Ohio State Football Recruiting 2022: Top Commitments Landed, Recruit Predictions

The Ohio State Buckeyes have stumbled into the College Football Playoff despite falling to rival Michigan and being left out of the Big Ten Championship Game. They're set to face top-ranked Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.

This week, though, Buckeyes fans will step away from the playoff excitement to focus on Ohio State's next crop of potential stars. The early national signing period begins Wednesday, and the Buckeyes are widely expected to have one of the top recruiting classes.

Heading into the week, OSU has landed 20 commits and boasts the nation's No. 7 class, according to 247Sports. It will be a shock if the Buckeyes don't land a few more top recruits in the coming days.

Here, we'll dive into the latest buzz surrounding the prospects who are expected to make their college decisions this week. We'll also highlight some of Ohio State's top commits and make a few predictions about the incoming Buckeyes class.

Ohio State's crop of commits is headlined by 5-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss from Florida. The Buckeyes have a recent history of sending quality pass-catchers to the NFL—most recently, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave—and Inniss could eventually continue that trend.

A talented, driven competitor, Inniss could be a future first-round NFL pick.

"He's someone that absolutely hates to lose and will do whatever it takes to win," Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote. "Has evolved as a wide receiver over the years and seems to be settling in as a game-changing inside receiver that can work all the different numbers of the route tree."

Inniss will soon be teammates with 4-star recruits Noah Rogers and Carnell Tate.

The Buckeyes' list of 4-stars also includes offensive lineman Luke Montgomery, defensive lineman Jason Moore, tight end Jelani Thurman, cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt and quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.

While Inniss is the only 5-star recruit to commit to Ohio State thus far, it's already shaping up to be a successful recruiting class.

Ohio State fans should be watching for the decisions of two potent pass-rushers and 5-star recruits: Matayo Uiagalelei of St. John Bosco (California) and Damon Wilson of Venice, Florida.

The Buckeyes have an impressive group of incoming offensive players, but landing both Uiagalelei and Wilson could make them a terror on the other side of the ball as well.

Wilson, the No. 13 prospect on 247 Sports' composite rankings, could be one of the gems of this recruiting class.

"Extremely coordinated in almost everything he does and is able to keep his balance as he gets up and underneath opposing offensive linemen. Makes his money in obvious passing situations as that's when he tends to deplete the batteries and bring all the juice," Ivins wrote.

Unsurprisingly, Wilson is being courted by multiple programs, including Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona State and Auburn.

Ohio State appears to be the favorite for Uiagalelei, though the rising USC Trojans could be a serious threat. According to Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors, the Buckeyes are making a big late push to secure the 6'5", 265-pound prospect.

Uiagalelei has also taken an official visit at Oregon.

Here's something to consider with Uiagalelei. His brother, former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, is in the transfer portal and seeking a new program. There's a chance that the brothers are hoping to play college ball together, and that could throw a proverbial wrench into Ohio State's plans.

It could also leave the younger Uiagalelei waiting until the traditional signing period to make a decision.

Our guess, though, is that Ohio State's persistence pays off, and Uiagalelei eventually becomes one of the Buckeyes' next great pass-rushers. The school's record of putting pass-rushers like Joey and Nick Bosa into the NFL could be a deciding factor.

Wilson, on the other hand, might be swayed by other factors.

"The Buckeyes used multiple game-day visits to build momentum this fall, but there's a chance that the Bulldogs could be taking some of that back as name, image and likeness money continues to be a major factor in college football recruiting," Stephen Means of Cleveland.com recently wrote.

Don't be shocked if Wilson chooses to go make his NIL money in the high-profile SEC.

Recruiting information via 247Sports