Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes release statement on Big Ten expansion news

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Buckeyes release statement on Big Ten expansion news

The college football landscape is changing in a big way yet again. Ohio State and the Big Ten will officially welcome USC and UCLA to the conference beginning in the 2024 athletic year.

And the Buckeyes athletic director Gene Smith and President Kristina M. Johnson released a joint statement after the news was made official.

“We are excited about the opportunity this new partnership represents for The Ohio State University and for our student-athletes to compete with their peers from two storied athletics programs,” the statement read. “USC and UCLA are leading research universities that will enhance the Big Ten Conference in the classroom and on the field of competition. More than 25,000 alumni of Buckeye Nation call the state of California home and will soon have the chance to deepen their connections to the student-athletes who run, pass, swim and play in the sports they love.”

Ohio State will have new friends in the conference beginning in August 2024. Now with it officially done, the Buckeyes decided it was time to weigh in on the matter.

ICYMI: New Ohio State Recruiting Podcast episode

The Buckeyes opened their doors to another batch of uncommitted, highly-rated prospects who took official visits to Columbus over the weekend. That group was led by Lee, five-star defensive back Caleb Downs, who appears to be trending toward the Buckeyes, and Justice Haynes, a four-star running back.

Lettermen Row staffers Spencer Holbrook and Andrew Ellis are back to break down every angle of it on the Lettermen Row Recruiting Podcast. And there was a lot to discuss and break down.

The guys made sure to reach out to their sources and gather intel from the weekend, and the show is the perfect place to talk about what they’re hearing after the weekend that was.

Those are some of the key discussion points on this week’s episode. The duo of Lettermen Row staffers break down the big recruiting weekends behind the Buckeyes along with a a game of In or Out, using only visitors from the past weekend.

Calvin Simpson-Hunt commits to Ohio State

Ohio State added a versatile defensive back to its class: Calvin Simpson-Hunt committed to the Buckeyes on Thursday.

The four-star Waxahachie (Texas) native picked the Buckeyes after decommiting from Texas Tech, where he had been locked into that class since November, earlier in the day.

Simpson-Hunt joins four-star cornerbacks Dijon Johnson and Kayin Lee as Ohio State cornerback commitments, and he is the first player from Texas to join the Buckeyes class of 2023. Ohio State now has 15 commitments in its class that seems to be filling up quickly, especially after the massive visit weekends in June.

After committing to the Red Raiders last football season, Simpson-Hunt impressed coaches around the country with electrifying track times and film to back up his elite speed. He ran a 10.65-second 100-meter dash and a 22.12-second 200-meter dash, creating buzz.

Ohio State offered the No. 107 player in the country on May 4. Just a month later, he was on campus for an official visit during the June 17 weekend.

READ: Analyzing impact as four-star cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt commits to Ohio State

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