Buckeyes make in-home visit to defensive line commit Kayden McDonald
COLUMBUS — Ohio State continued its swing of in-home visits Monday night with a stop in Northern Georgia.
A conglomerate of head coach Ryan Day, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton visited Kayden McDonald on Monday night.
The four-star Suwanee (Ga) North Gwinnett defensive tackle is the most recent commit to the Buckeyes 2023 class. He is the No. 41 rated defensive lineman and the No. 298 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus Rankings.
McDonald gives Ohio State an absolute force on the interior of its defensive line once he arrives in Columbus. In his senior season the 6-foot-2, 325-pound defensive tackle had 68 tackles (54 solo) 13 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and one pass defended.
He ended his career at North Gwinnett with 234 total tackles, 180 solo tackles, 131 tackles for loss and 46 sacks.
That kind of production is one of the reasons why Ohio State offered the talented Georgia native and he’ll bolster the interior for Knowles.
McDonald made his official visit to Ohio State the weekend of the Wisconsin game for his second game-day visit on campus. He also attended the Penn State game in 2021.
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While his finalists included Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma and Florida, the opportunity to learn and play under Johnson is what sold McDonald on the Buckeyes.
“It was a tough decision, but Ohio State is the school,” McDonald told On3. “It came down to Ohio State and Michigan. My relationship with Larry Johnson pushed the Buckeyes to the top. I see coach Johnson and Ryan Day not only as coaches but mentors.
“They will push me, help me, and develop me on and off the field.”
McDonald is one of three defensive line pledges in the Ohio State 2023 class. Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr. are also in the Buckeyes’ class. Moore is the No. 86 overall prospect and Smith is the No. 211 overall prospect per On3.
This three-man class right now might not have the opportunities to play right away, save Moore, but they add necessary depth to a room that now frequently rotates in the Knowles-Johnson system. Ohio State is still hanging in the balance for three five-star prospects that will bolster both the defensive line board and the class itself.
Keon Keeley, Damon Wilson and Matayo Uiagalelei are all yet to officially make their decisions. Any one of them would be a tremendous addition to this Buckeyes class. Johnson and Knowles are also waiting on a potential commitment from the country’s No. 7 rated EDGE in four-star Joshua Mickens.
Ohio State currently has the fourth-ranked 2023 class in the On3 Consensus Team Rankings.
