What Will It Take To Land Joshisa Trader?

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Class of 2024 wide receiver Joshisa Trader is not going to make a lot of news in the interviews that he does, mostly because he is not one to do a lot of interviews.

That made our stop at Chaminade-Madonna Prep that much more important as we had a chance to catch up with the top-50 national player. He has been held out of spring practice with a lower body injury as of late but still taking in everything as his team puts in work in advance of the 2023 season.

The Buckeyes are in a group with Miami, Florida, Florida State and Georgia who appear on the top of his list and are all set to get visits this summer from the talented Floridian.

Trader has been no stranger to the Ohio State campus, visiting for a couple of years now and those visits have created a sense of comfortability between the player and the coaching staff.

“I like everything about the program,” Trader said. “I’ve been visiting (Ohio State) so many times, you know, I love coach Hartline and coach Day.”

It also doesn’t hurt that the Buckeyes already have a pledge from teammate Jeremiah Smith and are actively recruiting another teammate, Zaquan Patterson.

But on top of that you have the ties to Trader’s 7-on-7 team, the South Florida Express, a team that produced a pair of first-year Ohio State players in Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss.

“I got a great relationship with the receivers that are there, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss,” Trader added. “I got a great, great relationship with them.”

Carnell Tate had the chance to enroll early and was one of the stars of Ohio State’s spring practice, especially as the Buckeyes held a few players out and limited reps of other veterans. Tate now appears to be in the mix to see significant playing time in 2023 as a true freshman, something that any young player strives for, a chance to contribute early.

“That’s very cool, he works hard at everything (that he does),” Trader said. “I’ve been seeing him since (South Florida Express) how he works and stuff like that. So, shout out to him.”

Trader may still be a tough pull out of the Southeast but there will not be anyone saying that Ohio State did not give its best effort in this one. The visits will be critical, and nobody wants to bet against Brian Hartline when it comes to a wide receiver, especially now that Hartline has been named the offensive coordinator and will be even more involved in the play calling mechanics for this team.

What else did Trader have to say in this rare interview opportunity? Check it out in this exclusive video interview as part of our Southern Swing tour. We are in week two, which means many of the powerhouse programs in Florida are on our radar and you don’t want to miss out.