COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Air Noland hasn’t yet earned an Ohio State football offer, which, given his recruiting profile, probably wouldn’t make much sense to someone watching from the outside.
The four-star recruit is the No. 84 player and No. 8 quarterback in a 2024 class where the Buckeyes have once again had to go out and search for a quarterback after its first option, five-star Dylan Raiola, decommitted in December.
Noland has been a rising star over the last few months, adding offers from Alabama, Clemson and Oregon with more presumably on the way.
He’s also been in constant conversation with OSU’s coaching staff for months, with multiple visits from quarterback coach Corey Dennis and head coach Ryan Day. Even Brian Hartline has become more involved since being promoted to offensive coordinator.
So why is someone getting this much time and energy not yet an official target yet?
“Patience is something I’ve had to have with this recruiting process and it’s not a big issue,” Noland told cleveland.com. “I haven’t been up to Ohio State yet, and that plays into why they haven’t offered me. But they’ve been recruiting me just as if they’ve offered me so it’s no big deal. I love Ohio State.”
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His lack of time in Columbus won’t be a big issue next weekend either, when he finally makes his first trip to close out March.
More than likely he’ll leave with that scholarship offer, ramping up a recruiting process that’s already gotten pretty serious. They didn’t need to rush an offer for him to feel like he was a priority for them. Doing so will be more about putting the punctuation on something already understood.
“There’s not very many guys they’re recruiting outside of me,” Noland said. “I talk to coach Dennis and coach Hartline on a daily basis.”
The love for the Georgia native, who comes from the same high school as current early enrollee and four-star tight end Jelani Thurman, isn’t just coming from OSU’s coaching staff.
Noland and five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith have known each other since they were 8 years old competing against each other in different little league events. Now they’re spending their final offseason as high schoolers together playing seven on seven for one of the nation’s most prominent programs, South Florida Express. The program also produced 2023 wide receiver signees Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate.
Smith doesn’t talk much, doing the occasional interview after at different seven-on-seven showcases where he’s typically asked who he wants to play with.
Quite often one of the first names out of his mouth is Noland, who he’s already building chemistry with. When a player some view as the decade’s best wide receiver prospect is this vocal about wanting to play with you, it’s worth at least looking into what he brings to the table.
“We’re both two great athletes in the 2024 class,” Noland said of their relationship. “We’re two dogs that love competing. We just love the game of football. He recruits me and lets me know how he feels about Ohio State all the time. That relationship is great and we could do great things on the field together.”
What makes Smith great is his blend of size — 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds — athleticism, hands and natural route running ability. He’s been compared to perennial Pro Bowler Julio Jones, but a Buckeye fan may salivate over the endless possibilities with him especially after spending the past year watching Marvin Harrison Jr. Noland’s play style can make him the C.J. Stroud in that equation as a guy who loves to sit in the pocket and pick defenses apart.
“Air Noland the quarterback’s a leader,” Noland said. “He’s a guy that’s gonna make sure the other 10 guys are ready before to play and ready during the play. He’s a guy that loves passing the ball, sitting back in the pocket making decisions. He’s a great decision-maker and is very accurate with the football. He’s a throw-first, run-later type of guy but he’s not afraid to run. He’s a pro-style type of quarterback.
“I make sure I’m accountable for myself and for the other 10 guys. I make my job as ready as possible so I can make their job as easy as possible. Monday through Thursday, man we put in work and I’m a competitor. I love winning. All I know is winning.”
The only difference between Noland and Stroud is that Noland is left-handed. It’s a small wrinkle where because of his throwing arm, the ball can spin a little differently and receivers have to get used to it. It’s the same thing Alabama had to go through when Tua Tagovailoa was its quarterback, but it didn’t keep the Crimson Tide from reaching back-to-back national title games, winning one of them.
The same goes for Noland. Whether it’s Smith on a seven-on-seven team or Thurman on a high school team, no one’s had a problem adjusting to catching passes from a lefty. The ball may spin a different way, but just about everything else is perfect.
“Yeah the ball spins a little different, but all the wide receivers I’ve thrown to they like the way I throw the ball and I like the way they catch the ball,” Noland said. “It’s an easy adjustment. They love when I throw the ball and I love when they get open because it makes my job easier.
Smith has a short list of quarterbacks he’d like to play with in college. His future school has a short list of quarterbacks it’s even considering bringing in. For the most part, those two lists match up with Noland being one of the few exceptions. That should change shortly after he finally returns the favor and makes his way north.
“They’ve let me know what they like about me and I can come in and be the guy at Ohio State,” Noland said. “Them being very authentic with me tells me how much they really like me and then they liked me a lot.”
To see Ohio State’s full 2024 recruiting class, click here.
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