The Westerville North standout devoted a yr to refining his physique, dropping greater than 40 kilos, and his approach to make himself an Ohio State-caliber prospect.
It did not cease there, both, as Prepare dinner needed to undergo two exercises with the Buckeyes in June to be thought-about for a proposal. After each periods concluded, a proposal did not come initially, resulting in some disappointment from Prepare dinner.
However that modified on the Saturday earlier than Father’s Day with one telephone name from Justin Frye.
The Prepare dinner File
- Class: 2025
- Dimension: 6-5/295
- Pos: C
- Faculty: Westerville North (Westerville, Ohio)
- Composite Ranking: ★★★
- Composite Rank: #616 (#39 IOL)
“He known as me and requested what I used to be doing,” Prepare dinner instructed Eleven Warriors in a precommit interview. “I used to be simply chilling and had simply gotten finished {golfing}. He requested me what I bought my dad for Father’s Day. Admittedly, I instructed him I nonetheless wanted to go do this. He instructed me ‘How about for Father’s Day you are taking him to Ohio State on an official go to subsequent week and also you announce your dedication whereas we’re all at dinner?’ I used to be like, ‘What?’ He stated ‘Yeah, man, you’ve bought a proposal to Ohio State now.’”
Prepare dinner had grown up rooting for the Buckeyes and grew up proper down the highway from the college, so he wanted all of 5 seconds to totally settle for the supply. He had been dedicated to Louisville since February, however backed off his pledge to the Cardinals a couple of days after incomes the supply. Prepare dinner introduced his dedication to OSU on the Friday of his official go to as Frye steered, then made it public a couple of days later.
“It’s an enormous blessing for me, it’s each Ohio child’s dream to be part of the Buckeyes,” Prepare dinner stated. “I’m excited to get up and compete in opposition to one of the best and get coached by one of the best each single day. It’s a blessing and I’m able to work. It actually didn’t hit me (I had the supply) till I awakened the following morning. I used to be like ‘Oh God, this actually occurred.’”
With Prepare dinner within the fold for OSU, the Buckeyes now have two offensive linemen dedicated in 2025 and 18 commits complete, as he joins fellow in-state lineman Carter Lowe. OSU is way from finished including to its offensive trenches for this cycle although and nonetheless hopes to take as much as three extra linemen in 2025. Different targets embrace David Sanders Jr., Josh Petty, Mario Nash Jr. and Jayvon McFadden.
Pos | Title | Ranking | Rank | Dimension | Faculty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | ★★★★★ | #5 NATL | #1 CB | 6-2 | 170 | North Shore (Houston, Texas) |
CB | NA’EEM OFFORD | ★★★★★ | #6 NATL | #2 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Parker (Birmingham, Alabama) |
QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | ★★★★★ | #14 NATL | #3 QB | 6-4 | 210 | Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, Ohio) |
S | FAHEEM DELANE | ★★★★ | #34 NATL | #2 S | 6-2 | 195 | Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) |
LB | TARVOS ALFORD | ★★★★ | #47 NATL | #5 LB | 6-2 | 210 | Vero Seashore (Vero Seashore, Florida) |
WR | QUINCY PORTER | ★★★★ | #49 NATL | #8 WR | 6-3 | 190 | Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) |
OT | CARTER LOWE | ★★★★ | #54 NATL | #7 OT | 6-5 | 290 | Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) |
DE | ZAHIR MATHIS | ★★★★ | #60 NATL | #5 Edge | 6-6 | 225 | Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
RB | BO JACKSON | ★★★★ | #81 NATL | #5 RB | 6-0 | 205 | Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio) |
DE | LONDON MERRITT | ★★★★ | #116 NATL | #13 DL | 6-2 | 250 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
TE | NATE ROBERTS | ★★★★ | #132 NATL | #6 TE | 6-4 | 235 | Washington (Washington, Oklahoma) |
S | DESHAWN STEWART | ★★★★ | #295 NATL | #26 S | 6-2 | 185 | DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey) |
WR | DE’ZIE JONES | ★★★★ | #313 NATL | #42 WR | 6-0 | 180 | DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey) |
S | CODY HADDAD | ★★★★ | #376 NATL | #18 ATH | 6-1 | 175 | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) |
LB | ELI LEE | ★★★★ | #380 NATL | #41 LB | 6-3 | 230 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
RB | ISAIAH WEST | ★★★ | #526 NATL | #45 RB | 5-11 | 208 | St. Joseph’s Prep Faculty (Philadelphia, PA) |
OL | JAKE COOK | ★★★ | #617 NATL | #39 IOL OL | 6-5 | 295 | Westerville North (Westerville, OH) |
WR | BODPEGN MILLER | ★★★ | NA | 6-4 | 180 | Ontario (Mansfield, OH) |
Prospect Ranking Information: 247Sports Composite |
Ohio State finds its middle in Prepare dinner
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Prepare dinner is taken into account the No. 616 prospect and the No. 39 inside offensive lineman within the 2025 class.
Prepare dinner has performed left sort out for his highschool the previous two seasons and performed left guard his freshman yr. He’ll play middle primarily in Columbus and says he plans on taking part in all 5 positions on the offensive line for Westerville North this season.
“The primary factor for me at middle, I can snap the ball however it’s actually getting snug at that place clearly,” Prepare dinner stated. “Daily in apply, whether or not in particular person intervals or operating the second string in, I’m off on the aspect attempting to get some snaps in. I attempt to get about 100 snaps in per day and apply steps, pulling, issues like that.”
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Prepare dinner says he shall be an early enrollee and be in Columbus this January.
“Apart from the physique composition, I’d say I’ve improved on my explosiveness and simply my capability to maneuver,” Prepare dinner stated of the place he is improved essentially the most over the previous yr. “I’d say wrestling helped rather a lot with that, wrestling bought me imply as hell. It made me a tricky man.”
With offensive line being such a developmental place on the subsequent stage, it is honest to anticipate a yr or two for Prepare dinner to develop right into a game-ready participant.
Whereas Prepare dinner could not have been on the Buckeyes’ radar till lately, it is price noting how far he is are available in a short while body. Prepare dinner opened some eyes in Might by dominating on the Underneath Armour Subsequent Camp in Might, being named a positional MVP. He additionally fully stunned Frye and Ryan Day at OSU’s first recruiting camp, main Day to inform Prepare dinner he fully made them reevaluate their recruiting board.
If he continues the identical work ethic all through his OSU profession, it would not be shocking to see him flip in a really respectable collegiate physique of labor with the Buckeyes.