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Just because Ohio State signed 22 recruits during the Early Signing Period back in late December doesn’t mean that Urban Meyer and the rest of the coaching staff is done recruiting the 2018 class. With an excellent class already signed, sealed, and delivered, the Buckeyes have spent the past few weeks, and will spend the next few weeks leading up to National Signing Day, recruiting a small group of big time targets to put the finishing touches on what could be the nation’s top class.
Just minutes ago, Ohio State landed one of their top remaining targets, at a big position of need, thanks to yet another late-in-the-cycle Urban Meyer recruiting jobs, and this time, it came in the form of New Jersey defensive end Tyler Friday. Friday was thought of as a Michigan lean for months, but after a visit to Ohio State in November, the Buckeyes took over as the front-runner, and never looked back.
The staff’s efforts, spearheaded by Larry Johnson, seemed ill-advised at first, as Friday was considered to be a lock for Michigan, but those efforts obviously paid off, and now the Buckeyes have added one of the nation’s best defensive linemen.
ON THE FIELD
Friday is unique, because he really doesn’t have a true position. He played on the offensive line as a sophomore, and spent the past two years on the defensive line, both at tackle and at end. Ohio State is recruiting him as a 5-tech defensive end, a position he should excel in, thanks to his impressive size (6-foot-3, 263 pounds), versatility, and athleticism.
He’s an outstanding pass-rusher, and should fit right in with Ohio State’s infamous rushmen package. The main thing he needs to improve in his game is just cleaning up his technique, which comes with experience and coaching, both of which he’ll have plenty of in Columbus.
His play-style is fairly similar to former Buckeye defensive end Jalyn Holmes, and if Friday can have a similar career to Homes (a future millionaire), Buckeye fans should be very pleased.
IN THE CLASS
Friday is the 23rd member of Ohio State’s 2018 class, and the third defensive end, alongside a pair of Ohioans: Tyreke Smith and Alex Williams. Friday’s commitment moves Ohio State within just a single point of Georgia’s top ranked class, and with another three or four commitments expected to join the Buckeye class before it’s all said and done, the top class is absolutely within reach for Ohio State.
Friday is the first Ohio State commit to come from New Jersey since Jordan Fuller in 2016, but the Garden State has been very good to the Buckeyes historically, producing Fuller, Eli Apple, and Noah Brown over the past few years.