the five years of elite production at the varsity levels against some of the best competition in the country.

Honorable Mention: Noah Rogers

Most Needed: Kayden McDonald

Filling needs is a key part of evaluating any recruiting class and while wide receiver feels like a surplus or embarrassment of riches at this point, the defensive interior is quite the opposite. Moore and Will Smith offer inside-out value but the only true interior type brought in by OSU was McDonald. The Georgia native was a late riser in the cycle and commanded the attention of Georgia and Clemson down the stretch, only reemphasizing how big of a recruiting win this was for the defensive staff. McDonald is cat quick relative to his frame and he is polished with his hands, making for a potential pass-rushing ceiling in addition to power and production against the run.

Honorable Mention: Jermaine Mathews

Highest Ceiling: Lincoln Kienholz

When you bring in a top five recruiting class, there are droves of candidates for the highest ceiling -- but the South Dakota native tops our list because of what we don't know just as much as Kienholz does for what we do know. The three-sport star has all the physical traits to become the next modern, dual-threat star at the game's most important position, but he hasn't had to do it against high level competition at any point. That gradual change, along with the luxury of focusing on one sport for the first time in his life, should help Kienholz develop into quite the intriguing option for Day and company down the line.

Honorable Mention: Carnell Tate

Surprise! Jayden Bonsu

From delayed announcements to other programs trending for this New Jersey native, the Bonsu recruitment was one of the most up-and-down of the cycle. The physical safety type, who could potentially project as a hybrid linebacker depending on how his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame develops, was considering Penn State and Miami among others down the home stretch. Once he picked the Buckeyes, there was no wavering.

Honorable Mention: Jelani Thurman

Flipmode: Calvin Simpson-Hunt

OSU completed multiple flips in the class of 2023, including Kienholz, but the defensive wins could result in a more immediate impact. A former Texas Tech pledge, Simpson-Hunt is a big and technical corner with a strong athletic profile including a 10.67-second 100 meter dash time to his name in 2022. The Texas native, who flipped back in June, tracks the football well with his makeup speed and often wins with physicality through the catch point.

Honorable Mention: Joshua Mickens

Jason Moore during a recruiting trip to Ohio State University.

Day 1 Ready: Jason Moore

The Ohio State defensive front will feature turnover and the rotation needs a combination of bulk and pass-rushing, two of Jason Moore's specialties. The Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland, of course from the same school that produced Buckeye great Chase Young (DeMatha Catholic), was as productive as it gets up front as a senior with 96 tackles, including 13 sacks and 18 tackles for loss against strong Washington D.C. Catholic League competition. Moore has considerable experience working inside and out on a hard-to-miss 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame.

Honorable Mention: Arvell Reese

Super Sleeper: Cedric Hawkins

Both an early commitment and one who does so many things on Friday nights, it's easy to look beyond Hawkins in chronicling the Buckeye class -- but he can play. The combination of instincts, physicality and play-making ability from the corner or nickel slots is something every modern defense needs in depth and the Cocoa (Fla.) High School star will bring it to Columbus immediately. There are few more confident secondary prospects nationally than the 2022 state champion.

Honorable Mention: Bryson Rodgers

Biggest Miss: Damon Wilson

The 2023 Buckeye class filled plenty of needs and added even more blue-chippers, but the edge depth is somewhat missing from the haul. Before flipping Joshua Mickens from LSU, OSU was looking to bring in multiple edge types and took its stab at five-stars Keon Keeley, Damon Wilson and Matayo Uiagalelei -- missing on each in the end. Wilson, late in the game, was the closest get for Larry Johnson in a head to head matchup with Kirby Smart and Georgia that ultimately went the Bulldogs' way.