Ohio State predicted to land 5-star EDGE Dylan Stewart

Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy five-star EDGE Dylan Stewart visited Ohio State over the weekend, and the Buckeyes made a major impression.

“It was eye-opening for me,” Stewart told On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons after the visit. “The opportunities for me on and off the field at Ohio State are great. Ohio State is a huge brand. It is one of the biggest brands in college football and Ohio State could do a lot for me. I really like what the program is, what it is about and it is not going anywhere.”

And now, the Buckeyes have been projected by Simmons as the team to beat for Stewart’s services. On Tuesday morning, Simmons placed an expert pick in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) in favor of the Buckeyes.

“After checking with multiple sources since the visit ended, the buzz around Ohio State is strong enough for me to make a pick for the Buckeyes,” Simmons wrote. “There are still many visits to come, both unofficial visits and official, but coming off the visit to Columbus, I like where the Buckeyes sit.”

This coming weekend, Stewart will visit Georgia and still has trips scheduled to Colorado, Penn State, Oregon, South Carolina, and Tennessee before the end of April. Simmons is likely to cut his list of top schools down soon after the visits though, and could be nearing a decision in the early part of the summer.

Larry Johnson making a major impression

One of the highlights for Stewart was his time spent with and around legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Stewart watched him closely at practice Saturday, then spent time with him in his office and Johnson made Stewart a believer.

“I love the passion coach Johnson has,” Stewart said. “He has a great plan. He laid out the plan and I believe he could do a lot for me. If I go there, he has a three-year plan for me. He talked to about me about how I have the intangibles. He loved my athleticism, how hard I work, how hard I play and what I can do coming off the edge. Coach Johnson wants to coach me. I could feel his passion and I believe what he was telling me.”

Watching him coach stood out a lot to Stewart. Not only his knowledge, but his style.

“Coach Johnson was coaching with passion. He doesn’t curse at his players. He coaches them, he talks to them and he gets the best out of his guys. Coach Johnson is really one of the greats. I know he could do a lot for me.”

Dylan Stewart Recruiting Profile

The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder is the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 2 EDGE and the No. 1 recruit in Washington D.C.

On3, however, is higher on Dylan Stewart than the other major recruiting services, as shown in the Industry Comparison. In the most recent On300 rankings, he was tabbed as the country’s No. 1 overall prospect.

“He checks in at around 6-foot-5, 230 pounds with arms over 34 inches and a frame to continue adding weight,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power writes. “Stewart is a top athlete who ran in the low 4.6’s at college camps last summer. He was productive as a junior at Friendship Collegiate Academy, tallying 16 sacks while lining up on the edge and as an off-ball linebacker at times. His combination of size, length, frame, athleticism and bend off the edge along with his junior production makes Stewart the current top 2024 EDGE prospect for On3.”