Scarlet Sunrise: What to know about Ohio State's Buckeye Bash aftermath

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Buckeye Bash aftermath

Ohio State hosted 15 official visitors last weekend, and though a handful of them are already committed to the program, that doesn’t mean it was a waste to have those players back on campus. Ryan Day and his coaching staff used every opportunity to build up the 2020 recruiting class by solidifying relationships between families and peers as much as they were trying to build it out by adding new players.

Simply put, official visit weekends are just as important for committed players as they are uncommitted players. These are the weekends where the future is forged and bonds are created that last throughout the next four-to-five years. That is easy to see in the reaction from Ohio State commitments who made the trip.

“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” recent Penn State flip Grant Toutant told Lettermen Row. “It was amazing. When I was with the guys, it just felt like we were all friends who’d known each other forever.”

Paris Johnson situation looking good

Ohio State also welcomed in Paris Johnson and his family. It was a very important two-day visit that each side hoped would put to rest any of the doubt and unease from the last six-plus months of Johnson essentially reopening his recruitment. After doing a little digging on this trip, I think the Buckeyes should be breathing easy moving forward when it comes to the country’s top-ranked tackle prospect.

For the Johnson clan, the decision to make other visits was not an easy one. Despite how much fun they’ve had on the road visiting LSU, Georgia, Alabama and others, it was done out of necessity. A backup plan was needed in the event things never felt right again in Columbus or if the feeling they had about the Buckeyes when Johnson committed didn’t return in the wake of Urban Meyer’s departure.

Ohio State had nothing to gain by trying to put restrictions on Johnson’s commitment and his travel plans. Instead it focused on what it could control: Showing why things with the Buckeyes are still on the right track.

As Birm noted in the Monday edition of Dotting the ‘Eyes, that’s paid off and things should be effectively settled from here and moving forward.

5 questions for Ohio State offensive line

Ohio State has a lot to replace in the trenches. The Buckeyes will have to find four new full-time starters along five spots on the offensive line this season. Luckily for the Buckeyes, there’s plenty of talent — but the room became thin when Michael Jordan announced he was leaving for the NFL and three other offensive linemen graduated.

Ohio State hasn’t recruited particularly well at offensive line over the last few years, so the program found a transfer option who will provide depth, and he might even step into a starting role.

It’s a big year for Greg Studrawa and the Ohio State offensive line. It’s Offensive Line Week at Lettermen Row, and we have five burning questions for how things might shake out for the Buckeyes in the trenches.

Help out a Buckeye in need

Former Ohio State football player Vinnie Petrella is in the fight of his life after being admitted into an ICU on May 31. Petrella’s family and friends are raising money on a GoFundMe page, where you can read updates and donate. Petrella is about to be flown back to Columbus from California, and the medical flight could cost upwards of $30,000.

Counting down

• Big Ten Media Days: 24 days
• Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic (season opener): 68 days
• Ohio State at Michigan: 159 days

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