Ohio State in top eight for 2025 tight end Ethan Barbour

COLUMBUS — Ohio State in recent cycles has seen an uptick in its tight end recruiting.

The Buckeyes signed one of the country’s best in 2023 with Jelani Thurman, and the early showings are looking great.

They have two committed prospects to their 2024 class with Max LeBlanc and Damarion Witten. And the shape of the 2025 cycle is coming into focus ever so slightly.

Monday night 2025 four-star Alpharetta (Ga) tight end Ethan Barbour announced his top eight schools and Ohio State made the cut. Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, South Carolina, Texas and USC round out the mix of schools for the Peach State native.

Barbour is the No. 5 tight end and No. 196 overall prospect according to On3. The 6-foot-2.5, 225-pound prospect sits as the No. 6 tight end but the No. 173 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Barbour and Ohio State are still in a relatively developmental state in the recruitment process. He has only visited campus once, for the Indiana game last November, and hasn’t been back yet.

For the rising junior, however, the most important thing in his recruitment is relationships.

“The big thing for me is relationships,” Barbour told On3’s Jeremy Johnson. “There are a lot of great programs out there, but ultimately I want to go to a place that values my skill set and feels like home…So far, based on my visits, interactions with the coaching staff, and how they utilize their tight ends, I feel like these are all good fits for me and who I have great relationships with.”

For the Buckeyes’ case, it all starts with tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. The rising star has played a major role in several recruitments for Ohio State in recent cycles including Thurman, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith in the 2024 cycle.

Bailey has South Florida roots and has established reliability in the fertile football grounds that are SEC country.

Ohio State and Bailey have already zeroed in on a few targets in the 2025 cycle at tight end. In-state prospect Luka Gilbert is promising and trending toward the Buckeyes. Emaree Winston, another Georgia prospect, holds Ohio State in high regard. Bear Tenney attends the same high school as 2024 linebacker commit Payton Pierce.

The Buckeyes plan on taking two tight ends every cycle for as long as Bailey is the position coach. They’ve taken care of the 2024 cycle as both LeBlanc and Witten are locked in. Could Barbour be one of the two in 2025?

Ohio State will have to beat out most likely Georgia and USC for him, however.

The post Ohio State in top eight for 2025 tight end Ethan Barbour appeared first on On3.