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A couple of weeks ago, Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian Academy safety Ben Edwards received an offer from Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes. After he was offered, he said it completely changed his recruitment, which proved true in a big way as he committed to OSU earlier today over the Auburn Tigers, who were previously considered the favorite to land him.
Edwards had a lot of contact with the Ohio State coaching staff after receiving the offer a few weeks back and pulled the trigger on the offer earlier today.
"I had been talking to the coaches a lot since they offered," Edwards told Land-Grant Holy Land. "I've been developing really good relationships with them, I fell in love with the school, and today I decided I was 100% ready to make the commitment and end the process."
The 6'0, 196-pound safety gave his verbal today when he was on the phone with tight ends coach Tim Hinton and new co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Chris Ash.
"I was talking on the phone with Coach Ash and he handed the phone back to Coach Hinton, I told him I wanted to be a Buckeye," he said. "They were psyched that I decided to commit."
Some players from the South usually like to stay down south because of the great weather and the elite college football, but the weather doesn't bother the newest Buckeye.
"It's not a big deal for me to be playing in the cold weather as long as I'm happy at the school," he stated.
He was planning on visiting Auburn in a couple of weeks, but he said that visit will no longer happen and his recruitment is over.
"I'm not going to be visiting any other schools. I'm 100% a Buckeye and wouldn't have committed if I wasn't 100% on my decision."
The only trip he has ever made to Ohio State was last June, but he hopes to make it back to Columbus sometime this spring in order to see the school he fell in love a second time.
Trinity Christian Academy is one of the most prestigious football programs in the nation and houses a few other top prospects, including linebacker Jeffrey Holland and cornerback Kevin Toliver II, who is currently committed to LSU. Edwards said he will "definitely" be recruiting those two and others to come to Columbus with him to play their college ball.
Ohio State's 2015 class now has three members with the commitment of Edwards, two of whom are from the state of Florida (cornerback Jamel Dean the other). He had the following to say to all of the Buckeye fans:
"I just want to tell Buckeye fans that they're getting a hard-hittng, hard-working player. I'm excited to be a Buckeye."
