Ohio State wide receiver, defensive back commits eyeing season openers

COLUMBUS — Ohio State beings its season in a little over two weeks, but some future members of the program start a little over 24 hours.

High schools across the country begin their seasons this week and several Ohio State commits will take the field for their respective school.

It isn’t just commits, however. Rising juniors and sophomores will take the next step starting Friday to build up their film reels.

Lettermen Row has centralized all of the season openers for the 20 commits in the Ohio State 2023 class. Missed out on quarterbacks and running backs? Check it out here.

Wide receiver

Ohio State has four committed wideouts and the foursome all start their senior seasons within the next eight days.

Five-star talent Brandon Inniss from Miami Gardens, Florida, starts his in a cross-state matchup when American Heritage hosts Lowndes (Georgia). Inniss, a 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver, totaled over 1200 total yards of offense last season and won’t slow down this year.

Five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy starts his final year of high school ball on Friday. The Chicago native will see his first varsity action of his senior year on Aug. 26 against Miami Central. On a roster littered with Division I talent — including 2025 target Winston Watkins Jr. — Tate will continue to find ways to make plays.

Another five-star in the class, 6-foot-2, 195-pound Noah Rogers, will make his debut this Friday. Rolesville High (North Carolina) and Rogers open the season on the road against Pinecrest (North Carolina) with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Rogers had six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the 40-36 loss to Pinecrest in the 2021 opener.

The final wide receiver set to make his senior year debut is four-star Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, Fl) talent, Bryson Rodgers. The Bulls start their season Friday when they host Clearwater Central Catholic in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Cornerback

It’s only natural to include the defensive backs with the wide receivers, and we’ll start at cornerback first.

Calvin Simpson-Hunt, a four-star talent from Waxahachie (Texas), is still a week out from his senior season debut. Waxahachie High opens its season at home Aug. 26 against Ennis. The two programs met last season, but not until week three and Ennis won 22-21 in overtime. Simpson-Hunt had four tackles in the loss.

Fellow four-star cornerback Kayin Lee and his Cedar Grove Saints begin the season this Friday on the road at Bainbridge (Georgia). Lee and his teammates won a state title last season, and the road back to Atlanta starts off with a strong test.

The final cornerback in the Buckeyes 2023 class is in-state four-star Winton Woods product Jermaine Mathews. Mathews and the reigning Ohio Division II state champions start their season off at home on Friday and host Trotwood-Madison. Winton Woods defeated Trotwood-Madison 18-0 in the 2021 season opener

Safety

Wrapping up with defensive backs starts with in-state, four-star Lakota West (West Chester) safety Malik Hartford. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound safety begins his season Friday when Lakota West hosts St. Xavier. The two programs met twice last season, in the season opener and in the playoffs. St. X took the season opener but Lakota West won the playoff game.

Cedrick Hawkins also begins his senior season Friday when Cocoa (Florida) hosts Merritt Island. Hawkins is no stranger to filling the stat sheet in season openers either. Last season he had six tackles (five solo) in a 42-41 win.

The final defensive back is newly-committed safety four-star St. Peters Prep talent Jayden Bonsu. Bonsu and the Marauders start the season August 27 against St. Augustine Prep. Bonsu has three tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack in last year’s season opener.