Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes signee Bruce Thornton named Georgia Gatorade Player of Year

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Buckeyes signee Bruce Thornton named Georgia Gatorade Player of Year

Add another award to the growing list for Buckeyes signee Bruce Thornton.

The four-star shooting guard was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, just a couple of weeks after being listed as a finalist for SI National Player of the Year. Thornton, who already signed with Ohio State and will be ready to play for the Buckeyes next winter, brings plenty to the court — all of which made him the state player of the year in Georgia.

“We are really excited to add Bruce to our program,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said after Thornton signed his Letter of Intent. “During the recruiting process, we had a front row seat to his work ethic and his ability to impact winning at the highest level. Combine that with who he is as a person and the support around him, there is no doubt that he fits perfectly in the Scarlet and Gray. Bruce exemplifies the toughness, skill, and leadership combination that we look for in our guards and Buckeye Nation is going to love watching him.”

Those traits made Thornton a can’t-miss prospect for Ohio State in its latest recruiting class. And they’re what makes him the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year.

Highly-rated Buckeyes target sets visit date

Keon Keeley might be committed to Notre Dame, but the highly-rated defensive end in the class of 2023 still wants to check out what Ohio State has to offer.

Lettermen Row’s Birm has more on a massive upcoming visit to Columbus for Keeley.

Keon Keeley is taking a visit to Ohio State, so that’s the place to begin. He’ll be on campus with the Buckeyes next Tuesday, March 22 and it will be the first visit for him to Columbus and confirmed the trip with Lettermen Row on Wednesday morning. Tony Alford, Larry Johnson and others have been very involved in his recruitment for months now but a visit to Ohio is big for the Notre Dame commitment. The Buckeyes offered Keeley in December and his recruitment has been interesting to watch the last few months.

He committed to Notre Dame early but the Fighting Irish have a new head coach and a new defensive line coach. That’s opened the door a bit for Ohio State, Alabama, Florida and others. Everyone is hoping to locate a crack in his pledge. Buckeyes 2022 signee Sonny Styles was a huge part of the early Buckeyes interest for Keon Keeley. That relationship continues to grow and so does the peer-to-peer pitch from 2023 class leader Luke Montgomery. Ironically, it was Keeley leading the charge to recruit Styles, Montgomery and Josh Padilla to Notre Dame but now the Buckeyes have that trio trying to push him the other way.

READ: Ohio State visit set for Notre Dame commit Keon Keeley

ICYMI: Lettermen Live hosted by Roosters

The Ohio State football team is only practicing, of course. But after the first two workouts of spring camp, it’s clear how seriously coach Ryan Day and his hungry roster are taking the opportunity to get back to work after missing out on their championship goals.

The basketball team doesn’t have as much flexibility to correct mistakes right now, of course. And heading into Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup, coach Chris Holtmann and his squad have been reeling while dealing with injuries and untimely losses. There’s still the possibility for a championship in the Big Dance, since everybody in the field remains alive in the title hunt. But all that matters right now is getting just one victory, and for Holtmann that could be hugely significant.

The Lettermen Live crew was back at Roosters on Monday afternoon to talk about the situation for both programs at Ohio State, and there was a lot of ground to cover in the fun, casual conversation. Former Buckeyes Bobby Carpenter and Justin Zwick were joined by Lettermen Row staff members Austin Ward and Spencer Holbrook to dive into the standouts from spring ball so far, the stakes for Holtmann and much more.

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