Ohio State Football Moves to the #1 Recruiting Rankings after a Pair of Commitments

The Buckeyes leap Notre Dame for the top spot after two more recruits are added to the class of 2023.

Another successful recruiting weekend is in the books for Ohio State Football. The program welcomed a pair of new pledges to their now top-ranked class in the country. Also, a five-star defensive back from Florida included the Buckeyes as a finalist when narrowing down his list of potential suitors.

Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson was back to his typical ways on the recruiting trail. He reeled in yet another highly coveted prospect along the defensive front. This time, it was 2023 four-star defensive lineman Jason Moore of DeMatha Catholic (MD).

Moore, a Hyattsville native, was originally offered by the Buckeyes back in January. He ultimately committed to the program over Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others.

The 6’6″, 255-pounder is ranked as the No. 1 player from the state of Maryland. Moore attends a high school program that should be of no stranger to Ohio State fans across the country. A school that brought the Buckeyes Chase Young. A former five-star defensive lineman that is now suiting up at the highest level for the Washington Commanders.

As for Moore, he will bring a high-profile to Columbus. Including currently being ranked just outside of the Top 50 prospects in the class, at No. 53 overall.

The Polynesian Bowl pledge is also penciled in as the fifth highest graded defensive line prospect in the class.
Moore joined 2023 three-star offensive tackle Miles Walker, of Brunswick School (CT), who committed to the Buckeyes on Friday morning.

The combination of commitments helped push Ohio State past Notre Dame, giving them the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

Ricks reveals Top 10

The Buckeyes and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton also got some positive news in regards to 2024 five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks of IMG Academy (FL). The top-tier defensive back had plenty of time to make his decision. Ricks felt it was time to narrow down his recruitment to six schools on Saturday.

Despite nearly committing to Florida State just months ago, Ricks did not include the Seminoles in his top group. However, the 6’1″, 170-pounder will focus on Alabama, Florida, Jackson State, LSU, Miami (FL), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, and USC going forward.

Ricks is originally a Virginia native, but has since made a move to Florida to develop as an Ascender. Much like 2023 five-star Ohio State wide receiver commit Carnell Tate has. The highly coveted prospect is wanted by blue blood programs across the country, and his on-field play is backed up by the high ranking he possesses. Ricks comes in as the early favorite to be both the top prospect from the state of Florida and the top cornerback in the class. He will also have more than a punchers chance to wind up as the best prospect overall when all is said and done, as he is currently No. 2 just behind 2024 five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola of Chandler (AZ) — an Ohio State commit.