Buckeyes make the cut for two of their top 2023 receiver targets

Brian Hartline continues to put up numbers.

Thursday proved to be another big day for the Buckeyes on the recruiting front. As the summer gets closer, high profile recruits are getting closer to their decisions, and the coaches are hopeful that they’ll be in favor of Ohio State.

Yesterday saw two of the targets on Ohio State’s board narrow their top schools list down, and with both being receivers, it looks as if Brian Hartline is getting ready to keep up the incredible success when it comes to landing elite talents at the position.

Buckeyes make top three for Flores

Ohio State may only have one receiver currently committed in the 2023 class, but Hartline is in on some of the top players at the position for the current cycle, and that’s a surprise to literally nobody. After seeing the Buckeyes’ success in the recent NFL Draft, Hartline just continues to prove why he’s the best receivers coach in the country. While he doesn’t care for the term “recruiting” because of his belief more so in relationships, it’s safe to say not only is he a dynamic recruiter, but easily in the mix for the best in the country.

Late Wednesday evening, 2023 receiver target Rico Flores took to his Twitter account to share that he would soon be narrowing it down to three schools in his recruitment. On Thursday, Flores did in fact go public with his latest update and announced that he was now down to Notre Dame, Georgia, and Ohio State. In addition, Flores again confirmed a commitment date set for July 3.

The No. 193 player nationally, Flores is also the 26th best receiver according to the 247Sports Composite grades. Having been on the Ohio State radar for some time now, he’s made it very clear multiple times on how he feels about the Buckeyes and how impressive Hartline is at coaching the receiver position. Maybe not the highest ranked player at the position, Hartline has given Flores the stamp of approval and obviously his evaluation alone says all you need to know.

With Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate, and Noah Rogers all being legitimate potential additions to the class, it would be a larger class position wise than normal for the Buckeyes to also land Flores. But if all four of these names wanted in the fold, the Buckeyes may be at a bit of a crossroads for who all has a spot. Ohio State does have some time to let the process weigh out, but regardless, the wait won’t be that much longer to see if Hartline can pull off another elite addition to his already stellar receiver room.

Rogers narrows it down to five

Ohio State is in the mix for several other top receivers, with one of those being North Carolina native, Noah Rogers. Like the aforementioned Flores, Rogers also took to his social media outlets yesterday to update his recruitment and narrow it down to five schools still in it for his eventual commitment.

The No. 59 player nationally, Rogers is also the 10th best receiver in the country and the top player in his home state for the 2023 class. Including North Carolina, NC State, Clemson, Florida State, and Ohio State, Rogers has yet to provide a commitment date, but clearly the process is winding down if he’s cutting the list down from his nearly 30 offers total.

A player that has recently seen some serious momentum to the Buckeyes, Rogers has been linked to Ohio State pretty regularly these days — even in the form of multiple predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball feature. In fact, all five of the submissions are in favor of Ohio State landing this commitment. NC State has been the other program closely associated with Rogers, but right now it looks like this is a player Hartline is well on his way to landing in his 2023 haul.