Ohio State had a quieter-than-usual NFL Draft this week, with many of last season’s top players opting to return for another season in Columbus.
Marvin Harrison Jr. became the latest Buckeye receiver to be selected in the early first round, taken at No. 4 overall by the Arizona Cardinals, and Mike Hall Jr. continued the OSU-to-Cleveland pipeline when he was selected with the 54th pick by the Browns. Cade Stover was also reunited with C.J Stroud, taken in the fourth round by the Texans, and Tommy Eichenberg went to the Raiders in the fifth.
While much of the focus this weekend was on NFL Draft festivities, Ohio State still managed to make the recruiting headlines in football and basketball concerning five-star prospects in both sports.
Starting on the gridiron, the Buckeyes learned on Friday that they made the top schools list for five-star 2025 safety/linebacker, Jonah Williams.
Williams holds over 33 offers to his name, and is now down to just seven schools, with Ohio State making the cut alongside LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and USC. The 6-foot-3 athlete out of Galveston, Texas ranks as the No. 10 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, and could play either safety or linebacker at the next level as he posses an elite physical skillset. On3 has him listed as the No. 1 safety in the country, while 247Sports has him as the No. 1 linebacker.
Williams does it all for Galveston Ball, also starring for the baseball and basketball teams. Here is some of what 247Sports analyst Hudson Standish had to say in his scouting report of one of 2025’s most elite prospects:
“Currently projected to play linebacker long-term, but owns an elite combine testing profile which could allow him to stick in the defensive backfield at safety or nickel. Excellent reactionary athlete who can flip his hips to cover space against the pass or plant his foot in the ground to trigger in the run game before striking opponents. Center field baseball background and above-the-rim basketball athleticism manifest in highlight plays at the catch point on both sides of the ball at the prep level.”
As things currently stand, it seems like the Sooners are the team to beat for Williams, with a pair of Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Oklahoma cast back in February. However, Ohio State clearly made enough of an impression on the Lone Star State standout after his visit for the Spring Game, and remains in the running among his final schools. Williams has an official visit with the Buckeyes scheduled for June 14.
“The spring game experience was great. The atmosphere of 80,000 people at a spring game is crazy!” Williams told Lettermen Row. “I spent time with Coach Day, Coach G (Matt Guerrieri), and Coach (Michael) Hunter. Their message to me was that I am going to be an impact player in the 2025 class if I were to commit and that they see me as a safety in the recruiting process.”
Flipping things over to basketball, Jake Diebler’s group was also on the receiving end of good news from a five-star prospect, as 2025 forward Jamier Jones included Ohio State among his top six schools.
Jones, a Florida native, is currently ranked as the No. 5 small forward and No. 22 prospect overall in the cycle, per the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound hooper included the Buckeyes among the six teams still in the running for his services, alongside Houston, Kansas, LSU, Providence and South Carolina. There are currently no Crystal Ball predictions for Jones, but the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine favors the Friars, which is the only program that has gotten an official visit from the forward.
In speaking with Joe Tipton about each of his final schools, here is what Jones had to say about Ohio State:
“Brice Sensabaugh came from our program (FL Rebels) so I watched him. Just seeing Brice and where he came from with us, playing against him, and seeing him go to (Ohio State), and then now to the league. So its definitely something to keep an eye on.”
Jones intends to announce his college decision on May 12. It seems unlikely the Buckeyes would be able to swing the five-star prospect without getting him on campus, but Diebler and company will continue to push until the final buzzer.
