Ohio State landed its second five-star wide receiver in as many days on Tuesday, with the pledge of Hollywood (Fla.) American Heritage standout Brandon Inniss. Brian Hartline continues to establish himself as one of the nation’s most prolific recruiters as the Buckeyes are closing in on another top class of wide receivers.
What Ohio State is getting
Yesterday the Buckeyes landed a player in Carnell Tate who is in the conversation as the nation’s top wide receiver prospect. Inniss is also in that conversation, but the two are pretty different players. While Tate is a bouncier athlete with better measurables, Inniss gets the job done with great strength, technique, and quickness.
Inniss, like really all of the receivers Hartline recruits, could play inside or outside at the next level but his skill set is probably best served being used in the slot. He has a college ready build and is simply too much for most defensive backs to handle from a strength standpoint, especially in press coverage where he can easily get off jams and out muscle opponents in those small area battles over the middle of the field.
While Inniss isn’t a speed demon, he has good enough speed and has high level quickness. Combine that with being a polished route runner and it’s easy to see why Inniss is able to consistently create the separation he needs. But even if he doesn’t, the sure hands and tremendous strength serve him well to win 50/50 battles.
Inniss also possesses a high compete level and work ethic. He has never shied away from competition and he has proven himself at one of the nation’s top high school programs and at arguably the nation’s top 7-on-7 program. This is a guy who just consistently delivers, even against the nation’s top competition.
What it means for recruiting
Ohio State is down to likely just one receiver spot left in the 2023 recruiting class. The Buckeyes would appear to like that spot to be taken by Top 100 Rolesville (NC) standout Noah Rogers, though players like Rico Flores out of California and Texas star Jalen Hale are at least still on the radar screen.
Rogers did not make his scheduled official visit over the weekend as the country saw thousands of flights cancelled on Thursday and Friday so the four-star talent will be working on rescheduling. That’s something that needs to happen for the Buckeyes as the Rogers crew weighs staying close to home at either N.C. State or North Carolina with heading north to Columbus.
Inniss’ commitment should help strengthen the Buckeyes’ grip on several of his South Florida Express teammates. Four-star running back Mark Fletcher just wrapped up a strong official visit in Columbus, but teams are still reaching out, most notably Miami. The Buckeyes are also off to a great start with class of 2024 receivers Jeremiah Smith and Jojo Trader. Inniss’ presence, relationships with those guys, and role as a leader should only help the Buckeyes on those fronts.
Get more on the Brandon Inniss commitment by checking out the latest episode of the Givs and The Bank recruiting podcast below:
