Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes make latest cut for four-star DL Kayden McDonald

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Buckeyes make latest cut for four-star DL Kayden McDonald

Ohio State is still in the running for one of the most impressive defensive linemen of the 2023 class.

The Buckeyes made the cut — a final five — for North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Georgia) four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald. The other four contenders for McDonald are familiar schools Ohio State goes against often on the recruiting trail: Michigan, Clemson, Oklahoma and Florida are the other four schools vying for his commitment.

“The academics stand out and it’s a championship football program,” McDonald told On3 about Ohio State. “There are so many opportunities off the field in Columbus. Coach [Ryan] Day and Coach [Larry Johnson] have been recruiting me the longest. They made it clear Columbus is home. Coach Day is cool and I can FaceTime him whenever I have a question or just want to chop it up. Coach J is the G.O.A.T., he has been in the game a long time and is respected by most of the coaches recruiting me. My former [North Gwinnett] teammate Jordan Hancock is there. I love everything about Ohio State.”

McDonald visited Ohio State for the Buckeyes blowout win over Wisconsin. Now he has Ohio State in his top five — with an Oct. 31 decision rapidly approaching.

Buckeyes freshman quarterback Devin Brown sheds black stripe

Buckeyes freshman quarterback Devin Brown shed his black stripe at practice this week, a mark that he is officially a member of the Buckeyes football program.

Brown has come a long way at Ohio State already — since arriving in January, before he was even named the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2022 by On3. Brown shook off the lofty ranking that ‘shocked’ him, and he went to work, learning the playbook and getting up to speed in spring practice.

Now through training camp and the first few weeks of the season, Brown has a better grasp of the playbook and is progressing through his first season at Ohio State.

Defensive lineman Hero Kanu, defensive back Ryan Turner, wide receiver Kojo Antwi, wide receiver Kaleb Brown, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson, cornerback Jyaire Brown, linebacker C.J. Hicks, tailback Dallan Hayden and wide receiver Kyion Grayes were all freshmen who shed their stripe during camp. Freshman safety Sonny Styles, who reclassified from the class of 2023 into the class of 2022, shed his black stripe just before the season began.

Defensive end Caden Curry and safety Kye Stokes lost their black stripes during spring practice. Now Brown is the latest.

ICYMI: Full coverage of Buckeyes preparations for Michigan State

The Buckeyes will battle the Michigan State inside Spartan Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a Big Ten East matchup. In preparation for the Buckeyes game against the Spartans, they practiced Wednesday night and select players met with the media shortly after.

Spencer Holbrook and Tim May were back inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center after practice, breaking down how the Buckeyes are turning their focus to Michigan State in the latest Practice Report presented by Byers Auto. Every Wednesday night following the media session with select Buckeyes players, Tim and Spencer will chat about what they saw Saturday night and look ahead to what to expect from Ohio State the next Saturday.

After hearing from major Buckeyes playmakers, the Lettermen Row crew is back for a full report on what it learned.

Counting down

Buckeyes at Michigan State: 2 days away

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 51 days away

Are you subscribed yet?

Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to the everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.

Already signed up? Don’t forget to join us in the Lettermen Lounge to talk about the latest Ohio State sports news.