Joshua Mickens’ Impact On Ohio State’s 2023 Recruiting Class

On Dec 21, 2022

Ohio State secured a signature from one of the nation’s top-rated edge rushers on Wednesday when Indianapolis Lawrence Central four-star Joshua Mickens pledged his services to the Buckeyes on the first day of the Early Signing Period.

The 6-foot-5 and 225-pound Mickens, who was also considering Florida State and North Carolina when he picked the Tigers back in July, finished his senior season with 74 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries and one pass break up.

Mickens has all of the physical tools needed to play defensive end but also the athleticism to drop back in coverage. The Buckeyes envision him in the same role as sophomore Jack Sawyer, who played a hybrid role this fall under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

That athleticism is especially apparent on the hardwood, where Mickens averaged 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Bears as a junior. He also put up impressive numbers in the discus and shot put – with a personal record of 53 feet in the latter – last spring, which speaks to his overall strength.

Mickens is the son of late Indianapolis Colts running back Arnold Mickens, who set 18 NCAA Division I-AA records during his career at Butler. That includes rushing for 2,255 yards in 1994, which trailed only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (2,628 yards in 1988) and USC’s Marcus Allen (2,427 in 1981) for the most yards in a season at any level.

More News From Sports Illustrated: College Football Bowl Schedule | Forde-Yard Dash: The Ultimate Bowl Games Breakdown | How Does A College Coaching Search Really Work? | Inside Zach Arnett’s Abrupt Ascension At Mississippi State

As for how the younger Mickens fits into Ohio State’s recruiting class, he’s the fourth defensive lineman to commit to assistant coach Larry Johnson this cycle, joining four-star tackles Kayden McDonald and Will Smith Jr., as well as four-star Jason Moore, who has the size and versatility to play on the interior and on the outside.

The Buckeyes were hoping to finish the cycle with one or two more players at the position from a group that includes Venice, Fla., five-star Damon Wilson, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep five-star Keon Keeley and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star Matayo Uiagalelei.

Unfortunately, all three signed elsewhere on Wednesday, with Wilson likely heading to Georgia after a back-and-forth battle with Ohio State, Keeley sending his letter of intent to Alabama after committing earlier this month and Uiagalelei remained closer to home and picked Oregon.

—–

Get your Ohio State football and basketball tickets from SI Tickets. Also, be sure to check out our new message boards, Buckeye Forums. We’d love to have you part of the conversation during the season.