'We're just authentic': How Tim Walton is finding success for Ohio State recruiting
Tim Walton’s recruiting pitch is simple and it’s authentic and it's honest, the Ohio State secondary coach said. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that players will have to come in and compete for a spot.
And with that pitch, Walton landed two top-100 cornerbacks in the 2023 class in Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Calvin Simpson-Hunt. That pitch also resulted in a three-man 2024 class with two Ohio “bookends”, Aaron Scott and Bryce West, along with Miles Lockhart.
But it's early in the 2025 recruiting cycle, that Walton's pitch has vaulted the 26-year coaching veteran into the conversation as one of the top recruiters in the country.
Walton has helped secure commitments from five-star prospects Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord – the top two cornerbacks in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports’ composite rankings – and top-100 four-star recruit Blake Woodby.
“One thing I love about coach Walton is he’s not going to kiss your butt because you’re the No. 1 recruit, No. 2 recruit,” Kaorie Offord, Na’eem Offord’s father, said shortly after his son committed. “He knows what he’s bringing to the table. That’s one thing I love about him, and I feel like I trust him with him making (Na’eem) a better man off the field. That’s the most important thing.”
'Real relationships' bring Tim Walton success in Ohio State recruiting
Returning to Ohio State after an 11-year stint as an NFL assistant coach for the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, Walton, a former Buckeye defensive back, said relationships were always going to be how his room was built.
“If you develop real relationships and you’re authentic in your communication and you have honest feedback and you have direct teaching, the guys that value character and appreciate that stuff, they embrace that,” Walton said. “But they have to know you care. They have to know that it’s real and they have to know you are really concerned about their well-being as a young man.”
Kaorie Offord loves Walton's ability to “get his hands on the younger guys” and mold them into the player and person he wants them to be both on and off the field.
“Just like a family thing,” Kaorie Offord said. “That’s the main thing that’s important is building a bond with those kids.”
That doesn’t mean each player Walton recruits will see the field immediately.
“Sometimes you may be behind a guy that’s a really good player,” Walton said. “There’s nothing wrong with developing and growing and playing when the time is right. And if the time is right as a freshman, like what Jermaine (Mathews) did, you play early”
Ohio State’s recruiting efforts are building off the “DBU” track record the Buckeyes began to develop well before Walton’s arrival. Since 2014, Ohio State has produced seven cornerbacks who were first-round picks in the NFL draft.
“If you want to go to the league, if you have big dreams or want to get a good degree,” West said. “Ohio State is definitely a good place.”
Or as Sanchez said shortly after his commitment, he’s excited to join a cornerbacks room where “everybody should be getting drafted.”
Ohio State wide receivers play role in 2025 cornerback recruiting
Walton’s recruiting success is also due to what Ohio State has accomplished on the other side of the ball.
In the past two recruiting classes, OSU has landed five top-100 receivers, including five-stars Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith, leading assistant Brian Hartline to call spring practice between his receivers and Walton’s cornerbacks “a heavyweight” fight.
“When guys do come visit as recruits, they see it,” Hartline said. “That’s one of the first things they say is the chippiness, the competitiveness is really different.”
Naturally, Walton has made that chippiness a part of his pitch.
“That’s where you get better,” Walton said. “Iron sharpens iron, so you get to see it every day in practice. That helps you grow.”
Although Walton’s 2025 cornerback class is getting full with Sanchez, Woodby and Na’eem Offord committed. Dorian Brew, a five-star cornerback, remains on the Buckeyes’ radar. Brew has developed a close relationship with Walton, saying he has confidence that Ohio State would “have me drafted in the first round.”
That’s Walton’s pitch. It’s one that players continue to buy into.
“(Walton is) the guy that can get (Na’eem Offord) to the next level,” Kaorie Offord said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: Tim Walton finds success for OSU 2025 recruiting
