Things are beginning to heat up on the 2022 recruiting trail here in recent weeks. On Monday afternoon, Tar Heels 2022 4✮ OT Collin Sadler announced his commitment to Clemson over Carolina among others and now another one of the team’s major targets in the class is set to make his announcement on Wednesday night.
2022 4✮ TE Benji Gosnell, a rising junior at East Surry High School in Pilot Mountain, NC, announced via social media on Sunday that he will be committing to one of his final three schools on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM on his Instagram account. Gosnell, the brother of current Tar Heel wide receiver Stephen Gosnell, released his final three of Carolina, Ohio State and Florida back in late August.
Out of the three, Ohio State appears to be the school with the best ties to him, despite already having a commitment at the tight end position in the cycle. The Buckeyes prioritized Gosnell early on in his recruiting process and have apparently become extremely interested in the idea of a two tight end class. The one obstacle for the Buckeyes is that he hasn’t been able to take a visit to Columbus, but, as he told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong, he has taken multiple virtual visits and he has an extremely close relationship with Ryan Day.
The Tar Heels appear to be the biggest threat to the Buckeyes, in large part due to the connection of his brother being a current player and the proximity to home. Gosnell also has a strong relationship with tight ends coach John Lilly and he has been to campus a couple of times. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, the bond doesn’t seem to be as strong as the one he has with the Buckeyes staff and might be too much to overcome.
As for Florida, they gained some momentum right after their offer, but that has definitely seemed to fade here recently. Gosnell has a solid relationship with Tim Brewster, one that started last season when he was a part of the Tar Heel staff. The relationships don’t seem to be on the same level as the ones with the Buckeyes and Tar Heel staff and the fact that he hasn’t been able to visit campus doesn’t seem to be as easily overlooked here.
The Buckeyes will enter Wednesday’s announcement as the heavy crystal ball favorites. Both 247Sports and Rivals have all of their predictions going the way of the Buckeyes, including the lead recruiting analyst for both sites. It seems as if all signs are pointing to Gosnell choosing Ohio State on Wednesday. No matter the choice, however, this is a recruitment that won’t be over anytime soon.
Prediction: Ohio State