A Scouting Report of the Buckeyes 2023 Ohio Recruiting Class

<!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["34499"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"This former Findlay Trojan is one of the many players in Ohio States 2023 class to enroll early, in an effort to get a jump start on his college athletic and academic career.  Luke will play offensive tackle for the Buckeyes, which side however is yet to be determined.  When I talked to Luke a couple of weeks ago, he was very excited to tell me that he was up to 295. Many may not know but he actually came to Findlay high school team as a tight end/defensive end.  Over the next several years in his transition to offensive line, Luke has worked very hard on his body in high school to add good weight.  When you watch film the first thing that stands out is Luke's footwork and athleticism.  His footwork and quickness are on full display in his kick step in pass-pro.  His in the run game athleticism shines in getting to the second level and on screen plays where he gets out in space and runs down his assignments.  He does a great job with his hand placement and has a punch that can jar defenders.  He uses good upper body strength to finish his blocks, and that's where you see the mild-mannered young man show some nasty.  The Montgomery name won't be leaving the Ohio HS ranks just yet however as Luke's younger brother, Ryan, is our top QB in the 2025 class and already holds an Ohio State offer.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["274818"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Jermaine comes from a storied Winton Woods program where he helped lead the Warriors to a State Championship in his junior season.  He closed his high school career with a stellar senior season that's as good as any you'll ever see.  Jermaine finished the season with 6 interceptions, 3 of which he returned for touchdowns.  That in itself is a pretty incredible feat considering teams really didn't want to throw the ball his way.  Quite simply he's a play maker in every way you can define it.  He scored touchdowns by receiving punt return, kickoff return, and interception.  He was the most dynamic player in the state bar none.  Mathews wasn't always the player he is today.  It's really been in the last two years that he's blossomed physically and combined with a lot of hard work his game skyrocketed.  While Ohio State liked what they saw of him on film, they wanted to see it firsthand, so they invited him to summer camp.  It was there where Mathews would blow Ohio State's staff away, with a 40 in the 4.3's and a competitive spirit and stops in 1v1's.  Jermaine really excels in zone coverage as he takes good angles and times his plays on the ball well.  He has the length and explosiveness to play press man as well.  He has a high football IQ and awareness that he used to make plays and stops.  When the ball is in the air, he's going to win the contested catch almost every time.  He caused 4 forced fumble and had 4 fumble recoveries.  Many of those forced fumbles were hustle plays where he caught the runner and chopped the ball out.  Jermaine is already enrolled and down at Ohio State, and I could see him push for playing time early in his career.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["228407"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Back in 2021 I was at a Lakota West scrimmage versus Cincinnati Elder.  As I was watching the likes of current Buckeye Jyaire Brown and current Kentucky Wildcat Alex Afari in the West's defensive backfield, I noticed a long athletic player flying around to the ball.  Not having a roster handy, I immediately found someone on the sidelines and asked, who's number 9?  [player_tooltip player_id='228407' first='Malik' last='Hartford'], they replied.  That was the first time I had seen Malik play.  He was a little raw at that point, but it was easy to see then that Malik was a very talented football player.  At 6'3 180 pounds Hartford boasts great length for a defensive back and a good frame that he'll be able to add good weight and strength too.  Like Mathews Hartford is very good in space.  He sees the field well and has a fierce break on the ball.  He has good hands and ball skills.  Where, I think Malik excels is in run defense and defending the underneath passing game.  He flies around like a heat seeking missile.  As he continues to add weight and strength, I think he's going to turn into the perfect box safety.  A safety who can cover running backs, tight ends, and slots but also can come up and lay the wood in the run game.  Receivers best have their heads on a swivel when Malik is in the neighborhood.  One of the things that really impressed me about Malik was when I saw him snapping for punts in pregame before the Firebirds playoff game versus Princeton.  Here's a kid who's going to play defensive back at Ohio State and yet he wasn't above doing what it took to help his team win ball games.  That speaks volumes about Hartford's character.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["364764"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Just over a month ago the Glenville Tarblooders won their first State Football championship.  A key cog in the Tarblooders defense was [player_tooltip player_id='364764' first='Arvell' last='Reese'].  Reese was another late bloomer.  He really didn't come onto the D1 recruiting radar until the spring of 2021 at the Best of the Midwest camp.  After that Reese really saw things take off from a recruiting perspective.  Reese lined up all over the place for Glenville.  At Ohio State I like Reese in a similar as Jack linebacker.  Reese's speed and athleticism at 6'4 215-pound are pretty freakish.  As he fills out, he's going to be a guy who can do everything from put his hand in the dirt, to stand up backer, to dropping and covering.  He's explosive and gets downhill immediately.  He's plays violent, but not reckless.   He can string plays out down the line and he can come up and make plays in the backfield.  I think the most likely playing time Reese would see as a freshman would be in a special teams role, while he continues to add weight and strength.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["287990"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"At 6'5 315 Siereveld is the perfect size and body type for a power 5 interior offensive lineman.  He runs and carries his weight well.  While Siereveld is plenty athletic enough to kick and pass set.  He plays with a strong anchor and uses his hands well to stonewall defenders.  In the run game he's athletic enough to pull as well as get to the second level.  I think Austin will be a good fit for the pin and pull style run game that OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye utilizes.  He's deceptively athletic and when he gets downhill look out.  You really get a good look at Austin's power on the defensive side of the ball where they line him up at tackle and end.  His job was basically to go in there and reck shop, and that he did.  You consistently just see him blowing offensive linemen into the backfield.  It's pretty impressive.  That's the kind of strength and dominance that will make him a major asset to the Buckeyes rush offense someday in the to distant future.  Funny fact is that Austin even kicked off and did some punting for Lakota East.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["189492"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"For Buckeye fans it's quite obvious from the name that Smith is a legacy recruit.  Will's father is the late [player_tooltip player_id='189492' first='Will' last='Smith'], a former defensive end and All-American at Ohio State who played 10 years in the NFL.  The younger Smith played his high school football for Dublin Coffman high school.  I first saw him at the Ohio State camp in the summer of 2021.  At that point he didn't have any offers and hadn't had much contact with any schools.  At that point he was around 6'3 250 pounds and getting ready to embark on his junior season.  He's since worked hard to add about 30 pounds of good weight and is up around 280 pounds.  Will, will play the 3 tech or rush tackle at Ohio State.  Honestly, he could probably play defensive end, but his combination of athleticism, quickness and strength make him a perfect fit for the 3 technique.  He plays with a low pad level which is a great trait that seems lost on a lot of today's defensive linemen.  Smith had a strong junior season, but I really feel like he took his game to a whole other level as a senior.  Showing speed, acceleration, and athleticism that quite frankly, I didn't know he had.  With a D1 training table and strength and conditioning program, I really am bullish about what he could be for the Buckeyes.  I think there were many people out there who kind of thought that thought Smith being offered and signing with Ohio State was more of a good story than it would be fruitful down the road.  I'd disagree, I'm really bullish on what I think he could turn into at Ohio State.  I can't wait to see him continue to develop!","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["141061"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Padilla played offensive tackle for the Wayne Warriors, but he'll slide down to play offensive guard at Ohio State.  Padilla is one of those offensive linemen that have a wrestling background.  I like when athletes play multiple sports as it gives them an opportunity to work on different movements and techniques that can carry over from sport to sport.  Obviously, wrestlers understand leverage very well and that along with the functional strength necessary really translates to the offensive line position in football.  Padilla is 6'4 280 and carries his weight very well, so it will be just a matter of continuing to add good weight and strength when he gets to Columbus.  I think right now Padilla is stronger in his pass pro.  In the run game Padilla moves his feet well and has a good slide step that well come in very handy in any zone run schemes.  He has good upper body strength that he uses to finish.  I think one of Ohio State's focuses with him will be developing his lower body strength to generate more drive in the run game.  Give him a couple of years in OSU's program and I think we're going to see Josh make a leap to another level.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["92610"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Hartson will join the Ohio State program as a PWO (preferred walk-on).  Through his play he'll have an opportunity to earn a scholarship after his freshman season.  Hartson chose the opportunity to walk on at OSU over scholarship offers from the likes of Temple, Boston College, and several offers from many MAC schools among others.  At 5'9 200 pounds Hartson is a stalky back that runs really well between the tackles.  He has the vision to find creases and makes quick and decisive cuts.  He has the strength to put his shoulder down and run a guy over, but he has the elusiveness to make a guy miss.  Depending on how he continues to develop his body and get stronger I think he has a chance to stick at Ohio State.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["592244"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"If the name Rudzinski sounds familiar to Buckeye fans, that's because Ryan's father, Jerry, played linebacker for the Buckeyes back in the mid to late 1990's.  Like Hartson, Rudzinski accepted a PWO at Ohio State.  He helped lead Watterson all the way to the Regional Finals and a 12-2 record.  Ryan was kind of Mr. Everything for Bishop Waterson.  He was a quarterback that made plays with his arm and his legs.  On defense he played defensive back and a whopping 10 interceptions on as a senior.  I'd love to see what Ryan can do at wide receiver with the training of Brian Hartline, but they have so much talent at that position I'd also love to see what Ryan could do on the defensive side of the ball as a hybrid linebacker.  With Rudzinski's combination of size and athleticism, I think he has a chance to stick on the Buckeyes roster long term as well.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63bf6add49a5d"} /-->