Justin Scott committed to Ohio State on Sunday, and Marquise Lightfoot picked Miami over the Buckeyes on Monday. It was two major defensive decisions as the Buckeyes try to get back to their old standard of recruiting on the defensive side of the ball.

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk (Happy 4th) Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means break down the state of talent acquisition on defense.

That starts with a long look at the decision of top-20 player and 310-pound defensive tackle Scott to choose the Buckeyes.

Then it's onto edge rusher Lightfoot picking the Hurricanes over Ohio State.

In that are long debates about the recruiting of defensive line coach Larry Johnson; of what the Buckeyes have done lately in the Chicago area (where both Scott and Lightfoot are from); and about the last time Ohio State landed a player like Scott.

The last part of the episode then focuses on comparing Ohio State defensive recruiting in 2024 to previous OSU defensive classes. And it outlines the major defensive targets still on the board for the Buckeyes, when they are scheduled to commit, and who the Buckeyes are recruiting against.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

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