Brandon Inniss, a 5-star broadband receiver, is dedicated to the state of Ohio

Shortly after Carnell Tate was committed to Ohio, Hartline added another impressive recruiting victory to his belt when Buckeyes won second place in the 2023 class: the five-star Florida brand Brandon Inniss.

Buckeye nation. I am home! #Back2Back # blessed @ Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/p9xCkqSrAE

– Brandon Inniss (@ brandon5star2) June 21, 2022

Given the events of last summer, the state of Ohio is probably grateful to the stars aligned with Buckeyes that they even have the opportunity to land a five-star talent. Buckeyes made an offer to Inniss in February 2021, then visited the campus at the end of June. Two months later, Inniss was committed to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley.

By now you know all the rest of the story. Riley chose Norman for USC, and Inniss quit Sooners soon after. This gave the six-foot, 190-pound person the opportunity to redirect their recruitment and find the one that suits them best, although some recruiting circles thought a lot about following Riley to Southern California.

Inniss quickly refuted this notion. While Inniss exercised his due diligence and explored other options, such as USC, Alabama, and Georgia, he led a relatively drama-free recruitment, as Buckeyes seemed to move forward in the spring and never fluctuate during the date of his decision.

Inniss, who is the nation’s 18th best player in the 247Sports leaderboard, was chosen by the state of Ohio because of his close ties to Hartline and his belief in Ohio’s recent record with a wide range of recipients.

“Coach Hartline is not like any other coach,” Inniss said Eleven warriors at the All-American Bowl in January. “He shares the game with you in a way no other coach does. It’s amazing to see what their receivers do inside and out every year.”

With its commitment to OSU, Inniss will become the 12th player dedicated to Buckeyes in the current round. The addition of Inniss to the 2023 class will give Buckeyes the 13th best 100-width receiver and the sixth 50 best-width receiver in the last five recruitment cycles.

OSU’s work with the five-star receivers is nothing significant, as Inniss will become the sixth five-star-wide receiver dedicated to the state of Ohio from 2019, joining Tate, Garrett Wilson, Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka.

The state of Ohio now has commitments from two of the top three wide receivers in Class 2023 and a total of three receivers, with Bryson Rodgers, Florida’s four-star winner, also committed.

Hartline will continue to look for top talent to add another broad range to the class. Four-star North Carolina receiver Noah Rogers is Buckeyes’ best target in this position.