COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football’s message to 2024 recruiting target Garrett Stover has been made perfectly clear since Sept. 1 hit.
That date marks the first day college coaches can directly contact players who are now juniors in high school, which often means teenagers around the country are fully indoctrinated into the recruiting process.
For the nation’s No. 231 player and No. 28 athlete, that just meant even more conversations with a coaching staff that’s already communicated how much of a priority he is.
“I’ve been talking to coach (Ryan) Day every day,” Stover told cleveland.com. “I’ve been talking to coach (Jim) Knowles a lot too. I have a great relationship with all of them. It’s like they’ve been coaching me for 10 years already. That’s how much we talk. They definitely see me as higher on their list, which makes me pretty happy.”
The relationship between the two sides is strong. Stover was already well-acquainted with the program as a family member, given that his cousin is Cade Stover, the Buckeyes’ starting tight end and one of their captains. That in itself is already a unique relationship because of one amazing detail: Their fathers are brothers, and their mothers are sisters.
“Any family get-together, he’s on both sides,” Stover said. “It’s pretty cool.”
The family ties already add to the list of reasons why Ohio State sits atop the list for the four-star recruit. He’s an Ohio kid attending Big Walnut High School, which is only a 45-minute drive from the campus. He grew up a fan, making the scholarship offer he earned over the summer at a day camp all the more special.
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It’s also something he’s had to, at times, keep in check. Picking the Buckeyes has to be about more than just living out a childhood dream, but also about maximizing himself as a player.
“Ohio State’s just been my dream,” Stover said. “That place is filled with great people and that’s the one thing that really separates them from a lot of schools.”
That means attending season-opening games to see if all the good things people have said about Knowles’ new defense are actually true. Holding Notre Dame to 10 points — including a second-half shutout — is a good first step is validating that. So was seeing it in person to see just how much better that unit is playing this season.
“They really flew around and made a crap ton of plays,” Stover said. “It was really exciting to see them get after it. The whole defense has a super high motor that just never stops. The energy’s amazing. Seeing how they reacted to everything, it was just so fast and that’s what really impressed me. It’s hard to look at that and not want to be a part of it, because I was really impressed.”
Stover is an important recruit for Ohio State. Day has made a habit out of locking down the state’s best players, especially in cycles when there’s a plethora of players who fall under that category. Each class has had at least six, with the 2020 class having the most with eight.
OSU’s in-state commits under Ryan Day
| Player, Class | Rank (Position) | Rating | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Sawyer, 2021 | No. 5 (No. 3 DL) | 0.9980 | 5-Star |
| Paris Johnson, 2020 | No. 10 (No. 1 OT) | 0.9953 | 5-Star |
| C.J. Hicks, 2022 | No. 7 (No. 1 LB) | 0.9948 | 5-Star |
| Sonny Styles, 2022 | No. 12 (No. 1 SAF) | 0.9937 | 5-Star |
| Luke Montgomery, 2023 | No. 49 (No. 5 OT) | 0.9789 | 4-Star |
| Michael Hall Jr., 2021 | No. 53 (No. 10 DL) | 0.9742 | 4-Star |
| Reid Carrico, 2021 | No. 87 (No. 9 LB) | 0.9615 | 4-Star |
| Jayden Ballard, 2021 | No. 99 (No. 15 WR) | 0.9580 | 4-Star |
| Gabe Powers, 2022 | No. 101 (No. 8 LB) | 0.9563 | 4-Star |
| Tegra Tshabola, 2022 | No. 104 (No. 10 OT) | 0.9557 | 4-Star |
| Ben Christman, 2021 | No. 124 (No. 7 IOL) | 0.9437 | 4-Star |
| Malik Hartford, 2023 | No. 163 (No. 9 SAF) | 0.9322 | 4-Star |
| Darron Henry-Young, 2020 | No. 154 (No. 16 DT) | 0.9321 | 4-Star |
| Joshua Padilla, 2023 | No. 187 (No. 8 IOL) | 0.9252 | 4-Star |
| Jyaire Brown, 2022 | No. 192 (No. 24 CB) | 0.9237 | 4-Star |
| Arvell Reese, 2023 | No. 228 (No. 16 LB) | 0.9173 | 4-Star |
| Jermaine Mathews, 2023 | No. 228 (No. 15 ATH) | 0.9169 | 4-Star |
| Austin Siereveld, 2023 | No. 242 (No. 10 IOL) | 0.9144 | 4-Star |
| Joe Royer, 2020 | No. 413 (No. 14 TE) | 0.8862 | 3-Star |
| Will Smith, 2023 | No. 468 (No. 57 DL) | 0.8853 | 3-Star |
| Jaylen Johnson, 2021 | No. 416 (No. 30 SAF) | 0.8851 | 3-Star |
| Avery Henry, 2022 | No. 721 (No. 58 OT) | 0.8726 | 3-Star |
| Miyan Williams, 2020 | No. 627 (No. 45 RB) | 0.8693 | 3-Star |
| Ty Hamilton, 2020 | No. 762 (No. 33 SDE) | 0.8635 | 3-Star |
| Jakob James, 2020 | No. 852 (No. 55 OG) | 0.8594 | 3-Star |
| Trey Leroux, 2020 | No. 1139 (No. 91 OT) | 0.8493 | 3-Star |
| Jake Seibert, 2020 | No. 1415 (No. 2 K) | 0.8405 | 3-Star |
Note: Darrion Henry-Young transferred to Kentucky for the 2022 season.
The 2021 class represented what can happen when quality meets quantity. That class held six, including five of the state’s top six players. All of them were among the top 124 nationally.
The same thing might be in the works in 2024 as players continue to develop. Ohio State could end up with a defensive back class featuring nothing but in-state recruits that could be considered a home-run cycle. Stover could be part of that as a guy that could develop into a safety or a linebacker making the Bandit Safety role a solid position to project in Knowles’ scheme.
“Coach Knowles told me basically how my body develops over the years,” Stover said. “If I choose to go there, that’s where I’ll play, linebacker to safety.”
There’s no exact timeline for Stover’s decision. He’s not rushing the process, understanding that he’ll know where he wants to be when the time is right. In the meantime, he’ll keep learning more about the new defense while building relationships with its new coaches, knowing he has the green light to come aboard whenever he’s ready.
The 2024 class is potentially another significant one for Ohio State in terms of in-state talent. The task of getting each of them to stay home could start with Stover.
“Every time I talk to coach Day, and he’s always like, ‘Whenever you’re ready to be a Buckeye, just let me know,’” Stover said.
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